The article published today by the NY Times is titled “The Algebra Problem: How Middle School Math Became a National Flashpoint.” So what is the Algebra problem exactly? If you dive in to that question you quickly discover that the problem isn’t algebra at all. Nothing is wrong with Algebra it remains a class that every public school student is expected to learn. Put another way, Algebra is a constant in this equation.
So what’s the problem then? The problem isn’t algebra, it’s equity. That’s why educators on both coasts have been messing around with Algebra classes over the past several years.
Students have been required for decades to learn to solve for the variable x, and to find the slope of a line. Most complete the course in their first year of high school. But top-achievers are sometimes allowed to enroll earlier, typically in eighth grade.
The dual pathways inspire some of…
