Good evening. Welcome to the National Museum of mathematics and a very special event. I think we are all delighted the museum is putting on this event tonight and even more delighted they are doing it with the support of the Mathematical Association of america helping out tonight. In particular, loaned us james tanton who i will introduce in a minute. My name is john ewing, i am president of math america. I am a mathematician. [applause] this was not meant to be an aa meeting by the way. Every professional mathematician those mathematicians and their subjects have a certain reputation. A worldfamous mathematician walking in the countryside one day comes upon a huge flock of sheep. Being a worldfamous mathematician goes up to the shepherd and makes a proposition. 100 against one of your sheep and i could tell you instantly how many sheep are in the flock. The shepherd, knowing there are an awful lot of sheep says okay, i will try it. The mathematician looks around and says there are 937 sheep in this flock. The shepherds is incredible that is absolutely incredible. The mathematician picked up an animal, throws it around his shoulder and begins to walk away. The shepherd runs after him, wait, he says, double or nothing. I can tell you exactly what your profession is. The mathematician thinks this is unlikely so he said go ahead. The shepherd says, you are a worldfamous mathematician. Incredible, says the mathematician. How could you possibly know . Well, says the shepherd, put down my dog and i will tell you. This reputation is not new. In 1914, william lewis, the principle of William Penn High School in philadelphia, wrote about democratizing education. He focused on High School Mathematics. My objection, he wrote, the traditional requirements in mathematics is largely empirical. I have seen so many people driven out of school by work which could not have any practical advantage to them. I have watched so many classes guessing under the caption of algebra that i have come to believe we ought to discriminate as carefully as possible between those pupils, and those who will find other work more profitable. 1914, and high schools, it has been debated for the past century. With an eye toward democratization and opportunities for students. Much longer than a century you might be unaware that arithmetic was not taught in elementary school, spelling, reading and writing constituted the curriculum at that time. Arithmetic was known as boulder, arithmetic was needed and when it was needed, it was learned in the job. By the early 20th century, part of the curriculum in every high school in the country. The Graduation Rate in 1900 is 80 and as Graduation Rates climbed over the coming decades the role of mathematics became a contentious issue almost everywhere. Mathematics was then, as it continues to be now, the most difficult subject. The debate culminated at the end of the 20th century was three provocative and exceptional as as by a mathematics professor at Depaul University with the titles why math . Is mathematics necessary, and what is mathematics for . To the dismay of many mathematicians he argues there were many good reasons to teach mathematics, but utility wasnt one of them. Almost all jobs, he wrote, require no knowledge about deborah and geometry at all. Were algebra necessary for 75 of all jobs, algebra textbooks would be filled with onthejob problems, examples would be so plentiful. This is clearly not the case. The Math Ministry by Andrew Hacker, is in many ways the child of this century long debate. As well as woody douglas essays. The two authors reached different conclusions. Is High School Mathematics serving society . What mathematics should be taught . And why should it be taught . These are hard questions and i believe finding answers to hard questions is best done in open and public discussions. Our two speakers are Andrew Hacker and james tanton. And reached the point Andrew Hacker is a professor at Queens College in new york where in addition to teaching Political Science he has taught an experimental course in mathematics, literacy, he was an undergraduate at Amherst College and received his phd from princeton university. He taught in cornell 1955 to 1970s and has been on the faculty of Queens College, is the author of ten books, a sample of the title suggests their reach. Two nations, black and white, separate, possible and unequal, the growing golf between women and men, Higher Education is the question here. How colleges are wasting our money and failing our kids and what we can do about it. In 2012, he published an oped, is algebra necessary, which led to his most recent book the math miss the math myth and other stem delusions setting the stage for tonights discussion. Whether or not you agree with the substance of the books i am sure you will all agree the titles are, every one of them, exceedingly clever. James tanton grew up in adelaide, australia. When he speaks tonight you may detect he is not a native of new york. He received his undergraduate degree in mathematics, and in 1988 he received his phd in mathematics from princeton university. After teaching in st. Marys college in maryland, in exceptional liberal arts college, he followed his wife to boston where he turned to the general state of k12 mathematics. He found himself at a private school in southborough st. Marks, where he founded the st. Marks institute of mathematics. Then on to washington dc where he served as Mathematical Association of americas visiting mathematician and james consults the schools all across the globe on the teaching of middle school and