... Math experts agree that students will be able to learn algebra in secondary school only if they master basic math skills like multiplication tables in elementary school.Many children throughout California, however, are denied such mastery because their school districts adhere to an experimental teaching method called integrated math. A method that disdains the notion of adults hierarchically imparting knowledge to kids, integrated math does not require students to memorize multiplication tables, compute fractions or learn other basic skills essential to algebraic success. It's often rightly derided as "fuzzy math" because of its murky goals ...
... Reform must also take hold in the California State University system, where some schools of education eschew traditional math concepts like memorizing multiplication tables and allow prospective teachers to use calculators on their final exam in basic arithmetic.
The governor's algebra academies are an important step, but the schools need to put a good grounding in math basics back into elementary classrooms as well.