Apparently the only thing separating the learned from the ignorant is the variable X. In Los Angeles, like most communities around the country, students are required to pass Algebra in order to advance scholastically and subsequently receive a high school diploma. For most students around the country, such a requirement has no lasting impact as Algebra is no more complicated than playing with blocks in kindergarten. Not so in the LA Unified school district. Algebra is such a difficult subject for some LA students that many students fail the course countless times, only to drop out of high school after persistent failure.

Since 2003, LA Schools have required students to pass both Algebra and Geometry, in order to ensure that graduates received a meaningful education. Since implementing this strategy, the school system has witnessed a significant increase in the number of dropouts. The problem is so significant that over 40% of high school freshman fail Algebra. These figures highlight the failure of some of this country’s public schools. Small wonder, the US lags behind the rest of the industrialized world in terms of math and science. The simple fact of the matter is this failure is not only a failure for students and schools, but the parents as well.

What exactly is going on with the schools in California? Last year we discussed the fact that many 12th graders were failing the required graduation exams, which tested a student’s language ability on an 8th grade level. So what exactly are students in LA learning, not math, not language arts, not science? By 2016, students in LA will be required to take Algebra II as well, which spells certain doom for many LA County students.

What does it mean for this country when nearly half of high school students in one of the largest school districts in the country can’t pass a course that many students take in middle school? With the significant failure rate, it should come as no surprise that some parents are calling for a relaxation of LA’s graduation requirements, which will only exacerbate the problem. Unfortunately, failure is endemic in LA, and of those that did pass a course like Algebra, nearly 1/3 received Ds, which is BELOW AVERAGE.

The state of schools in LA is not unique; around the country there are similar stories. Schools certainly shoulder some of the blame, by some accounts many teachers lack the credentials to even teach subjects like Algebra. At California State University-Northridge, a mid-level college which churns out many LA elementary teachers, over 1/3rd earned Ds or Fs in their first college-level math course. With such marginal experience it comes as no surprise that students leave their formative grades without a solid base upon which to build.

Schools alone are not to blame, however. As teacher Shane Sauby recounted many students ignore homework, refuse to study and regularly cut class. As a result many of these students repeat the same class over and over, sometimes with the same teacher, and subsequently drop out all together. Where are the parents? Parents that refuse to take an interest in their child’s education are no doubt failures themselves who continue that tradition by modeling exactly the wrong values and work ethic. Students lack any appreciation for knowledge or education and thus come to school, unprepared, uninterested and unconcerned about their futures (or lack thereof). Many students profiled in a LA Times story skipped more classes than they attended, yet we are supposed to be surprised that students are failures.

In addition to parents some “experts” have called for a dumbing down of educational standards, arguing that subjects like Algebra may not be right for all high school students. This is certainly true, after all, someone will have to serve fast food or pick up garbage in the future

Below is a sample question from the LA school standards, followed by a brief layout used to solve the problem.

A 120-foot-long rope is cut into 3 pieces. The first piece of rope is twice as long as the second piece of rope. The third piece of rope is three times as long as the second piece of rope. What is the length of the longest piece of rope?

A) 20 feet
B) 40 feet
C) 60 feet
D) 80 feet

Show your work:
3t + 2t + t = 120
6t = 120
t = 20
Largest piece: 60

If you cannot figure out with relative ease that the answer is C, please stop reading and proceed to the nearest Sylvan learning center and refrain from reproducing.
http://www.latimes.com/news/education/la-me-dropout30jan30,0,3211437.story