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Stupidity begets stupidity, lower the standards and the result will be a lack of ability to compete.
Brain research changing the way math is taught to younger children | Dallas-Fort Worth Medicine News and Advice - Health News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News
just more proof we need early childhood education to solve this problem
In a typical preschool class, children do very little math. They may practice counting, and occasionally look at books about numbers, but that is about it. Many classes devote mere minutes a day to math instruction or no time at all, recent studies have found - far less than most children can handle, and not nearly enough to prepare those who, deprived of math-related games at home, quickly fall behind in kindergarten.
"Once that happens, it can be very hard to catch up," said Julie Sarama, a researcher in the graduate school of education at the University at Buffalo who, with her colleague and husband, Doug Clements, a professor in the same department, developed a program called Building Blocks to enrich early math education.
"They decide they're no good at math - 'I'm not a math person,' they say - and pretty soon the school agrees, the parents agree," Clements said.
"Everyone agrees."
Brain research changing the way math is taught to younger children | Dallas-Fort Worth Medicine News and Advice - Health News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News
just more proof we need early childhood education to solve this problem
In a typical preschool class, children do very little math. They may practice counting, and occasionally look at books about numbers, but that is about it. Many classes devote mere minutes a day to math instruction or no time at all, recent studies have found - far less than most children can handle, and not nearly enough to prepare those who, deprived of math-related games at home, quickly fall behind in kindergarten.
"Once that happens, it can be very hard to catch up," said Julie Sarama, a researcher in the graduate school of education at the University at Buffalo who, with her colleague and husband, Doug Clements, a professor in the same department, developed a program called Building Blocks to enrich early math education.
"They decide they're no good at math - 'I'm not a math person,' they say - and pretty soon the school agrees, the parents agree," Clements said.
"Everyone agrees."
I flunked Algebra my first year in HS and had to take it again the next - in California.
I guess there's a reason to learn it if you don't plan to be a mathematician, but I can't think of that many times in my 70+ years that I truly needed it.
However, to drop it because students are "too stupid" to comprehend it, this is truly a sad commentary on how bad the education system is.
[my first year Algebra teacher was dull and uninspiring. My second cared and did her best to help those of us who were having a tough time - I managed to pass with a C+ - much better than an F]
Uh, one more confession - not once in HS did I ever take homework home. Always did it on my breaks.
What happens when people don't become educated is that they thereafter have to adjust their lives and livelihoods to accommodate their lack of education. They don't advance, they take lower paying jobs. The lack of ability no longer matters. They are surpassed by someone with a better education who knows more and can do more. Increasingly this means someone who didn't get a basic education in the United States. Or, has gone to private school, or was even home schooled. Certainly didn't go to public school.
This is why we have slipped so far behind.
It's hard to ignore how important Algebra 1 is. A student's success in that class is the single best predictor of college graduation.
What happens when people don't become educated is that they thereafter have to adjust their lives and livelihoods to accommodate their lack of education. They don't advance, they take lower paying jobs. The lack of ability no longer matters. They are surpassed by someone with a better education who knows more and can do more. Increasingly this means someone who didn't get a basic education in the United States. Or, has gone to private school, or was even home schooled. Certainly didn't go to public school.
This is why we have slipped so far behind.
To be fair our society is pushing some forms of academic education on people who really shouldnt be getting it. The lack of sorting and technical and vocational education results in people learning something they may not need or even be interested.
That being said basic algebra should be taught to everyone. Calculus? Not so much.
You may not be seeing "x" and "y" in your head, but you are using the mental equivalents, be it an engineer figuring out the required bolting on a truss, or a plumber figuring out how many bolts he needs for a length of flanged pipe he is about to install.
With Algebra 1 required, the percentage of African-American students enrolled in the class went from 24 percent to 60 percent in the last nine years. For Latinos, that tripled to 63 percent.
It's hard to ignore how important Algebra 1 is. A student's success in that class is the single best predictor of college graduation.
CA should be sued for racism
