Does math drive you crazy?

July 17, 9:44 AMColorado Education ExaminerTodd Engdahl

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It sure drives our family nuts.

I took my last math class in my junior year of high school and was glad to be done with it. My wife always has struggled with math, partly because of a long-ago teacher who thought girls couldn’t learn math.

Same problem for our two sons - is there a math gene we’re missing? One’s out of college and the other is just starting. They’re great students otherwise, but we kept the same math tutor busy for the combined eight years they were in high school, and the boys still barely scraped by.

It’s a common problem. In 2006, for example, less than half of Colorado seventh through 10th graders met state math standards on CSAP math tests. Math skills seem to wither with age; CSAP scores show that proficiency is strong in third graders and lousy for high school sophomores.

That comes back to bite students later. A third of freshman at Colorado colleges need remedial classes – and the significant majority need to catch up in math.

Many parents – who find they can’t help even their elementary kids with math homework – blame the education system for constant changes in math books and for an addiction to math “fads” at the expense of old-fashion drills. (The debate is often called the “math wars.”)

Some parents are taking matters into their own hands, according to this interesting Associated Press article. If you and your kids have struggled with math, it could be helpful reading.