America's Students Must Improve Their Math Skills

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Investors Business Daily:

If one manages to graduate from high school without the rudiments of algebra, geometry and trigonometry, there are certain relatively high-paying careers probably off-limits for life — such as careers in architecture, chemistry, computer programming, engineering, medicine and certain technical fields.

For example, one might meet all of the physical requirements to be a fighter pilot, but he's grounded if he doesn't have enough math to understand physics, aerodynamics and navigation.

Mathematical ability helps provide the disciplined structure that helps people think, speak and write more clearly.

In general, mathematics is an excellent foundation and prerequisite for study in all areas of science and engineering. So where do U.S. youngsters stand in math?

Eric Hanushek and Paul Peterson, senior fellows at the Hoover Institution, looked at the performance of our youngsters compared with their counterparts in other nations, in their Newsweek article "Why Can't American Students Compete?" (Aug. 28, 2011), reprinted under the title "Math Matters" in the Hoover Digest (2012).

In the latest international tests administered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, only 32% of U.S. students ranked proficient in math — coming in between Portugal and Italy but far behind South Korea, Finland, Canada and the Netherlands.

U.S. students couldn't hold a finger to the 75% of Shanghai students who tested proficient.

What about our brightest?

It turns out that only 7% of U.S. students perform at the advanced level in math. Forty-five percent of the students in Shanghai are advanced in math compared with 20% in South Korea and Switzerland and 15% of students in Japan, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Canada.

Hanushek and Peterson find one bright spot among our young people.

That's Asian-American students, 52% of whom perform at the proficient level or higher. Among white students, only 42% perform math at a proficient level