I was forced to take calculus in high school if I wanted AP math credits for college. I was forced to take two semesters of it as an undergrad. To boot, working in all sorts of high level science arenas for more than a decade now I have never used it once. Nope, not at all..I mean zero man.
It is not that I am against the subject itself. I know that without it, it would be impossible to determine the trajectory of a shuttle docking at a space station or the amount of snow in a driveway. I am against the idea of it being the hub of any serious math/science curriculum. It is close to useless in many disciplines, yet it continues to be propagated by colleges and advanced placement high school AB and BC courses as a mathematical zenith.
Statistics needs to take its place. The collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data is critical to ascertain any information from any study. This week alone, it was reported that the impact of Obama’s Recovery Act has caused 3.5% GDP growth, widespread H1N1 activity has reached 48 states, and 2009 college bound seniors were the most diverse group ever to take the SAT. Backed by (hopefully) carefully studied data using statistical models, reports such as these impact our thoughts and behaviors daily.
Johns Hopkins PhD and math professor Arthur Benjamin agrees. We need to completely re-prioritize the way we teach math. Statistics should probably be a key component (ha!).
