Algebra and Dropouts
While many states are requiring students to pass algebra to graduate from high school, there are plenty of people who oppose it.
Professor Gerald Bracey has spoken out against this practice for years. In his column in the March/April issue of Teacher, Ron Wolk, founder of Education Week and Teacher magazine speaks out against too much emphasis on algebra. It has been shown that the algebra requirement is a major cause of dropouts. Some people just can’t learn it, and others know they won’t need it and don’t want to be forced into taking the course. This is another of the problems of education that is studied, written about, and has positive and negative claims made about it. We need a small permanent, specialized SM-14 type national research center to advise educators on the teaching of algebra and higher math in general.
March 2nd, 2006 at 12:30 pm
I believe Algebra should be required and an emphasis placed on it. A more positive attitude needs to be directed towards it by everyone. A different teaching style may be what is needed to link it more to real world situations. This I believe would help many students learn it and appreciate it more. To obtain higher education you are going to need Algebra.