You are correct that credentialism as currently practiced is destroying the US – and more generally the West.
But instead of pursuing the PhD approach of focusing on a leaf at the end of a twig on a branch of a tree, why not step back and look at the forest … and the mountain on which the forest stands?
Credentialism in the DIE sense is indeed destructive – but could it be turned around and used against the blue-haired menopausal women who drive credentialism?
Given the importance of math to an advanced society, and the clear evidence that US students (and population) are falling far behind international competitors, there is a logical case for requiring a credential in some level of math for any current or prospective teacher. Of course, requiring that kind of credential would flush out a lot of the unsatisfactory elements in the current educational establishment – and might even improve the logic & understanding of those who learn enough math to earn the credential.
Now, if only we had a Republican Party that could win control of the House, the Senate, and the Presidency and start making this kind of positive difference!
I simply do not agree that everyone needs to know calculus, or even algebra. There’s even an argument to be made concerning arithmetic. Just as most students no longer learn to write cursively, the ubiquitous availability of microprocessors has made arithmetic-by-hand less important in everyday life. Only a small fraction of the population uses mathematics in their professions. Arguably, AI will further decrease that need for the non-technical worker.
Mathematics, like almost any other academic discipline, is of some cultural and intellectual value, even if not of practical value. It’d be nice if a lot of kids learned more math, more history, more literature. But that’s not the same as arguing that it is required to make the US competitive in the marketplace, though it would make for a more pleasant and stimulating social environment. I get bored when people talk about pop culture, professional sports, or celebrities. For better or worse, that’s the world we live in and it’s probably not that different in China.
Yale fully reinstates its pre-pandemic SAT/ACT requirement in admissions.
“These test scores are strong predictors of a student’s future Yale academic performance, and there is evidence that they are less subject to bias than other elements of an application.” pic.twitter.com/nQUCIHDai9
Old systems find change difficult. The solution that the nature has found is to start from a small seed - and then grow and compete. What seed would you like to plant?
My comment was in direct response to what you wrote, which I quoted. You made a claim and I made an opposing argument. Maybe you need to reread your own writings to discover what your point is.
Still completely missing the point that this was about a possible way to upgrade the teaching staff in the educational system – from Grade 1 to university. But you go off on tangents instead of focusing on the issue.
Perhaps this is because you are still missing the point?
This reminds me of an incident from college days. A student drew the short straw to present student concerns to the faculty. The poor guy came back shaking his head, saying – a total waste of time! The academics were happy to spend time debating what was the best word; they would discuss grammar; they would focus on trivialities; they would go off on tangents – but they refused to discuss the issues.
Such is life, Doctor Lorentz. Please have the last word. It seems to be important to you.
You might consider using that last word to make a meaningful contribution to the discussion. If your issue is the educational system, your prescriptions are flawed because they rest on erroneous assumptions that I have pointed out, but which you have ignored. For instance, you insist on imposing a curriculum on everyone (e.g., calculus or math generally) that would be useless for most, while not recognizing that the trades required a different kind of education. It is precisely this kind of superciliousness characteristic of the academy that you find so objectionable: the trades are beneath you.
Mike Rowe has some thoughts on this. A couple of examples:
But hey, carry on with the missing-the-point nonresponse if that pleases you. I want you to be happy.
“In my second-year engineering class, a student asked me to explain why 1/2 + 1/3 = 5/6…. The lecture had to stop while I explained fractions.” https://t.co/IyHl5dkboU
What does an A grade in AP Calculus mean when it is paired with a score of 1 on the national exam? Exactly what a recent **UC San Diego report**revealed: In too many public schools, grades have become completely decoupled from learning.
