American students are struggling in math. Coming out of the pandemic, many children in elementary and middle school have fallen behind grade-level benchmarks. In high school, teenagers aren’t sure which courses they need to take to prepare for college — and in some parts of the country, those advanced classes, like calculus, aren’t even offered. In college, some math classes effectively weed out students from pursuing the studies and careers of their dreams.
Meanwhile, American educators, parents and policymakers are starting to pay attention to these problems — and now they’re squabbling about solutions. Should all students take math classes like algebra and geometry at the same pace, or should some students be allowed to get a head start? Does calculus even matter anymore, or should teachers focus on data science or computer science instead? Could courses be improved if instructors ditched lectures in favor of activities that prompted students to work through problems like mathematicians?
In 2022 and 2023, EdSurge reported stories about the changing world of math instruction. You’ll find our top articles from the series here.
