Loosening math requirements is a little radical, but he makes many legitimate points. There are many kids that just don't "get" math. I've been in classes with great math teachers and have always seen at least a few kids struggling. They don't struggle because they can't think logically and systematically, but because they think in a different way. Perhaps they can't wrap their minds around the intangible. I don't know. What I do know is that some of these kids are amazing debaters, literary analysts and historians with good study habits. Skills of students like these should be considered. Not being adept in STEM topics shouldn't equate to being cut off from higher education.

Scott K., you should check out what mathematicians like Arthur Benjamin say about the math curriculum in the U.S.

Here is a a good place to start:

I got the feeling in reading his essay that he's seeing the problem (too many students failing or struggling through math courses) and proposing the most bizarre solution for fixing it. Instead of making sure K-8 math education gets better (because as even he points out, these students are getting to algebra/geometry/trig without basic math skills somehow), he's proposing to loosen math requirements. (Resulting in probably more students without mathematical reasoning skills.)

The institution where I work (like most community colleges) has a really big problem with students arriving unprepared for college-level math courses, and the number of students that have to take remedial and non-credit-bearing courses seems to be increasing. The problem isn't that the students have to pass math with a certain level of proficiency in order to continue on in their studies, it's that they're entering college woefully unprepared. That's not the fault of my institution (or any other CC out there) because that's a minimum standard that hasn't moved. The problem lies with whatever's going on in K-8/9-12 math education.

As an aside, Hacker is a very outspoken critic of lots of different things in modern education, and while he does correctly identify problems, his proposed solutions are usually out there.

The comments made in the article are shocking, and almost naive. It is clearly written by someone who does not like mathematics, or appreciates its value. Granted, his points are valid, and many people struggle with math, and probably will never have to solve an integral, or use Stoke's Theorem to find the volume of a curve. And it is probably true that there needs to be more "street math" type of classes for those who choose careers that are not math intensive. But it is a logical leap to suggest we don't force students to take these core math classes at all.

The main point the author is missing in this article is that we don't just teach math to torture those who are not good at it. Learning math, whether it be simple algebra or advanced calculus, helps improve critical thinking skills and logic. It's not about the exact process, but about how one goes about solving a problem with an analytic mindset. And for those who struggle, it's also a lesson in overcoming obstacles and reinforcing good study skills and habits. I'm an engineer with a statistics background, so I could be biased.

Instead of looking at the bad US math statistics and suggesting we just don't teach it as much anymore, we should instead strive to continuously improve, and tackle the problem with vigor. Regardless of your background, I think we can all agree on that.