[Ohiogift] Jay Mathews on Common Core Algebra sequence

[Margaret DeLacy]

Friends:

Below is a link to and excerpt from a story that appeared in the Washington Post this week

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/delaying-algebra-to-high-school-per-the-common-core-might-be-a-miscalculation/2016/04/10/ca8b4f38-fdc9-11e5-886f-a037dba38301_story.html

Delaying algebra to high school, per Common Core, might be a miscalculation

"Private schools aren’t reducing eighth-grade algebra. The private BASIS school that is planned for McLean, with the nation’s most accelerated curriculum, has hired Vern Williams, a legendary algebra teacher, after his long career at Longfellow Middle School in Fairfax County."

Margaret comments:

This is one reason why we are stuck with persistent income disparities in the US.  Many gifted public school students (especially those in poor neighborhoods) don't have access to the same instruction that private school students expect as a matter of course.