Anna Johnston asks: << . . . The question is: Why is calculus still the perceived linear end point to HS math and what is the best way to change perceptions and curriculum?
In my view, different students have different needs, and if at all possible a school should have the flexibility to cater to them. For some students who have finished the normal H.S. curriculum, calculus is just what they need. But if we're talking about students who are likely to take just one math course beyond the normal H.S. curriculum (whether this course is in H.S. or college), I would say that by far the most important subject for most of them is *statistics*. Discrete math is important for those who will go on to program computers, especially if they will need to go beyond the most basic level. But usually such discrete math is made part of a computer science curriculum, so need not be part of a math curriculum. (It may be artificial to separate math from computer science, but that's the way things are these days.) --Dan ________________________________________________________________________________________ "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." --Groucho Marx