Before Dropping Algebra, Fix Math Education
A recent opinion essay in The New York Times by Andrew Hacker, asking the question “Is Algebra Necessary?”, drew hundreds of comments. Some of SchoolBook’s contributors went further and have written their own essays in response. What’s your opinion? Respond to our query below. (We would especially love to hear from students or recent graduates.)As a parent with three children rising through New York City public schools, I’m sympathetic to the argument by the Queens College professor Andrew Hacker that “elite” colleges often saddle students with large debts for little discernible benefit in salaries or social status over their less-prestigious brethren.
Lorraine LeveyMatthew Levey
Whether or not my kids earn 3.8 GPAs and score 2,200 on their SATs, Dr.