America's Bad Math Scores Are a Problem

> In the most recent Program for International Student Assessment tests in math, or PISA, U.S. students scored lower than their counterparts in 36 other education systems worldwide. Students in China scored the highest.

On PISA, the US results are from the entire country, while the Chinese results are only from selected provinces.

Maybe Americans are just being rational? There are a ton of people out there willing to do math for a relatively low amount. Heck, my last two CTOs didn't even understand linear algebra or statistics, and they seemed to do well for themselves. How much does the average professional really need to know?

We've vilified teachers, defunded schools, overproduced STEM graduates [0] [1], and the pay is often lousy. Yes, even in the programming profession!

> Looking at the STEM labor market, Salzman and colleagues concluded that, for every two students graduating with a U.S. STEM degree, only one is employed in STEM and that 32 percent of computer science graduates not employed in information technology attributed their situation to a lack of available jobs. [1]

Likewise, complaining about the number of graduates is at least twenty years old at this point, [1] and over 50 if you count 'The Software Crisis'

> Numerous reports detail the growing concern of policymakers and industry leaders regarding a shortage in the STEM workforce believed necessary to sustain the U.S. innovation enterprise, global competitiveness, and national security.5 Most notable is the National Academies’ report Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which called for improvements in kindergarten through 12th-grade science and mathematics education and increasing the attractiveness of higher education, among other recommendations.

National Academies’ report Rising Above the Gathering Storm was published in 2005.

> These sentiments were echoed in a 2012 report by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee which stated that the current STEM workforce was falling short of demand in both STEM and non-STEM occupations.7 According to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the United States would need to increase its yearly production of undergraduate STEM degrees by 34 percent over current rates to match the demand forecast for STEM professionals.

That was 12 years ago.

Those who are complaining about STEM are the very cause of the lack.

[0]: (2013) https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-stem-crisis-is-a-myth

[1]: (2015) https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2015/article/stem-crisis-or-ste...

EDIT: My word this article even makes my case for me.

> Ten years after graduating, math majors out-earn graduates in other fields by about 17 percent, according to an analysis by the Burning Glass Institute using the education and job histories of more than 50 million workers. That premium would be even higher if it wasn’t for the fact that 16 percent of math majors become teachers.

So you're telling me one of (if not THE) hardest major only commands a 17% pay bump after 10 years? I think a lot of smart kids did the math and chose accordingly.

> The Bridge to Calculus program at Northeastern where Kevin Tran spent his summer is a response to that. The 113 participating students were paid $15 an hour, most of it from the city and its public schools, the program’s coordinator, Bindu Veetel, said; the university provided the classroom space and some of the teachers.

I can't make this up [2], but McDonalds pays better:

> Crew Team Member - job post

> McDonald’s

> 1330 Jackson Street, Oakland, CA 94612

> $20.50 - $22.50 an hour - Part-time, Full-time

[2]: https://www.indeed.com/q-mcdonalds-careers-l-oakland,-ca-job...

Title needs (2023).