But this exact question has no answer or has many different, contradictory answers as this discussion shows. I doubt that such discussion would be interesting for someone who struggles with algebra. Moreover the same questions could be asked about all subjects. The point of the school is to show kids different things even if they cannot see their usefulness right away. One person will enjoy math, other poetry or history. But all will have a chance to try different things and to choose what to study deeper. Of course it's nice to give some motivation and her teachers failed if she cannot see applications of basic algebra.