All the remedial classes in one place
Universities’ growing reliance on remedial and even pre-remedial math courses is raising hard questions about how K–12 systems fail students and whether colleges are ethically justified in admitting and indebting people who lack basic algebra skills. Commenters describe causes ranging from poverty, homeschooling gaps, and bad teaching to a broader cultural acceptance of math illiteracy, while also highlighting success stories where community colleges and supportive instructors enabled late bloomers to enter STEM careers. Many argue for better, more contextualized math instruction and clearer separation between social support and higher education, rather than treating expensive college remediation as a universal fix.
Scope of Remedial Math & Cognitive Ability
- Several commenters reject equating placement in very remedial math with low intelligence.
- They cite cases of bright people who never had a chance to learn math (poverty, weak homeschooling, chaotic schooling, youth mistakes).
- Others argue that being unable to handle basic numeracy (especially around loans) is itself a serious functional or “cognitive” problem, regardless of cause.
Why So Many Students Struggle with Math
- Math is described as cumulative: missing fundamentals early makes later material nearly impossible.
- K–12 teaching quality, frequent school moves, and faddish curricula are blamed.
- Many adults (including some engineers and teachers) forget or never master even middle-school math.
- There is a strong cultural acceptance of being “not a math person,” unlike illiteracy.
- Lack of motivation/context is a recurring theme: students don’t see why they’re doing algebra or calculus.
Pedagogy, Context, and Remediation Approaches
- Research (linked in the thread) is cited in favor of contextualized math (tied to engineering, biology, everyday life), compressed developmental courses, dual enrollment, and corequisite remediation.
- Some share success stories: integrated physics–calculus courses, individualized tutoring using concrete analogies, and online resources that outperformed poor in-person teaching.
- Others note limits: you can’t bridge 5–10 years of gaps in a one-semester remedial class; some students need intensive, long-term, one-on-one support.
Ethics and Economics of College Remediation
- Strong concern about universities admitting severely underprepared students to maintain enrollment, then selling them multiple layers of remedial classes (sometimes at middle-school level) financed by large loans.
- Several call this exploitative: students leave heavily indebted but with skills comparable to high school at best.
- Some see this work as closer to social work that should happen in cheaper community colleges, not high-tuition universities.
- Others defend broad access and second chances, arguing that remedial and community-college pathways can be life-changing and relatively unique to the US.
Math, Liberal Arts, and Purpose of College
- Complaints that “well-rounded” liberal arts education often excludes serious math, while people openly boast of innumeracy.
- Debate over whether non-STEM majors should be forced through higher math; some see it as pointless torture, others as basic preparation for civic and economic life.
- Disagreement over whether college’s primary role is career preparation or intellectual enrichment.