Dan Goldhaber, the director of the Center for Education Data & Research at the University of Washington, told me that he doesn’t know of anyone who denies that young people are much worse at math than they used to be. Instead, most of the arguments for optimism hinge on the idea that students might no longer need foundational math skills, because they could use AI instead—an idea he thinks is absurd.
Universities aren’t to blame; they’re downstream of policy effects. Between no child left behind, focus on tests based outcomes and route memorization. There isn’t much room for critical thinking.
The idiocracy article the reality is remedial classes is a symptom. The answer isn’t MORE college its MORE primary school education. And higher quality primary school education starts with teaching as a viable profession again (pay teachers more).
Quote Citation: Rose Horowitch, “American Kids Can’t Do Math Anymore - The Atlantic”, 2025-11-19, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/math-decline-ucsd/684973/