Simply put: Algebra is the bane of high school math education. There is no easier way to kill a love of quantitative reasoning, puzzle-solving, and analytical processing than to force a student through our current Algebra I/Algebra II curriculum requirements. Is Algebra useless? Of course not, Algebra is necessary to solve a multitude of problems. But instead of letting those authentic problems lead into the needed algebra and provide context for students, our school structure leads with algebra, algebra, algebra and leaves the problems which use those algebraic skills to the backburner.
The majority of time spent in these classes is helping students perform algebra to the point where students have no concept of why we teach the language of algebra. We have millions of students who have graduated from the US High School Math curriculum (through Algebra I/Algebra II) and cannot understand basic quantitative comparisons like how ⅔ measures up to ½. These individuals have spent their high school math careers simplifying radical expressions and solving quadratic expressions- skills which leave as quickly as they are absorbed. I have a simple comparison with another subject that helps illustrate how silly the current system is.
Picture a high school English class. Imagine students spending all of their time learning grammar and sentence structure with little-or-no time reading books. In such an environment, why would a student want to read outside of class? His/her impression of reading is boring, dry, truncated, and does not seem applicable. Students, by-in-large, do not care to learn or retain any of the Algebra they performed in high school for this very reason: they do the equivalent of spending years completing grammar worksheets and never get to read any books.
Learning V. School 