Remembering an Inspirational Teacher

As most people in the quantitative job field would agree, math education in the United States has been mediocre at best over the last few years. Earlier this month, John Holdren, the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) reiterated the steps that the Obama administration is taking to improve test scores in math and science and further detailed plans to set aside money to overhaul math education.  My pessimistic side can’t help but think this is too little too late, but at least the President is acknowledging that we have a problem that must be addressed. I have made my opinion well known about this issue and with three teenagers at home, the topic is one that affects me not only as a recruiter but as a mother.  

On a personal note, I am filled with excitement and pride as I watch my two oldest children, Jay and Becky, graduate high school this year and embark on a new journey at college. As parents, we have to step aside in moments like these and hope that our children have made the right choices and will choose the best paths for their futures. Looking back on the opportunities that they have had in school, I am most struck by the fantastic efforts of Sandy McDermott who taught math to both Jay and Becky in middle school. Her life was sadly cut short in 2008 and a scholarship was set up in her memory that asks students what math education means to them. As I read my son’s essay honoring Ms. McDermott, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that if there were more teachers like her in the world instilling a passion for math from an early age, we wouldn’t have the problems in our education system that plague so many students and schools.

Ms. McDermott was such a lovely woman and inspirational teacher to hundreds of children and I feel humbled to share just a glimpse of the impact she had on her students with my son’s essay.

When I was a fifth grade student at Dewey Elementary School, I took an algebra course taught by Ms. McDermott at Nichols Middle School.  I had always enjoyed math, but this course was different.  For the first time, I had a hard-cover math text book.  More importantly, I learned to use variables and no longer just did arithmetic with numbers.  I learned to apply math to solve problems.

I remember Ms. McDermott’s response to a question I heard in that class and every other math class I have taken since: “When am I ever going to use this stuff?”  Ms. McDermott’s response was, “Whenever you want to.”

Her response provoked some kids to say, “So you mean never?” or “Okay, whatever.”  However, I got her point.  I silently finished her sentence: “Whenever you want to . . .” to solve a problem.  There are many problems that might seem impossible to solve at first, but if you see the math in the problem – if you turn it into a math problem – it is easy to get to an answer.

I have seen examples of this lesson learned from Ms. McDermott again and again in many classes, not just my math classes, but also other classes, such as physics and economics.  I also apply math to solve problems at home.  My hobby is to write video game programs using languages such as Visual Basic and Java, and I use math to write programs that are efficient.

Because I enjoy using math to solve problems, I am planning to study applied math and computer science in college (at the University of Washington) and then to make it my job.  Thank you, Ms. McDermott.  For me, “whenever you want to” will be every day.

American Math Education: Worse Than We Think?

As a recruiter of quantitative talent I’m always interested to hear how math education in the United States compares to other countries. As a mother of three high school kids, I’m personally invested in the state of public school education and how our children can compete internationally. This is why I found Arthur Levine’s recent article in the Wall Street Journal particularly troubling.

Mr. Levine points out the obvious truth that most Americans are aware of: the United States is mediocre at best in math education. Every year recent grads are competing with the best in the world and they are unfortunately ill-prepared. If we don’t focus on fixing this problem now, it will only get worse. Math education has fallen to the wayside and apart from a new statistic coming out every few months to support what we already know, it doesn’t look like the government is making any effort to make a substantial change.

What Mr. Levine points out though is that there’s another form of competition within the US as students in urban and inner city schools compete with their counterparts in the suburbs. Shockingly, he specifically points to Evanston, IL and Scarsdale, NY as exceptions to general low performance in American schools. Mr. Levine writes that students in Evanston outperform students in Finland and Singapore, the top school systems in the world.

My children are currently enrolled in Evanston Township High School, and while I’d love to believe they are part of a competitive, high performing system, I was skeptical. Based on experience this did not ring true, and sure enough the facts prove otherwise. According to the Prairie State Achievement Exam, only 42% of student at ETHS met federal education standards in math. This is clearly substantially lower than the 75% proficiency rate in Shanghai and even 50% in Canada.

My children are fortunately able to partake in ETHS’s high level math program. As frustrating as the national statistics are, the students in this program are outstanding, motivated, and sure to succeed. I can’t speak highly enough of the fantastic teachers who devote so much to math education and inspire their students.

I wish there were more programs like this available to more students nationwide. I’m sorry to say that the overall picture, though is bleaker than Mr. Levine paints it. If even these so-called “affluent suburbs” are not up to par with the international community, something has to change.  

The Case for Saving Algebra

In his op-ed piece “Is Algebra Necessary?” Andrew Hacker struggles to justify the teaching of traditional advanced mathematics in our public schools. I’ll admit that the statistics he provides are jarring: community colleges across the country report that fewer than 25% of new students passed their required algebra classes; at The City University of New York, 57% of students fail the mandatory algebra course. High school numbers are more shocking with millions of students from several states falling well below the level of “proficient” in mathematics.

Clearly we have a problem and it’s one that might be avoided by simply eliminating algebra and trigonometry from the curriculum, but does that really solve anything? Hacker argues that advanced math is irrelevant to most career paths. While that may be true, taking algebra out of the equation doesn’t make the fact that millions of children are frustrated and intimidated by math any less of an issue.

