Whenever NAEP scores decline or remain stubbornly stagnant—as they have since 2019—educators and parents seek explanations. Some point to outdated curriculum materials, while others call for more effective teaching strategies.
But to truly tackle the issue, we need to take a step back and reconsider student engagement in light of broader systemic factors that shape learning.
Today’s schools, by and large, don’t have an algebra-specific problem; they have colossal preparedness gaps that underscore weaknesses in all K-12 math education. Most students who struggle with algebra are foremost struggling with foundational math skills—which they should have mastered long before educators presented them with algebraic concepts.
Data paints an alarming picture. In most large cities and counties across the US, the average eighth grade student scores below proficiency level in math. These learners haven’t mastered fractions, ratios, roots, or proportions—essential building blocks for higher-level mathematics. Students who cannot confidently navigate these core concepts face insurmountable challenges in algebra and beyond. Placing them in an algebra course is akin to casting someone who cannot fry an egg on Top Chef.
Weak foundations cannot hold students up
A struggling student cannot hide in an Algebra course. If, for example, they haven’t grasped fractions, then equations that involve reciprocals will evade them. If they lack proficiency in ratios and proportions, they have little chance of following along when their teacher demonstrates inverse variations or cross multiplication.
This disconnection illustrates that algebra is not an isolated struggle but a reflection of broader deficiencies in early math education. Or to borrow a math term, not addressing a student’s early deficiencies risks rapid, exponential decay in their math skills.
Career-connected learning beats traditional interventions
Efforts to address the math crisis have long relied on the same ineffective strategies: more worksheets, more homework, and more reliance on standardized textbooks that are more likely to frustrate students than engage them. More, more, more.
These methods fail to address the core issue: many students don’t see the relevance of math to their lives and future aspirations. They don’t answer the key questions every student wants to ask (and are not shy about asking their teacher): When will I ever need to know this in the real world? Why does this matter?
Students who have struggled with math for years need a compelling reason to finally engage—or re-engage—with the subject. They don’t need more busy work; they need more context. Effective intervention should focus on making math relevant, not just repeating the same concepts with the same tired approaches. After all, a student who finds literature uninteresting will not suddenly develop an appreciation for Shakespeare if they are given the text without any explanation. The same principle applies to math. Context and real-world connections make all the difference.
Career-connected learning provides those much-needed connections and explanations. By linking math to real-world applications, students can see that what they are learning has tangible, practical value—and as a result, boosts their engagement and ability to succeed.
Just ask educators at New Mexico’s Hatch Valley High School. Within just one-year of switching from traditional curriculum to Pathway2Career’s career-connected math lessons, P2C Math, Algebra I students realized more than a 90-point gain in their Quantile measures and Algebra II students saw an incredible 150-point lead in their measures.
When students understand that math is not just an abstract subject but a critical tool for careers in engineering, healthcare, automation, aviation, graphic design, and countless other fields, their motivation and commitment to learning grow.
Learners deserve age-appropriate interventions
Not all intervention methods will be equally effective. How math problems and concepts are presented can have an enormous impact on students’ perceptions—of both math itself and of their own ability to excel within it.
Remedial materials are too often designed for much younger children. Worksheets composed of elementary-level content—including cartoon animals, cheerful rhymes, and fairytale illustrations—can be discouraging and even humiliating for older students who may already feel self-conscious about not advancing to a higher-level course with their peers.
The importance of making remedial materials age-appropriate cannot be overstated. Rather than reinforcing a sense of failure or starting from scratch, these programs should respect students as learners and provide them with the tools and confidence to succeed. When remediation is presented in a way that maintains students’ dignity, they are more likely to invest in their own learning and make meaningful progress.
Math education needs a makeover
Simply switching from one curriculum provider to another will not produce different results if the underlying teaching philosophy remains unchanged. That will merely expose students to different math problems, not a more effective teaching and learning approach.
Improving math education requires a novel approach—one that prioritizes engagement, relevance, and foundational skill development over rote memorization and test preparation.
Addressing the preparedness gap requires addressing the most fundamental math concepts and students’ most fundamental complaint about math: their perception that math is irrelevant to their current everyday lives and near-future careers. Teachers, administrators, and education advocates alike must commit to interventions and strategies that emphasize conceptual understanding—and make it age appropriate and career-relevant.
Schools much say goodbye to remediation that merely rehashes ineffective teaching methods—which struggling students have already struggled to connect with—and instead, focus on creating meaningful learning experiences that help learners build confidence and competence in mathematics.
The solution lies in improving the quality of engagement, not the quantity of homework assignments or instruction time. Until the focus shifts from algebra itself to students’ readiness for it, math performance across the country is unlikely to improve.
The stakes are too high to continue with business as usual. Students deserve an education that equips them with the skills they need to succeed—not just in algebra, but in life.
