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[random-strike]

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/11/12/2009-11-12_cunys_got_math_problem_many_freshmen_from_city_hs_fail_at_basic_algebra.html

More city kids are graduating from high school, but that doesn't mean they can do college math.

Basic algebra involving fractions and decimals stumped a group of City University of New York freshmen - suggesting city schools aren't preparing them, a CUNY report shows.

"These results are shocking," said City College Prof. Stanley Ocken, who co-wrote the report on CUNY kids' skills. "They show that a disturbing proportion of New York City high school graduates lack basic skills."

During their first math class at one of CUNY's four-year colleges, 90% of 200 students tested couldn't solve a simple algebra problem, the report by the CUNY Council of Math Chairs found. Only a third could convert a fraction into a decimal.

The lack of math skills means the CUNY students - nearly 70% of which come from city schools - could struggle to keep up with peers, fail classes or even drop out, the professors charged.

The council submitted its report in September 2008 to Schools Chancellor Joel Klein with a plea to work with city schools.

"We didn't hear anything until this past June," said Lehman College professor and math chairman Robert Feinerman, noting there was a discussion about working together at the time. "But that whole thing seems to have petered out."

CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein countered that he and Klein joined forces several years ago to "tackle the problem head on.... At the senior colleges, we've seen massive improvement," he said.

City Education Department spokesman David Cantor said the agency had been working to improve standards even before the professors' report.

"We had already moved to action," he said.

Still, several Hunter College freshmen approached yesterday had trouble figuring out some of the problems.

"I just did this earlier. Now I forgot it again," Jennifer Fortune, 18, who graduated from Brooklyn's Edward R. Murrow High School, said when asked to answer one of the questions. "I was only required to take two years of math in high school, but I forgot a lot of it."

John Jay College sophomore Ahmed Elshafaie, 19, who graduated from Long Island City High School, said he avoids math classes.

"I don't want to ruin my GPA," he said. "High school standards were really low."

rmonahan@nydailynews.com

With Robert Johnson

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/11/12/2009-11-12_cunys_got_math_problem_many_freshmen_from_city_hs_fail_at_basic_algebra.html#ixzz0WfIcpOKi

[crxvtec91]

Thats Nyc for you, whats your point?

[random-strike]

socialism

[jagojon3]

America is dumb as shit

[patsmx5]

The education system of 50 years ago is no longer adequate. Unbelievable.

[Joseph Davis]

The education system of 50 years ago is no longer adequate. Unbelievable.

I wish we had the education system of 50 years ago.

[random-strike]

America is dumb as shit

no, just the part where the govt controls everything.

kids are stupid because the govt is edumacating them

[Teg2boo]

I thought I didn't know how to convert fraction into decimal, but I wrote 15/16 on a paper and solve it in less than 20 seconds.  Maybe I learned how to do it finally lol

The Europe educational system is 100X better than amerian's and canada's system (in math). They come at my school and know a lot more things than us in math at the same level of education. Especially in abstract math when there are no numbers involve... We are not formed to think without numbers.

[Lowerit]

America is dumb as shit

no, just the part where the govt controls everything.

kids are stupid because the govt is edumacating them

Didn't you just use the word "Encase" in another thread?

[patsmx5]

The education system of 50 years ago is no longer adequate. Unbelievable.

I wish we had the education system of 50 years ago.

I will speak of southern MS, as that's what I'm familiar with.

Here, 50 years ago, high school prepared you for the real world. If you graduated high school, then you could balance a checkbook, knew how to file your own taxes, how to cook, and men learned a trade so they could get a job. Here we have Ingalls Shipbuilding, so the schools trained students to be welders, pipe fitters, machinist, etc. When you got out of high-school, you could go to work and make a decent living.

Now, industry standards have went up and a high school education of today isn't enough to get hired on at Ingalls. You have to go through an apprenticeship program bare minimum to get hired. Be it welding, machining, anything.

But part of the problem is lack of give-a-shit, and that comes from poor parenting.

[random-strike]

America is dumb as shit

no, just the part where the govt controls everything.

kids are stupid because the govt is edumacating them

Didn't you just use the word "Encase" in another thread?

satire

[Joseph Davis]

The education system of 50 years ago is no longer adequate. Unbelievable.

I wish we had the education system of 50 years ago.

I will speak of southern MS, as that's what I'm familiar with.

Here, 50 years ago, high school prepared you for the real world. If you graduated high school, then you could balance a checkbook

Which is exactly why our economy is for shit, and I wish we had that exact education system back.

[patsmx5]

The education system of 50 years ago is no longer adequate. Unbelievable.

I wish we had the education system of 50 years ago.

I will speak of southern MS, as that's what I'm familiar with.

Here, 50 years ago, high school prepared you for the real world. If you graduated high school, then you could balance a checkbook

Which is exactly why our economy is for shit, and I wish we had that exact education system back.

Ok, I guess we're saying the same thing, but in a different way. I agree though, it's a joke by todays standards, and it needs to be revamped.

[Lowerit]

Hating on an education system that obviously failed you.

LOL


Encase

[Joseph Davis]

The education system of 50 years ago is no longer adequate. Unbelievable.

I wish we had the education system of 50 years ago.

I will speak of southern MS, as that's what I'm familiar with.

