…And, naturally, the piece focuses on recent research into the effectiveness of math education.
The Economist blog title is a little misleading – it’s more about how to boost the wealth and quality of life of students with some additional math teaching. The effect was most pronounced in African-American boys.
TAKING more maths in school can make you richer, and not just because it helps you follow the stockmarket. A paper by Joshua Goodman, an economist, measures the impact of learning maths on income. He looked at a change in American schools following the 1983 “Nation at Risk” report. That study revealed that American students often follow a less rigorous curriculum than students in other countries. The result was new maths and reading requirements.
Mr Goodman has found that each extra required maths course raised the annual income of black males by 15%. (More reading classes had a negative or no effect on earnings.) More maths also increased the likelihood of young black men going to university and someday having a job requiring quantitative skills.
We’ve linked to Joshua Goodman’s research at our Math Research page.
Check it out, or find out more about the math tutoring we provide – tutoring that, if Goodman’s findings hold true, could make your child wealthier and more secure in adult life.