Common Core Math Fail

I am professor emeritus of economics at California State University, East Bay. We have a small Master’s program in our department. Decades ago, when I was teaching in that program, one of my students was a high school teacher. She did very well in the class I taught and went on to successfully complete the M.A. After the course was over I asked her if she was going to teach high school economics. She replied, “No. I can’t. My certificate is in business. To teach economics I need a certificate in social studies.” Continue Reading →

Math is Hard

It’s not clear how a 20-ounce cup can hold only 16 ounces of beer [sic] (or perhaps a 16-ounce cup can hold 20). But 16 ounces for $4 amounts to 25 cents an ounce, while 24 ounces for $7 comes to more than 29 cents an ounce, and 20 ounces for $7 is a whopping 35 cents an ounce. … It’s hard to see how that could add up to $10,000 in actual damages, but math doesn’t seem to be the plaintiffs’ strong suit. Continue Reading →