Re: depth and breadth: The Calculus

Ken Goodman (kgoodman who-is-at u.arizona.edu)
Tue, 18 May 1999 10:39:24 -0700

I have no doubt that calculus has marvelous uses and in some fields it
is necessary and functional. And I'm sure many students find it
fascinating. When our students didn't do as well in math as other
countries in an international study it was largely because the students
in other countries had had calculus. So there was a demand on schools to
require every student in high school to take calculus. Of course our
students were being compared to much narrower band of students in other
countries.

It is true that such requirements are being used to discriminate
against minority students whose high school lack the resources to offer
calculus. But I would certainly place the availability of calculus high
on my list of what constitutes an effective urban high school
curriculum.

My point in raising this is that making it harder to graduate from high
school will only drive more young people out and that valuing one kind
of knowledge or special interest over others makes schooling biased and
inflexible.

When, like ED Hirsch, someone says no one is educated who hasn't studied
_blank_I see elitism and an attempt to close down diversity.
Ken_____________--
Kenneth S. Goodman, Professor, Language, Reading & Culture
504 College of Education, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
fax 520 7456895 phone 520 6217868

These are mean times- and in the mean time
We need to Learn to Live Under Water