Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

Debating Algebra As a Gateway Course

October 29, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

This is in response to “Is There an Algebra Overkill” (Oct. 13, 2010). The United States cannot have it both ways. We want to keep our high-tech jobs within the country, and, at the same time, we do not want to encourage the learning of algebra by middle and high school students. Algebra is a gateway course to college-level work.

Ours is a high-tech nation, and we need a continuous pool of qualified people in the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and math—to lead in this world. Many countries have a two-track system: They offer a curriculum through calculus for students who are science majors, and offer arithmetic for all others because the demand for science majors is limited. The United States cannot afford this track system because we need every stem major that we can find.

Algebra is everywhere. When taught right, algebra is beautiful and simple. Even the most difficult courses in the world, like quantum physics, use algebra to achieve the final answer.

To make the learning of algebra meaningful, math professionals need to deal with the “math devils” before they start teaching algebra—the “cross products” and two negative signs in multiplication and division, and also in the addition of two negative numbers or terms. The problem is not with algebra itself but in the way it is being taught even by the most content-qualified professionals.

Daryao Khatri

Washington, D.C.

A version of this article appeared in the November 03, 2010 edition of Education Week as Debating Algebra As a Gateway Course

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read