High School Mathematics. Mathematics activities for student clubs, mathematics galore, and also the author of two wordless puzzle books, without words and more without words both of which are presently translated into serbia. And part of the global math project initiating fundamental change, how we receive and enjoy mathematics. It will be divided into six segments, two 15 minute presentations by each of our speakers, two, eight responses and questions and answers from the audience, and presumably followed by a short time to talk to speakers tonight. My job is to keep us on schedule and do so with ruthless resolve. I would like Andrew Hacker to begin tonights presentation. A pleasure to be here. Im not the only mathematician in the house. I will say at this point. To put you out of business. I think yours is a grand and glorious calling. There were total at last count, 217,584 teachers and mathematics in this country. A disturbing profession that has nothing to fear. I am a political scientist, to analyze particularly governmental, more particularly governmental policies which require everyone to do a certain thing. If you are going to drive a car you have to pass a test. To have a child, back there, the child has to be vaccinated. We understand that. What interested me as a political scientist is governmental policy we have which is every single young person in this country will be required, required to take a full sequence of mathematics starting with algebra, geometry, calculus and for many the ideal is to have everybody studying calculus. My simple reason for being here is summed up in one word. We have some visual aids here. I brought one of my own. Thank you. You may keep that up. We currently have another statistic. 4,000,016yearolds and the goal is to have everyone enrolled in algebra ii. We have coming up common core which is for everybody. They say career and College Ready but everybody has to pass the common core tests which are going to be conducted nationally and algebra ii is going to be. Third, we are going to be in for some problems. We already have them. Math requires takes a tremendous toll every year. We think in the United States very low among developed countries, about 20th out of 28. The number of young people who finish high school, our High School Dropout rate is 20 . One out of every 5 young people in the street failed to finish high school. A major academic reason for that is failing math class. Other reasons we dont keep exact figures on this until boulder, whose work you may know, included a majority of students eventually failed one or another math class. Is this because they are indolent . Because they are stupid . Or are we asking something of everyone that we really shouldnt in requiring universally . One out of 5 dont graduate from high school. Of those who graduate from high school and go on to college, 43 do not graduate. This is one of the highest College Dropout rates in the advanced world. We have more college per capita but fewer people finishing college. They require mathematics mathematically even if you major in poetry, modern dance, interior design, still have to pass and algebra test to get on board. We have a fantastic loss here, we are shooting those in the foot, people who receive all sorts of fields, not being allowed to proceed or even at the junior college. Someone who wants a certificate in cosmetology or Industrial Design or commercial arts, even say have to pass a math test and the attrition rate at Community College is savage. Something else too. We hear reports a year or so ago that 43 of people taking the college test are not College Ready. 43 take the college test are not College Ready. You know why . College ready requires advanced mathematics for everybody. Very Good Students in my College Class wont be there. My book is called the math myth and other stem delusions. More and more i study, the more i discover people who are entrenched, i will be kind, entrenched in a certain profession, occupation, vocation, will say anything to defend the status quo from which they benefit. This can be true of police officers. I discovered so much of what we are told about math is miss. There is a 62 figure, something called the american diploma project. And years ago this is certainly at most, 5 of occupations and i respect those, i went to marietta, georgia and and blown away by the way they use calculus to study the ice on wings. Fantastic things i learned about ice. Is different from ice elsewhere but you need mathematics. Wall street they use calculus all the time. They study payoffs and the rest, but not 62 . If we are talking in occupational terms, why the other 95 have it. I dont want to go too much into a story that we all know that there is a shortage of people with stem qualifications. People agree in stem subjects less than half, slightly more than a third are working in stem occupations. We are told we better watch out in a global competition, correia, china, singapore, far ahead of us in mathematics. Student score in the stratosphere in the International Math test. They score high because 23 hours a day, illness among young people in korea, leap deprivation, they worked 23 hours a day, if the international competitions, crossword puzzles, the chinese and koreans would score up there and a big challenge, if we worked 23 hours and i wouldnt advise that. And and sharpens your mind dealing with mathematic. And mastering mathematics makes you agile, adept, xl and other fields. And and took an introductory history course. And versus history, weighing evidence of that. The correlation is