
Is Algebra Necessary? - kamaal
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/opinion/sunday/is-algebra-necessary.html
======
CarolineW
Andrew Hacker, 2012.

His main argument seems to be:

* Math is hard;

* It makes students fail;

* I've never used it;

* Therefore we shouldn't teach it.

So why bother teaching anything? If the point is to make it easier to pass
school, why not just hand out certificates to say they've passed and then let
employers select who they choose and provide training.

~~~
brudgers
_So why bother teaching anything?_

I'm curious about your answer because if the reason for teaching is to
facilitate the success of every child, then teaching something that is at odds
with a particular child's success seems also at odds with that purpose.

Or to put it another way, life for educators is easier when institutional
norms facilitate labeling children failures and that such labeling allows
educators to disclaim responsibility for the educational outcomes of children
so labeled.

It's a really messy problem. I mean the circumstances of many children in
their teenage years are such that learning algebra is legitimately not a
priority. The circumstances of other children in their teenage years are such
that their psycho-physical development is at a stage where learning algebra is
extraordinarily difficult.

All of that can change between age 14 and 24 or 34 or 44. And the educational
outcomes that matter are the later ages.

