The Rich Cost of Poor Mathematics Education

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America’s economy has been slowly crumbling before our very eyes. The nation has gone from a frivolous society to one of ever increasing frugality in the past decade alone. It has been said numerous times that the current generation of high school and college students may be compared to their predecessors who lived through the Great Depression. The focus on Algebra in high school is beneficial to a meager portion of the student population but, after college it is rarely used on the level in which it is taught. Although mathematics is essential learning material for any pupil, mandatory Consumer Economics classes would better suit graduates of this era by assisting in living in the real world, keeping their finances in order and preventing scholars from drowning in an increasing sea of debt. Consumer economics is widely known now as just another Home Economics class. It is based mostly on the microeconomics within a family unit and the instruction of consumers in areas such as banking and financial planning. Classes like this were once a staple in American education and helped students learn how to manage their finances, live on a budget and balance a checkbook. Increasingly, many public high schools, including the one I graduated from, are cutting out classes like consumer economics on the basis that the math contained therein is not advanced enough and that students should be more on par with other countries who are excelling in math and sciences; Algebra, Calculus, Chemistry and Physics to be more precise. All in all, this sounds like a great idea, however, even while learning advanced mathematics the average student in the U.S.A. has somehow managed to graduate without knowing how to balance a checkbook, still needs hel... ... middle of paper ... ... and “low” APR then even those who are doubtful are probably going to sign up, too. Credit scores can be ruined in a heartbeat, take years to heal and during the Freshman year of college this student is only beginning the road to creditworthiness. It will eventually affect the ability to buy a house, car and in some states employment opportunities. Mathematics is important subject matter for every student in the United States of America. However, with the implication of more advanced mathematics courses and the destruction of consumer directed economics classes there are increasingly less and less students who know how to make it in the jungle known as the “real world.” The ability to learn essential information like balancing a checkbook or creating a budget have been lost and as a result the entire nation is experiencing an ever-growing economic decline.

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