Here, 50 years ago, high school prepared you for the real world. If you graduated high school, then you could balance a checkbook

Which is exactly why our economy is for shit, and I wish we had that exact education system back.

Ok, I guess we're saying the same thing, but in a different way. I agree though, it's a joke by todays standards, and it needs to be revamped.

I went to a county school that took state and placed nationally every year in math competitions.  I felt like the math program was somewhat lacking, but I'm a wierdo so it was probably just fine.

My kid goes to the city school because, overall, they take much better care of gifted children. 

[patsmx5]

The education system of 50 years ago is no longer adequate. Unbelievable.

I wish we had the education system of 50 years ago.

I will speak of southern MS, as that's what I'm familiar with.

Here, 50 years ago, high school prepared you for the real world. If you graduated high school, then you could balance a checkbook

Which is exactly why our economy is for shit, and I wish we had that exact education system back.

Ok, I guess we're saying the same thing, but in a different way. I agree though, it's a joke by todays standards, and it needs to be revamped.

I went to a county school that took state and placed nationally every year in math competitions.  I felt like the math program was somewhat lacking, but I'm a wierdo so it was probably just fine.

My kid goes to the city school because, overall, they take much better care of gifted children. 

Well I went to a MS school, and MS schools are #1 in the nation at being the shittiest schools. Now I'm at a MS college, and it's much better then the high-schools, but still shitty in many ways. Probably not the shittiest college in the nation, but certainly not the best.

[Robb]

I slept through high school, did drugs, hung out with the wrong people, never did my homework, and still managed a 3.0 GPA.  <---Thats a fucked education system.

[t_cel_t]

x = .999~
so 10x = 9.999~
9.999~ - .999~ = 9
but 10x - x = 9x
so 9x = 9, x = 1
Thus, x = .999~ = 1
amidoinitrite?

[random-strike]

Hating on an education system that obviously failed you.

LOL


Encase

you're poor, encase you didn't know 

[92CXyD]

Growing up as an Army Brat Department of Defense Dependent School system worked well for me. ;D

I wish my kids had that good of an education before high school.

The high schools in my area have a program where you can take college class, while in high school, and graduate with up to 2yrs. of college under your belt.

I met a kid at 17yrs. old who had 3 credit shy from having an A.S. Engineering and Mathematics and 6 credits from having an A.S. in Physics.

After graduation he went to University of Wyoming to finish his engineering degree for free and he recieved $750/mo spending money while he is there. (parents paid nothing)

I'm encouraging my kids to take advantage of this but so far they do not seem too interested yet.

My oldest son wants to go in the Army as soon as he graduates.

My oldest daughter wants to go to MIT, I told her she would need to take advantage of this system so she can have all of here min. requirement done before college. She knows her dear old dad does not make enough to cover her college costs, but she thinks she can just get all the scholarships she needs. My daughter is smart but not that smart.

[RHD DC2]

The education system of 50 years ago is no longer adequate. Unbelievable.

I wish we had the education system of 50 years ago.

i wish we did too. kids need to get beat and set them straight... back in the day you acted up in class you got hit, you mouthed off, you got hit... makes sence... you touch your kid in california and they try and put you in jail for child abuse.. WTF?! makes no sence.. then they complain about people being bad parents and not being able to control their kids..

they say for every 10 drop outs in america smaller countries put out 23 honor students.. hmm? 

[bigwig]

Algebra, physics, english, and gym are the only classes you need to take as a HS to be able to function as a human in the real world.  There should be a catch all class written into the curriculum where they teach you "common knowledge" things.  How to use a hammer, how to balance a check book, how to tie your shoes....those sorts of things.

Being in the engineering department my whole college career, I was completely insulated away from people that didn't know algebra.

[shadow]

America is dumb as shit

kids are stupid because they refuse to learn.

 :yes:

[bigwig]

That's only true at excellent engineering schools.  Good ones you just have to deal with general anti-social behavior.

[Joseph Davis]

That's only true at excellent engineering schools.  Good ones you just have to deal with general anti-social behavior.

It's not anti-social, they just aren't interested in anyone else's bullshit but their own.

[brine04]

America is dumb as shit

+1

[chris]

Growing up with a dad who is an electrical engineer made coming home struggling with Algebra in 8th grade some of my worst memories growing up. Its the one subject I never had issues through high school/college most likely due to the extra help I got at home from a Math nazi.



Either way when the parents can't do basic math what makes people think their kids can. Sitcoms make fun of parents not being able to help their kids with homework but in reality it's just sad.

[snm95ls]

The education system of 50 years ago is no longer adequate. Unbelievable.

+1.  I feel like a complete dullard compared to the many older well educated folks that I have encountered, and I am not well above the norm.

I wish we had the education system of 50 years ago.

America is dumb as shit

no, just the part where the govt controls everything.

kids are stupid because the govt is edumacating them

It kind of hurts to agree with you.

 

IMO, parenting is still one of the biggest problems with education.  Have you seen the people that tend procreate in droves?  

[Joseph Davis]

IMO, parenting is still one of the biggest problems with education.  Have you seen the people that tend procreate in droves?  

Yeah, they are either idiots... or convinced that they can never be wrong.  Like Johnny.

[bigwig]

The education system should be setup to overcome the idiocy of parents.