I think we owe something to these students. Hacker points out that less than one percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded each year are in mathematics. While he uses this as a way to support his claim that advanced math has become unnecessary, I see this as an argument to the contrary: now, more than ever, we need to encourage students to appreciate math and help them excel in it.

College is obviously too late to start. High school is not soon enough. This is one point that I think Hacker and I are in agreement on. As early as kindergarten children should be exposed to math and as they grow older and hone their analytical skills, math should evolve with them.  Many kids can’t succeed in advanced math because their early foundation in math fundamentals is so weak. It isn’t any surprise that by the time they have to take college placement exams the results are what we see today. The real solution is to start early.

To do this we need passionate educators. We need teachers that make math fun and treat it like a puzzle.  Unfortunately, many elementary school teachers are also less than enthusiastic about math. They may not be confident in their own skills and whether intentionally or not, it’s passed on to the students. It only makes sense that math be taught by a math specialist at all levels, not just in secondary education.

In 2010 Hacker writes that 15,396 bachelor’s degrees in mathematics were awarded. Let’s see if we can get some passionate teachers from that group. 

Big Data Hits the Big Time but at What Price

“What Are The Odds That Stats Would Be This Popular?” That was the question Quentin Hardy asked in his NY Times piece last Friday (01/26/12). If you’ve been paying attention to this blog, you’d know that the odds have been good and are getting better.

The real issue isn’t in the headline, but comes a couple of paragraphs down: “What no one has are enough people to figure out the valuable patterns that lie inside the data.” As Big Data becomes a hot news topic, the demand for skilled analysts is growing exponentially. That’s good news for new grads in the field and those who have some experience and are ready to move up.

But it’s a troubling fact for clients looking to meet their growing needs for quantitative specialists with top candidates. It’s not a field for the faint of heart. Curricula in strong programs are rigorous and intellectually challenging for students. A quantitative mind will give you the leg up, and, as is true in many areas nowadays, a confidence in your computer skills will help you succeed.

A commitment to pursue an advanced degree in analytics is also important. A Master’s degree is often required for most jobs in businesses, and sometimes a PhD is preferred. There are excellent programs offering Master’s degrees, and as the visibility of this field grows, there have been a number of new programs emerging, such as:

• North Carolina State has offered a 10-month Advanced Analytics program since 2006
• Northwestern recently announced a new Masters of Science in Analytics
• The College of Computing and Informatics at the University of North Carolina is another young program

It’s important to note that the number of graduates from programs such as these doesn’t begin to meet even the current need, and many of our upcoming elementary and secondary students aren’t getting the strong math foundation they need to compete.

The law of supply and demand will kick in eventually. What can you do in the meantime? Stay tuned here and we’ll keep you up-to-date on what’s happening. If you are a hiring authority, make short- and long-term plans for your hiring needs so you aren’t scrambling to fill positions in a tight, competitive market. And for our candidates, keep up your skills. Become and remain the best of the best. And as always, call us with questions.

How to Fix Our Math Education

Sol Garfunkel and David Mumford think they know How to Fix Our Math Education (NYT, 8/24 Op Ed): "The truth is that different sets of math skills are useful for different careers, and our math education should be changed to reflect this fact." I think they miss half the point.

Here's the other half: jobs. Even with an unemployment rate of over 9%, there are plenty of jobs available. My clients are begging for talented candidates with strong math backgrounds. Enhancing math education with practical tools is fine--as far as it goes--but a rigorous math foundation through high school is vital for continued study in the quantitative sciences, and should be encouraged because this is where the jobs are.

Fixing math education must begin in elementary school. Inspiring, motivated primary teachers who also love math will foster that love in their students right from the start. There is a history of math phobia that gets passed among students (and teachers). At the high school level, many students take only the math required to graduate or get into their college of choice--treating it as something to get through that they will never use in "real" life.

These scare tactics steer students away from math, assume abstract thinking is irrelevant and perhaps most detrimentally, teach students to avoid anything that seems difficult. Our real world is filled with complicated problems--problems that will only be solved by those prepared to tackle the hard stuff, to persevere, and to work to understand the unknown.

Maybe the problem starts with how we teach our teachers and the minimal level of math mastery required of our early educators. For example, University of Illinois School of Education offers an undergraduate degree in preliminary education that requires only seven credit hours (of 125) in math education.

The current assumption is that basic math is boring and that you can always use a calculator. It's not enough to know how to calculate a mortgage or to buy or lease a car. If students don't have math facts down cold, they won't advance in math. It's interesting to note that our Japanese exchange student, a high school junior who excelled in math, had never been allowed to use a calculator in Japan.

According to Garfunkel and Mumford, "It is through real-life applications that mathematics emerged in the past, has flourished for centuries, and connects to our culture now."

Real life--life where even college graduates are having trouble finding jobs--requires us to prepare our students for the careers that will be available to them in the foreseeable future. In real life, nearly everyone who studies math or its related disciplines such as statistics, operations research, economics, engineering, and computer science will find jobs after college. This is not necessarily true of English majors.

We need to embrace math, to challenge our students to relish the ability to solve difficult problems. Requiring our primary teachers to pursue a strong education in math would boost their own confidence in teaching and inspiring young minds. Most students choose not to continue in math because they lack the foundation, passion, confidence, and interest. This is our failure. Instead of telling our children "you'll never need math", we should be telling them that this is where the jobs are.

Math is our future.