zero. To be high in math and history and math in another field, that is another myth. Certainly, not sure i want to call this a myth but there is the view for example, a mathematician i really respect, i keep his book on my bedside. Showing a layperson what it is. He believes mathematics is one of the greatest creations of the human mind, perhaps even the greatest. I will go along with that. I simply asked, by the way, is mathematics something we created or is it something we discovered . Could it be that mathematics is out there, created by nature, that she created the calculus, we, like isaac newton, had to discover it . Like pie. We didnt create pie. We had to find it and show how it is used. I would really love everybody to appreciate mathematics, its glory, its goals. It isnt done by making people polynomial year after year. I would love math teachers to treat mathematics as a liberal art. The beauty and poetry in mathematics. And it is objective which is to say there is one right answer, you dont have to worry about opinions, bias, things like that. There is Something Else going on. Mathematics has builtin biases not so much the subject but the way we assess it. I have a chapter in the book called general gaps in math. Girls and young women get higher grades in math courses than the guys do. They do. We have enough studies across the board to show that, girls get higher grades. When it comes to the tests, s a t, psat, common core, men are always ahead. I would ask as mathematicians to find some way of having tests, continue to test people, girls and young women a chance to show what they really know. For the past halfcentury girls have been . 30 behind boys on the sats. Did you know about that . One consequence is the National Merit scholarship. I went into this, the National Merit scholarships do not give a gender breakdown of their winners, they hide that information, 53 , a lot of numbers, 53 of people who enter the competition, boys get 53 or the same thing happens with common core. They get into Ivy League Schools, Ivy League Schools require 700 before we open the application. Two thirds of boys, as a result, yale for example, majority men. Girls are doing okay in classes but i need some advice to indicate what they know. Math requires 30 seconds more. My last comment here, do i propose to abolish algebra . I do want to see other alternatives instead of the full sequence for everybody from 10th grade to work that way, begin to offer options, what i teach, i teach a class in my math department, about citizen statistics how to read a corporate report and the federal budget doesnt require any man or adult arithmetic, we have to be ashamed of that. [applause] a treat to the nation. Thank you for raising this interest, a special concern, very much appreciate you bringing it to the world. It is vital that we reassess the state of math education. You point out in your book what is happening it is incumbent upon us to expand that growth and thank you for coming along for your interest in this topic for current matters and concerns. It is wonderful that we adults, parents are imperiled to check facts, and personally assess claims made in the media and internet in the conversation, brave enough to ask how we know what we know to general impressions. I pretty much enjoyed Andrew Hackers book and came away with an interpretation you might find surprising. Andrew hacker is arguing strongly for common core state standard mathematics. It is a deep concern about public perceptions, and in common core with mighty strong warnings how not to implement common core standards. Andrew hacker doesnt wanted to fall into old traps, formulate teaching and heavyhanded speed testing, mechanistic doing above number of facilities and literacy and above all a human discussion to be pushed, i couldnt agree more these are real concerns. Many proponents of common core feel the same way. Basing my discussion, a real pleasure to read, thank you. I would like to ask you to share my philosophy about teaching mathematics. I completely agree with Andrew Hacker that we strongly focus on a path, philosophy, and teaching math. And teaching the philosophy as a human story of mathematics but actually the context at that level, somewhat secondary. And using my research life. Upon that story, to do with that subject. I love the human story of how mankind battled quadratics over millennia to discover a link between geometry and the subject, success of completing square and teaching mathematics the High School Teacher got the mathematical story of the algebra each being a story of symmetry, Teaching High School students of the beauty and power of symmetry and so much beauty, what has been going on on that subject. The quadratic formula is irrelevant and secondary. The goal of education is to help people to see and consider and practice taking the road to the higher group, and consider the opportunity to analyze what you think you know. And be aware of great human achievement of mankind, work with shakespeare and drama and learn to appreciate intellectual accomplishments. High school is not about content. Every piece of High School Math whittled completely away if you are looking for utilitarian uses, when was the last time you did that in every day life . Or helped in a problem in life . It is all about teaching and encompassed thinking. Mad is good at teaching problemsolving and basic life skills, thinking through challenges, they are not necessarily transferable. And there are many ranges of human beings in the general thinking, math is good at teaching patience and, relying on your