In Our View: Logic Does Not Compute

Have you ever had to cut a recipe in half, figuring out the correct amount of flour for creating perfect chocolate chip cookies? Or figure the correct measurements for rebuilding the deck on your house? Or decipher a pie chart in the newspaper?

All of these common tasks involve some measure of algebra, a particular mathematical discipline that is under an attack that has generated much media attention. Andrew Hacker, author of “The Math Myth and Other STEM Delusions,” has, if nothing else, done an effective job of drawing attention to his new book. And while we welcome the discussion, we also conclude that Hacker scores somewhere between zero and negative infinity on the logic scale.

“One out of five young Americans does not graduate from high school,” says Hacker, a professor emeritus at Queens College. “This is one of the worst records in the developed world. Why? The chief academic reason is they failed ninth-grade algebra.”

While it is not clear whether that assertion carries any measure of truth, Hacker doubles down by saying that, at most, only 5 percent of jobs make use of algebra or other advanced math. So, Hacker argues that if not enough students are graduating high school, we should make high school easier for them, and then he asserts that if students don’t use the skills in their jobs, those skills should not be taught. If such arguments were applied to English classes, Shakespeare would have been long forgotten.

But it is this attack upon algebra that is particularly problematic. As Stanford University mathematician Keith Devlin wrote in response to Hacker’s assertions, algebra “provides a way to find numerical answers not by computing, which is often very difficult, but by reasoning logically to hone-in on the answer, using whatever information is available.” And those are lessons that translate to everyday life, not just professional duties.

Undoubtedly, eliminating algebra instruction for all but math-proficient students would be met with cheers in some circles. Yet the instructive portion of Hacker’s idea is a call to examine how math is being taught in schools. As Kevin Knudson, a professor at the University of Florida, wrote: “School mathematics has largely been drained of context and beauty. University mathematicians complain about this, too. … Algebra is a beautiful baby; it would be a shame to throw it out with some dirty bathwater.”

Among the concerns is a failure to demonstrate the everyday applications of math and, in particular, algebra. As Philip Uri Treisman, a professor at the University of Texas, told the Associated Press: “Every study I’ve ever seen of workers in whole bunches of fields shows that you have to understand formulas, you have to understand relationships. Algebra is the tool for consolidating your knowledge of arithmetic.”

In other words, knowing how to add or divide numbers is important. Applying that knowledge to the real world requires algebra. Eliminating algebra instruction because some students find it difficult — rather than devising better ways to teach it — would be a disservice to those students. While debates continue over the direction of the American educational system, it is essential that we focus upon striving for higher standards, not caving in to demands for lower, more simplistic standards.

As Devlin, the Stanford professor, wrote: “Algebra arose by codifying the everyday reasoning people carried out — and still carry out today — about the numerical or quantity aspects of any human activity.” That sounds important for all walks of life.