This piece comes to us courtesy of The Hechinger Report's HechingerEd blog. Is math holding the United States back? Last week, a community-college...

In algebra we learn to handle abstractions that are not part of visceral human experience. We learn not only to be comfortable with such external unknowns but how to master them.

Mastering algebra is also like doing push-ups. There's nothing about push-ups that you're going to need to know later in life or that you would have to employ in some way on a job. But the fact remains: push-ups make your body stronger. Algebra makes your brain stronger.

While we generally agree with Hacker that significant improvements must be made, dumbing down the curriculum, or tracking students at an early age into college-prep or non-college-prep mathematics is not the answer.

Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. Instead, let's ensure that all students master algebraic thinking and problem-solving, the essence of algebra, regardless of their eventual career goals.

In a July 28 New York Times op-ed titled “Is Algebra Necessary?” Queens College political science professor emeritus Andrew Hacker questions the r...

I worry that with the Common Core Standards focus on mastering skills through repetitive practice, students will never learn to find their own solutions to chemistry or geometry problems.

Under new education reforms adopted by North Carolina, gifted elementary school students will no longer be able to take middle school courses formerly...

This story comes to us courtesy of Silicon Valley Education Foundation's Thoughts On Public Education blog, TopEd.org. For nearly two years, Califo...

Is it possible to provide in a systemic way a customized educational experience for all students that both allows and encourages them to pursue their passions?

Providing students with experiences that invite them to develop a variety of skills, understand and appreciate diverse perspectives and potentially uncover hidden talents and interests speaks to a fairly well-accepted purpose of school.