Algebra

There are many things wrong with our high schools but one important area could be improved without adding any financial burden to the budget. Required courses like algebra 2 and chemistry should be changed from required to elective just like physics and calculus. Student who are interested in careers in science or engineering could continue to take these courses but others would have a choice. They could instead concentrate on reading and writing and take two years of what would be called reading comprehension. This does not mean reading the words, it means being able to write down in a summarized form what was read. This is hard work and develops the mental discipline to read, recall and understand what was read. These students would be required to read articles of ten or twenty pages on subjects that interest them and then write up a one page summaries. If they graduate with this skill they will do well at any career they choose. It is painful to sit in chemistry class and see students who are unable to comprehend and the same is true for algebra 2 and it is no less painful to the teacher.