When Idiots Bloviate about Algebra

Bob Somersby attempts to argue that liberals are uncaring about education in high poverty areas claiming that requiring passing algebra for a high school degree is somehow a bad thing.

The assumption of such an argument is that there are a large number of students who can’t pass a basic algebra class–the real problem with people like Somersby is that they don’t actually attempt to answer empirical questions like this and instead assume it to be true.

The are numerous problems with the assumption, the first being the girl in question had about a 50% attendance rate at school. When someone says they can’t pass something and haven’t attended school for 50% of the days, I have a very likely reason as to why they could not pass algebra that does involve some sort of innate inability to do so.

More problematic is that Somersby seems to think that algebra is some sort of rocket science that some people just can’t get. I know of no evidence supporting such a claim. Some students may have learning disabilities and those students generally can have accomodations made in such circumstances. Other students often have different levels of algebra they may take.

It’s not that I don’t care about Gabriela, it’s because I care about students in poverty that I insist they should pass algebra. Suggesting they cannot pass such a basic class is bullshit. Somerby tries to argue it’s all a fad and that such a requirement only makes sense for students going to college. Somerby tries to rely on his experience teaching, but he doesn’t seem to know much about what goes on in non-college track career education which often teaches algebra, though perhaps not in the standard format. If you want to take a trade in high school, you get algebra, and that’s as it should be.

Algebra and geometry aren’t just thought experiments, they are basic skills to working and living in the world.

The only argument that Somerby and others can try and make to support their claims is that there are thousands who are dropping out because of higher standards and their inability to meet those standards. I’ll give on one issue is that if their base level of education is too low from previous failures in a school, that means they may not have the skills to master algebra yet. The solution then is not to require algebra, it is to get them up to the appropriate skill level.

But most essential to Somerby’s argument is actual evidence that the drop-out rate is increasing or the high school completion rate is decreasing (and yes, they are different measures). As far as I am aware, the rates have been pretty steady since the 1980s indicating the ‘new standards’ aren’t creating a problem–they are instead being cited as a problem when someone uses anecdotes. Beyond that, many schools are increasing their graduation rates in recent years–though not dramatically so before someone like Somerby wants to bemoan the horribleness of requiring algebra, he ought to do what he implores everyone else in the world to do: Check his facts first.

Nothing about Gabriela’s case suggests that she wouldn’t have dropped out before there was a requirement to pass algebra–given her abyssmal attendance record, it seems likely she would have dropped out anyway.

Most disappointing is that Kevin says Bob has a point. Bob would have a point if he could show some evidence that either of his assumptions have support. Is there any evidence more students are dropping out and not graduating? Is there any evidence that large sections of students cannot pass a basic algebra or geometry class?

Here is some basic information on dropouts nationwide–not only is the dropout rate decreasing slightly over time all of the subgroups are generally at least stable in the rate of dropout.

Furthermore, the question should not be whether students can pass something, it should be that whether when awarding a credential, is the skill something that should be expected that everyone getting the credential would benefit from in their life. In the case of algebra and geometry the answer is pretty simply yes.

And yes, this is an obsession of mine and it will continue.

5 thoughts on “When Idiots Bloviate about Algebra”
  1. Just occurred to me that “Gabriela” is an anagram for “Algebra I”. Is she a real person, or a straw one?

  2. Huzzah to your pov! Not only have I seen algebra processed and used correctly by kids some would dismiss as dunderheads, but I believe the larger issue is the failure of the federal government to commit to math and science education, to boost the graduate output of teachers and technologists necessary to maintain our economic and national security edge.

    I often agree with Somerby, even when he ventures from the CW, but in this case, I think he’s taking a legitimate concern (bias against high poverty areas) and superimposing it onto algebra, without anything but personal experience to support his case. And I’ve learned repeatedly that self-observation, while important, can mislead without a larger comparative context.

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