A longstanding cultural sanctioning of math phobias is under siege. And algebra is the first battleground. Educators call it the gateway to higher mathematics, a requirement for the age of technology and a practical tool for surviving everyday life. A subject enjoyed by some and reviled by many has gained currency as politicians strive to improve public education by implementing rigorous academic expectations. Once the sole purview of college-bound students, everyone will now be expected to conquer a subject many remember as something they'd rather forget.
Most educators agree the goal of teaching algebra to all is a necessary, albeit daunting, task.
More than a third of some local school district's current sophomores are not on track to take algebra before graduation. At some point in their education, probably as early as elementary school, many of them were categorized as mathematically challenged and relegated to the land of basic math. Mastering numbers is one thing. Taking on abstract mathematical concepts is quite another, Hays said. By next year, all math classes at Will C. Wood will lead to algebra.