Remember my previous post about the requests to remove the algebra requirement from the California high school exit exam? Lance Izumi accuses Californian schools of dumbing down the tests and most likely depriving their high school graduates of future computer-based jobs:
In communist China, computer software colleges are being built at 35 universities around the country...Within three years, the software college at Peking University will have 3,800 students specializing in subjects such as integrated-circuit design and information security. Much of the instruction will be in English. In China, 58 percent of the degrees awarded in 2002 were in the physical sciences and engineering, compared to just 17 percent in the U.S...
And our response to China's threat to overtake us in technology development?
So how is California, home of Silicon Valley, meeting this foreign challenge? The latest trend has been for school districts to plead with the state to waive the algebra requirement for high-school seniors to graduate this year. Judy Pinegar, manager of waivers at the state Department of Education, says that the number of districts asking the state for waivers “is increasing algebraically” and that the Department is “getting tons of calls.” State lawmakers will likely introduce legislation to postpone the algebra requirement for at least one year.
Isn't it rude of Ms. Pinegar to use the term "algebraically" when so many California high schools have admitted that they cannot teach those concepts within four years? Isn't it a given that many of their students won't understand that term?
Mr. Uzumi's conclusion?
The global economic race will be won in part by the quality of education of countries’ workforces. Too many of our educators whine about diverse student populations and racially biased tests, while our foreign competitors focus on high expectations and merit. If our educators fail to see the bigger economic picture, they are consigning our nation to a very scary future.
Posted by kswygert at March 19, 2004 01:45 PM