wit and mapping your way through challenges. And possible implementation, in particular the deleterious effects of the culture that doesnt lets teach algebra ii and human experience. And a grand service to the next generation. Lets be clear what the common core actually is. What is common core . A list of content standards that outline pieces of mathematics that make sense, k12, and appropriate storyline, there is nothing new in the common core standards and quantum mathematics, but what the storyline is that makes sense. However, the common core goes further. It says we must have eight statements of thinking. I had to say yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, a major achievement of common core, make sense of problems, quantitatively, and say what it means, construct viable arguments, think about arguments with mathematics involving mathematics itself, use appropriate tools, not just calculus to think about what tools are necessary and appropriate with mathematics and precision. It sounds like we will compute things to 17 decimal places and learn to describe what you are talking about. Make use of structure and the structured equation. And regularity, do the same calculation over and over again. If you take one step back they follow the same structure as general problems did. That is the story of algebra right there. Lets be very clear. And hundreds of standards, we can be personally responsible in understanding matters, down slope common core state standards, and define key words. I countered 446 standards. I was generous, number 4, three standards. I have 436 from grades k8, 149 for high school, 30 of those 149, 40 are optional, flexibility here. 436 standard. It is not a curriculum and here is the trouble, the danger, it is easy and confused, state implementation of common core state standards, really troubling example. And that is the state interpretation. There are no plans, what about lesson plans, no uniform tests or parallel points. People feel the standards are questioning i will use examples from the book, here are two state standards, using exponents for expressions in different ways to give meaning, standard number, no one applies the binomial theorem for the expansion of powers, they are not questions. And it is an optional standard. Two things to note here. The standards are optional and not instituted with consumption for experts and curriculum advisors. It doesnt mean i will call it to trial. That is the educators choice. Speaking to the academics. Andrew hacker was beautiful carrying words like state standards and forgive me for these, being a bit rude here but there were two words in particular. You did pull out a lot of words in the common core state standards. I checked that i had some astronomy words. This was a bit funny. It does indeed appear in the common core statement and one optical a standard, it claimed the common core is teaching a lot of strange algorithms in everyday life. With common core standards. Grades 8 through 6, all in on base 10. These misconceptions we can check for ourselves for peoples interpretation, what is going on. Are we there, some terms people bandy about in common core . Double elliptical equations, and elliptical equations, with. And playing this game, there are scary words to appear in verse functions, 5 times and alternately optional. Lets be very clear what common core is. And competent core might hit that way. And in several early places, people worry about statistics, correlation and causation, and the common core, there are actual standard in correlation and causation. Proof, this is a scary one, we all had the experience, common truth of geology. And those were incentives, in the common truth to help students thinking, the mathematician is horrified to be improved by risk statement reason. None of that is in common core and a shocker for many educators, so six parts of common core in one place. This is where it is. And in that 5, to do kneejerk reactions, lets be honest here. And they write that on the page, common core, do what is in context, doing this. One final problem to going much further detail, which is literacy. It is so in the common core. And we talked about a math curriculum. The quote was 2003, many years before the common core could see. And we want kids to think quantitatively, but a spectacular course, i went through examples and find a group with mathematical salvos for topics dealing with the very issues they contended with, listed all the examples, information and context and special reasoning, playing with pie. My time is up. I will stop there, thank you. [applause] okay. I have been taking notes on jamess book and will comment on them. I am not an expert, i prefer not to be. I have read common core state standards, great for high school. At a certain point i encountered Something Like 1764 individuals but that doesnt affect what does. Tests are going to be given next year. Nationwide. They are going to be uniform or at least parallel tests being done by florida balance which is part of the balance, or some tests from states that have their own test. Before the common core, each state did it separately. Guess what . 