Is algebra necessary for ALL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s be serious. DCPS isn’t capable offering a banquet of educational opportunities. It’s more like a fast-food menu, often served at a franchise that can’t pass a health inspection. Algebra II doesn’t fit well into that establishment. So, citing advanced thinking in education, DCPS rationalizes that they should get rid of it for the good of the children.

Nobody on this board is advocating getting rid higher-level math. The question is whether it should be required of all students.

[Anonymous]

.... I would say yes it should be required. Why dumb down the whole class just to make it easier for failing teachers to get pass grades for students?

[Anonymous]

I posed this question as a general policy, not specific to any school or school system. Why all the animosity toward DCPS and teachers?

[Anonymous]

Why are you proposing a blatantly bad practice? Make higher math "optional" and you'll quickly find that students gravitate toward whatever is easiest, and teachers have no incentive to promote "harder" courses. Maybe the brightest students with supportive parents will be the only ones who learn algebra, and go on to become the best educated - and as someone else said, this leads to more segregation. This is nothing to do with DCPS specifically. It's just a very bad idea. Real leadership in education would be doing what is best for the students and country, not finding quick fixes to other problems by dumbing down classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you proposing a blatantly bad practice? Make higher math "optional" and you'll quickly find that students gravitate toward whatever is easiest, and teachers have no incentive to promote "harder" courses. Maybe the brightest students with supportive parents will be the only ones who learn algebra, and go on to become the best educated - and as someone else said, this leads to more segregation. This is nothing to do with DCPS specifically. It's just a very bad idea. Real leadership in education would be doing what is best for the students and country, not finding quick fixes to other problems by dumbing down classes.

Actually, students crave challenge. What you think is bad practice might serve a broader range of students than the status quo.

[Anonymous]

"Why all the animosity toward DCPS and teachers?"

Because we have or had kids in the DC schools systems. The dumbing down is not a hypothetical policy question to us. .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Why all the animosity toward DCPS and teachers?"

Because we have or had kids in the DC schools systems. The dumbing down is not a hypothetical policy question to us. .

So what are you doing about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are you proposing a blatantly bad practice? Make higher math "optional" and you'll quickly find that students gravitate toward whatever is easiest, and teachers have no incentive to promote "harder" courses. Maybe the brightest students with supportive parents will be the only ones who learn algebra, and go on to become the best educated - and as someone else said, this leads to more segregation. This is nothing to do with DCPS specifically. It's just a very bad idea. Real leadership in education would be doing what is best for the students and country, not finding quick fixes to other problems by dumbing down classes.

So you like the Common Core Standards for Math which DCPS adopted this year.

[Anonymous]

"So what are you doing about it?"

Basis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s be serious. DCPS isn’t capable offering a banquet of educational opportunities. It’s more like a fast-food menu, often served at a franchise that can’t pass a health inspection. Algebra II doesn’t fit well into that establishment. So, citing advanced thinking in education, DCPS rationalizes that they should get rid of it for the good of the children.

Nobody on this board is advocating getting rid higher-level math. The question is whether it should be required of all students.

I would say require it of 99%, have the other 1% apply for a waiver on their IEP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you proposing a blatantly bad practice? Make higher math "optional" and you'll quickly find that students gravitate toward whatever is easiest, and teachers have no incentive to promote "harder" courses. Maybe the brightest students with supportive parents will be the only ones who learn algebra, and go on to become the best educated - and as someone else said, this leads to more segregation. This is nothing to do with DCPS specifically. It's just a very bad idea. Real leadership in education would be doing what is best for the students and country, not finding quick fixes to other problems by dumbing down classes.

Actually, students crave challenge. What you think is bad practice might serve a broader range of students than the status quo.

Very naive. Make what is considered the hardest and most time consuming part optional and students will sacrifice it to focus on and be more competitive in other subjects. Teachers and schools who are judged on overall grades will find ways to steer students in the same direction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s be serious. DCPS isn’t capable offering a banquet of educational opportunities. It’s more like a fast-food menu, often served at a franchise that can’t pass a health inspection. Algebra II doesn’t fit well into that establishment. So, citing advanced thinking in education, DCPS rationalizes that they should get rid of it for the good of the children.

Nobody on this board is advocating getting rid higher-level math. The question is whether it should be required of all students.

Couldn't be done with the current approach of in-class differentiation. So essentially you are suggesting DCPS needs tracking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you proposing a blatantly bad practice? Make higher math "optional" and you'll quickly find that students gravitate toward whatever is easiest, and teachers have no incentive to promote "harder" courses. Maybe the brightest students with supportive parents will be the only ones who learn algebra, and go on to become the best educated - and as someone else said, this leads to more segregation. This is nothing to do with DCPS specifically. It's just a very bad idea. Real leadership in education would be doing what is best for the students and country, not finding quick fixes to other problems by dumbing down classes.

Actually, students crave challenge. What you think is bad practice might serve a broader range of students than the status quo.

Very naive. Make what is considered the hardest and most time consuming part optional and students will sacrifice it to focus on and be more competitive in other subjects. Teachers and schools who are judged on overall grades will find ways to steer students in the same direction.

In other words, encourage copping out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Why all the animosity toward DCPS and teachers?"

Because we have or had kids in the DC schools systems. The dumbing down is not a hypothetical policy question to us. .

So what are you doing about it?

Really it is the schools' job to improve themselves and not the parents job! And DCPS will continue to lose students as long as they do not improve themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are you proposing a blatantly bad practice? Make higher math "optional" and you'll quickly find that students gravitate toward whatever is easiest, and teachers have no incentive to promote "harder" courses. Maybe the brightest students with supportive parents will be the only ones who learn algebra, and go on to become the best educated - and as someone else said, this leads to more segregation. This is nothing to do with DCPS specifically. It's just a very bad idea. Real leadership in education would be doing what is best for the students and country, not finding quick fixes to other problems by dumbing down classes.

Actually, students crave challenge. What you think is bad practice might serve a broader range of students than the status quo.

Very naive. Make what is considered the hardest and most time consuming part optional and students will sacrifice it to focus on and be more competitive in other subjects. Teachers and schools who are judged on overall grades will find ways to steer students in the same direction.

In other words, encourage copping out.

Exactly.