Starting next school year, incoming high school freshmen in Florida will have to pass both Algebra 1 and Geometry in order to earn their diplomas.
We could not be happier about the change. It is unlikely that anyone got into college without passing these classes, so the curriculum change only really affects the least common denominator in Florida's schools, and raising the bar can only help them.
Not everyone plans on going to college after graduation, and requiring kids to know how to use a protractor probably will not make that big of an impact on how many choose to pursue higher education, but it will make their lives a little bit easier.
Mastering even the most basic math concepts can take people a lot farther in life. Without an understanding of math, everything from building a bookshelf to balancing a checkbook can seem out of reach.
Knowing algebra will not change your mechanic into an engineer, and learning geometry probably can not make your drywall guy an architect, but it will make them better at their jobs.
It might turn out that the only benefit of the new standard is that your sandwich artist at Subway knows how many degrees are in a cheese triangle, but that would not be the worst thing in the world.
The more education, the better.