90 of the people, high school seniors, were passing in math, and in minnesota only 74. Each state had its own test. Common core has a chance and i shouldnt say that. Those of us who are math teachers will have to teach to the test. You have to because test results, not talking about evacuating teachers in terms of salary or schools but stayed to themselves will be evaluated on their common core results as pso does with countries today. It doesnt matter whether we call standards or not, just what is on the test that students have to go through hour after hour. The failure rate is going to be disastrous because at the college level, sat level for common core, second year algebra, pythagoras, second year algebra, we will have one or two things, new york and kentucky had common core type tests, two thirds failed. Next time around, we are doing the scoring system. We dont have two thirds, we end up with two thirds failing because it is their constituents, white kids from the suburbs who fail, not just kids in the back row. We will see what happens and the question is why . Why are we putting ourselves through the sadistic torture . We will prove that the defendant did it, we had to use our mind to solve that problem d. They have enough proof . I assure you that any mathematicians, were no better than the bike messenger. I remember jose, pointing something out, and saying to him, i never thought of looking at that time that way and he had never been in the math class. By the way, because somebody i know, do you know the name paul has he gone . He was rumsfelds number two in the defense department. More than any other person he gave us the iraq war. I knife him because i knew him at cornell. He was a math major. One of the finest, that we had. Razor sharp mind said when we go into baghdad, they will cheer us, and adopt democracy tomorrow. I dont make this claim for Political Science. Okay. The beauty of math that mathematics and when he james talked about it, almost a tear rolled down my eye. Truth is beauty and beauty as many truth. When we teach the poetry or novels, theres a beauty there and my challenge, to teachers, is, please, you see a beauty in mathematics, can you convey that . You have a captive audience. They cant leave. You have a chance to do it. And yet the success rate, im sorry this is not good, of the bachelors degree only 1 were to math majors. It used to be 3 and something is happening there. Maybe it is because of the way the steps that you have to teach in the textbooks that you cant take time off and show the sure beauty of pie, give it a try. Just one last thing, one more minute. Yes. I realize that most of us, are academics, were not vocational teachers. Im liberal arts. Im not training people to be lawyers or things like that. But were really being sold a bill of goods on how we have to train people, and get them to major in the stem fields. Let me put Something Else, i have to use it. Stem. Stem, stem. And, even starbucks, look behind the counter, coffee machines, hightech. But you know, by the way starbucks is all over china and russia. Not the technology, sure. But the magic of those words. Who thought of it. Were math. And we know what google is, putting it out there . Putting apple and twitter out there. You dont have to major in math, what we do need, okay, are more people who are poets, and, those are poetic words. We need kids who do that. But theyre not going to get college because theyre going to stumble over algae bra. The future of this country, stem maybe but just this much, new words like that. You think after fifth one, and i say more power to you. [applause] thank you, the beauty of math, and, all that, even in Teaching High School algae bra two testing is all about what questions. What question . That seems somewhat joyless to say me. I would not want to participate. High school teacher, i was radical. I used to give quizes with all the answers, supplied. And, and then a big blank space. We should have more of that. And, 100 packages. You have a month to do this and hand it to me over and over so you have 100 . Took you a month. Took you a week. No worries. Its a Culture Shift we need. But i dont think algebra two is too high a barrier. We teach with beauty and joy. So, let me, i mean, this is math. Lets i think of things. Trig gone nol met tri as many scary. They worchders where am i . The sunrises in the east and setles in the west. And it comes back again. Something like that. Probably know its not a perfect circle. And, the human question would be, how high is the sun . No idea. I cant get on top of the sun and measure t. The only thing i can measure is this afternoon gel. Thats all i have is the angle of elevation. All right. Grand. Thats how it was born. How do i measure it . Thats it. Lovely human story here. They called the part of a angle. Big unit. They called it angle. And then, in the middle east. But, they tend not to follow it, and it was just jb. Well then, math took off in the 1200eds and went down, and translated it, into latin. Jb. No, what word, they came up with a word that means cove. Why are they calling it . Oh, well, sign. So, theres the human story of why you call that the side and why that might be called companion of sign. Draw 30 degrees. How high is that star . Thats the problem. And someone might have it, and, look at this, it looks like it is half of a triangle. What must this length be . Must be half. I have my kids working out the sign, and cosign, this is joy uses teaching. I think, youake, yes, and, work t. What an experience everyone has and i think it will be, duty bound to share that with the world. I think we clutter it. Bring the human story to it. Im all for it. How much time . 