Letter: Solving the algebra equation

Does algebra add up to success?

The recently published article asking this question is worth reading by all parents. As a retired research engineer, adjunct college math professor and longtime math tutor, my experience is that any student who aspires to a career in business, math, science, or any field that involves quantitative or problem-solving methods, must let algebra become part of his or her DNA.

Even for math majors, learning algebra can be a challenge since it involves new exercises for the brain. At first this can be painful and cause one to resist and ask: why do I need this? Yet, to give in to this frustration has drastic and unfortunate consequences for one’s further education, and it limits the student as to what he or she can reasonably expect to achieve as a career.

My experience has been that, unless suffering from cognitive difficulties, students can get on top of algebra as long as they have not only qualified teachers but also steady encouragement and support outside the classroom. This includes parental support and, if needed, support such as tutors.

Unfortunately, many students do not have any of this support. This leads us to widespread societal issues in the U.S. that our system of education does not, and very possibly cannot, address.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Letter: Solving the algebra equation."