Math and Kids: Words and Numbers to Ponder
- When high school math is optional, 50% of students choose not to take it.
- Children start to give up on math at age seven, sometimes even younger.
- One study found that between 10 and 15% of those entering college are not ready for first-year math.
- (Worse, a quarter of students are unprepared for college-level writing.)
- About 5% of children have high anxiety over math.
- Those who conquer their fear of math early in life are “more likely to invest intelligently later on, increase their financial knowledge and worth, and establish a more secure retirement,” while those with low math comfort are risk-averse in general.
In today’s world, which do we need more of?
Globally, “one billion school-age children will grow up with very minimal reading, writing and math. People should be marching in the streets with pitchforks about this.”—Jose Ferreira, online
education pioneer
Excerpted from Jump-Starting Boys: Help Your Reluctant Learner Find Success in School and Life, by Pam Withers and Cynthia Gill (Viva Editions). All references (footnotes) contained in the book.
http://www.amazon.com/Jump-Starting-Boys-Reluctant-Learner-Success-ebook/dp/B00BAHA0Y8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421455869&sr=1-1&keywords=jump+starting+boys