3 37. Proof, its math that the math particulars helpful with proof . Well, this scares me. Proof does come up in jury cases, and it scares the dickens out of a lot of people. Time for one. I think, kaplan wrote about this, imagine theres a town where 90 of the cabs are blue and 10 are purple and an eyewitness said the cab was blue. And you have an eyewitness, and out of 100 cabs. 90 will be blue and ten will be purple. And i saw a purple cab go. They tested him, and he was able to identify the correct color 80 of the time. Shes grand. Well think about it. So among these 90 blue taxicabs shell be correct 80 of the time. So 18 cabs shell say 18 were purple when they are blue and 72 really are blue. Of the ten, shell say two of them are blue and 8 purple and blue. This witness says she saw a blue cab go. 80 reliable. War the chances shes correct . Well, she said blue. Of these 72 cases and two cases, 74 cases, i want to make it purple. See, purple. 826 chance she was correct. 826. About 30 to me. Shes only 30 reliable. I believe this sort of thinking does happen in court cases and jurors, cannot follow this. Hope i get the numbers right first. [laughter] but thats, i think a good example, okay, 100 of the math is used by somebody and no one uses it more, than us, and i cannot say which 99 i should take out of the curriculum. And they have great it and its a hard question. But i think we could reach it as being a reasonable challenge if we teach it with truth and beauty and joy. Evening, they are joyful, if done in the right way. No need, to have exploding dots. It is seeing it and stepping back and finding a joyful picture, and wonder opens up. Can they talk about them . Yes, what a gift to the nation. Thanks. [applause] thank you. Well, thank you both. Now its time for questions. So, well get set up for questions. There has to be someone that will run the mike around. We have to turn the mikes off. Let me, before we begin, let me let me Say Something thats unusual here. Were going spend about 15 minutes or so with questions from the audience. And then, when were done, youll have a chance to come up and ask individual questions of the speakers. I cant help myself here. I have to make an observation. The observation is that all three of us here are really in some sense, were not, james has been a teacher. But were not presently teachers in schools. Were University People or University Like people. This is what happens all the time. Think about it, were talking about k12 education. About math and the role in k. 12 in high schools and middle schools, and he will blah mennery schools. Can you imagine having a meeting, in which we discuss some medical practice and there wasnt a practicing doctor anywhere in sight . Can you imagine ever doing that . The fact that were three people, who are not teachers, says an awful lot about the state of education in this country and, so, i would like to say that, i will tal questions from the audience but, i would preforetake questions from k12 teachers in the audience. If you dont mind. I do teach 6th grade math. Can you prove it . Sure. [laughter] my question is, what do you suggest . I think you have great points. But what do we do . Were stuck in the middle. Were the ones stuck in the middle . Do you will have suggestions because thats where we are right now. I think i know youre caught because your school, the state, lays down what you have to teach. This is something that i am freed from, at the college level. I understand what you have to do. I would say, as we always used to say, where i your congressman. This is a political question. This is not just an educational question. Make your voice heard say i want more freedom to teach the beauty of mathematics rather than the 8th standard. See if you can make your voice heard. If you belong to the union i hope they take that up too. My biggest Culture Shock was how okay. [laughter] i guess excited and i seem to have an accent. My biggest Culture Shock was how busy it was. And of all professions, i should be the High School World offered next to no chance. It was really shock to go me. I was really interested in the challenge of how do i find the wiggle room . Get my kids to pass the test. I do admit that i was in a private school, good separate from the state standards. Not qualified to teach in the public school. Phd. But i the culture, loud and clear. My experience was my kids, they need to know this. And do 50. And pushups. So that. So i taught it, completing the square and got my kids drawing boxes, and they have no idea what they were. And they still asked questions. Its the wiggle room. You feel like youre alone. So do where i your congressman and blog and tweet about it. I think the power of social media is a Strong Movement of people that are work, and bring joy. I taught in east harlem, in elementary school. I taught problem solving. And in the weeks before the test, i said, in two weeks i said to the teacher, you know how to teach them how to do a test. Now do you that. I want to know what you mean about teaching for the test. To me, teaching mathematics is teaching for the test. The better you teach it, the better the students can handle whatever is thrown at them, that they might not have seen before. Youre talking about something that i need to you explain. Because it is teaching mathematics. Heres my bit of example. Princeton review and kaplan. You go to them, and you pay and they teach you how to beat the test. In fact, some of the people i have talked with, coaches say, i can teach to you get 400. On the s. A. T. Without knowing even a thing about mathematics. They teach you how to beat the test. Were professionals. And were teachers. We love learning. My own view i happen to be with the far right wing. I many against the common core. Get rid of it and leave it to you, to teach what you think should be taught. By the way, if in one School Different people are teaching