Andrew Hacker Is Algebra Necessary Summary

In Andrew Hacker's “ Is Algebra Necessary?” he talks about the mathematics education system taught to students. Mr. Hacker says too much pressure is placed on students to excel at a high level of algebra. In fact, California's two university systems only consider applicants who have taken three years of mathematics. In addition, many community colleges and Ivy Leagues look for a score of seven-hundred on the math section of the SAT. Only 9 percent of men and 3 percent of women attained that score in 2009. I agree with the author that too much pressure is placed on students to get a high grade in a subject they will not use in everyday life. When colleges exclude applicants who get less than a 700 on the math portion of the SAT, they do not give applicants who are amazing in history or art a chance to have a better education.
Hacker also points out that higher math is only needed for technological jobs not average daily jobs. Although, he does agree that society would collapse without math, which i completely agree with. He suggested an alternative to the classes all students must take
Hacker makes is many students end up dropping out of high school and even college. Only 58 percent of college students receive a bachelor's degree, with the main impediment being freshman math. Also, one in four ninth graders fail to finish school and in South Carolina 34 percent dropped out in 2008-09. 45 percent in Nevada and 33 percent in Oklahoma failed to pass the algebra exit exam, as did 35 percent in West Virginia. While I do think algebra may play a part in students dropping out there are most likely other factors. In my opinion this was not a strong argument on his side. His statistics were picked strategically and he does not have the facts to support that algebra was the main reason the students dropped out. In conclusion, Andrew Hacker had many good arguments and i agree with him on most, although some of his statistics are not well