1) Teaching something repetitively means the students will learn more the second time.
2) Basic algebra is all that's needed as a general background in math for all majors.
3) Everyone in high school is there to prep for college.
Those are three massive assumptions. Your viewpoint is rather narrow minded when you consider all the possibilities.
>1) Teaching something repetitively means the students will learn more the second time.
Further clarification of my ideal system--Once students demonstrate a mastery of algebra they can move on. For some students this may never happen, but there is really no point in moving to higher math if you can't master algebra.
>Basic algebra is all that's needed as a general background in math for all majors.
Take my major as an example (Math at Georgia State). Precalc and Calculus are required (you can clep out of either if you want). You don't really need high school calculus or trig even as a math major. You'll get the higher math in college, and my argument is that you'll be better prepared for said college math with a mastery of algebra than you will with a basic knowledge of calculus and trig and algebra.
> Everyone in high school is there to prep for college.
For the vast majority of people, if you're not going to college trig and calculus aren't necessary.
I'm an older student attending my local community college, and I agree with you completely. I watch my classmates in Calculus and Physics courses struggle with algebra much more than the new material we are learning.
High schools should focus on algebra and geometry for the majority of students.
From my perspective, you guys have it backwards. I was screwed in some of my college courses because I did not have enough calculus background, I only had algebra.
There wasn't time. If I had taken extra time, or if I had known my major earlier enough, I could have. However, the expectation was that I would not take an intro calc course.
I live in a state where there is a big educational disparity between urban and rural areas. Unfortunately, nobody cares. The best universities are geared to sync up with where the urban students get at the end of high school, instead of the rural ones (like me).
The point is, if some high schools start skewing their courses towards "more algebra, less calculus," those students may be at a disadvantage unless/until colleges catch onto the trend.
That's been my experience tutoring all of my younger siblings.
I think that we'd be better served if all 4 years of high school were spent mastering basic algebra (with exceptions of course).
A mastery of basic algebra will better prepare you for college than a cursory understanding of trig and calculus.