different things, fine. Let 1,000 flowers bloom. Teaching to the test. Thats a big scary one. Heres the formula, and lets memorize it and sing a only. Thats you can do that. Its joyless and what is expected by many parts of the culture. Its all about getting the answers with speed. Just keep working at it. But i agree, i was teaching my kids to think. And they passed the test. But, they felt the resistance because they knew their colleagues were doing different things. Working with parents is very scary. I have an accent that seems to develop some respect. So i think i can talk to parent and seemed to know what i was talking about. And the phd helped a lot. I admit, that was in my father. Im a high school student, i have taken the common core and now its just a real adjustment period while we transition to the common core. Results will be shaky. I think you said that only twothirds of students have passed it in new york or failed it. Onethird. I was just wondering over time do you think as more kids have taken it, and as teachers have had more time to learn how to prep kids to take it results will improve . By the way ill just say theres a misconception here. Being proficient, the test has four different levels. The misconception is that in order to pass the test you have to be proficient or advanced. Thats not what is meant here. Theres basic, proficient and advanced. And the figures only onethird passed it are not correct. Please, its a misinterpretation. They havent failed. Theyre just unprefishcient. It doesnt mean. I think, i worry about implementation of states interpretations of the common core. I know, in new york, did something that was very disturbing to me. Well implement this. And start with the grade 10 curriculum and they have gone through it. And they havent. So, i think its, it will be a tough challenge for new york to stay in new york. We were told to write, i was an advisor and i was very nervous, write to the student, and not that they have been through it at all. If we give it a chance i believe theres good hope for it. Testing is always the issue. I worry about the state of testing, and i worry about it. But, theyre trying to be clever in the test, theyre asking why and thinking questions. Draw a picture. So theyre trying to hopefully theyll have a good success with that. I am asking a quo somebody online. Daniel asks, he lets suppose, that his proposal, to abolish standards, is executed. What might be the consequences of that . First of all, look is going happen with the common core . One size fits all. Now, currently, almost half of our student dont go on of a college. After high school. They dont go further. Many try college and dont finish. Only about a third of americans finish college. Now, what are we going to do . For this non academic two third says in well have the common core standards, college and career ready, into one thing. And well make them both do pascals triangle. No. My answer is, if you get rid of it, well have much more freedom, for education, in various levels of students. I dont know mean dumb versus smart. People will be u. P. S. Drivers. Its an honorable job. Why demand the triple of them . The question was apololishing the standards. They are not in the common core. It was one example. I believe, they are a beautiful storyline. Young kids can play with it. Look at the table. Look at two numbers, and you generate a whole bunch of triples theres a great mystery. All right. Pascals triangle, not part of it. Fun. If we let go of the standards, well, where do we let go . I mean, do we want some commonality that kids should do grade 8, and know about it. I dont know where that line s i guess my argument is, i have no trouble with the bulk of algebra two if it is taught in a joy yous way many general standards. One more question. Hi. I am a High School Math teacher in the south bronx, my biggest concern with the idea of not making higher level math mandatory is theres already an achievement gap in this country and my students having lots of doors shut on them. I think by saying, okay, only those who can learn math are going to be the ones who learn it, it will get larger . So my question to you, is how, if we go with this and get rid of those standards are we going to prevent our students, from continuing to get doors closed on them . [applause] i really am glad that question was asked. Because its a basic american question. Back in some decaying trailer park, in rural arkansas but South Brooklyn but anyway. Somewhere, there is a kid being brought up in a really groundgy home. Who has the makings of being an astrophysicist. How do we discover that somehow, you better work out the probable built its for this on me. The price were paying by making 100 do something, so that one fraction will be discovered. Maybe theres a better way. Maybe at the age of 5, who has certain life to them. A certain talent to them. Age 5, and discover them and get them. But dont put it on everybody including the person who wants to be an honorable u. P. S. Driver and needs a High School Dip policemen make for it. Gosh. Dont put it on everybody. It. What is it . Thats where is the line . Do we have this choice, grade 7, 8 . Im going to go into a career, that doesnt need math ill stop it. I dont know how to make that call. I feel like its at false call. Lets teach math, as. Its beautiful. Teach it, lets reach the human in any event. And i believe we can do it. I dont think concept of algebra two are out of reach for the majority of people. I dont think it is just ludicrous to say lets have a go of it. It is how we do it. Will have a culture where they can test it, with them ever their human selves. And so many, Everyone Needs to be on page 17 by next thursday. And give them a textbook, and read and well see you on thursday. Its joyless. Lets trust teachers. [applause] thank you both. Before we close, let me remind you that, there will be a book table, here with books from both speakers on sale over here. And also, that youre welcome to ask questions as well, after we have closed. I would like to close since i already mentioned, woody here, with the final words of misses say, is mathematicses in . Its worth reading. It intersects with a lot of the comments that were made tonight. But it also is slightly different. So he finishes with these words, what math that the particulars education is for is not for jobs. It is to teach the race to reason. It does not have a nose to suck seed. It is the best, it is not the only road to the goal but there is none better. It is worth teaching, were i given to hyper bowl lee i would say it is the most Glorious Creation of the intellect. But, i am not so i will not say that. [laughter] however, when im before the bar of judgment, heavenly or otherwise and asked to justify my life, ill draw myself up proudly and say, i was one of the stewarts of mathematics, and it came to no harm in my care. I will not say i helped people get jobs. Thank you very much. Good night. [applause] heres a look at whats on primetime tonight. James stone, former chairman of the Futures Trading Commission who offers solutions to National Issues from saving social security, and, making education and healthcare more affordable. And then, College Professor talks about conservative professors and Higher Education. Discusses what we can learn, from star wars. Afterwards program, wall street journal columnist on the tactics that the left is using to disrupt political process we wrap up the primetime with reverend billy, on his book the earth wants you. That happens tonight. Federal governments long mobilization of the war on crime, had control. The target arrest, and the creation of new industries to support this are among the characteristics of domestic policy. The decisions that policy makers and officials, had, part of a larger coalition made, had immeasurable consequences. And, some of those choices may have been. The consensus of policy members fixate oath policing of urban space and removing generations of young men and women of color. We can excuse the set of actions, that they made as a product of their time. But, it will continue to avoid confronting enslave meant that still prevent the nation from realizing the promise. Until recently the outcomes have gone unnoticed, for many, it appeared as though discrimination ended and the United States had to move beyond exploitation. Alongside the tremendous growth of law enforcement, black middleclass surfaced, and they assumed positions of power, from the rise of black mayors, and, black wealth to the presidency of president barak obama. These achievements, promoted, personal responsibility making it seem as though the incarceration of citizens reflected the natural order of things. The fact that some black americans, have amassed substantial wealth, doesnt mean it has end ended. They grew more afflu went by the end of the 20th century, the net were 7,448. Only 448 above that of the lowest fifth of White American households. Black middleclass has been concentrated in social services. The fact that many of the critical reforms, of the post car period have been knee investigated, remains unrecognized. Nine years after voting, the dawn of mass incarceration, the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitution afl the right to vote. They deprived of the franchise. As a result, 11 africanamericans, will not vote in the 2016 election due to a prior conviction. Because of this, and the set of policies behind it, a key civil rights gain of the 1960s, has come undone to make it worse, the u. S. Census counts people who are incarcerated as residents of the county where they are serving time. That determines representation. The rural areas are home to the majority of prisons. Urban americans, lost it because of how it works and rural districts, gained represenstation because of the prison system. Public schools are more segregated today. You can watch this and other programs online at book t. V. Org. Every christmas i have a dinner for my classmates. We threw in republican because the class mates are always a diminishing group. Ill lose three great friends this year. But we always buy a present. And it is almost always book. I gave them, i think the most popular one was unbroken, which Everybody Loves that book. Yeah. Yeah, hes a great author of sea biscuit. One year i gave them bob wood wards book. Its all on the budget crisis and act of 2011. All the characters are still the same and it will help us. Did you find that book accurate when it talked about president barak obama. Yes. We were getting, yes, parts of it i knew. Hes one of the great reporters. But, he was kind enough to sign them. So we bought 50, 60, and the person that was putting on the dinner, he opened it up, and when i read i where write and he starts going through and he says, does b. S. Mean what i think it means. [laughter] so sat there for something close to an hour and read the comments, on you put b. S. I cant remember what the. It may have been aimed at the character. You can watch this and other programs online, at bookt. V. Org. On behalf of the entire staff welcome, its a pleasure to be hosting walter shapiro, and talk about hustling