Math and Science Education

I read with interest your series on improving math and science in this country. There is a need for improving more than just these two curriculum areas.

If we have mathematicians and scientists who can compute and follow formulas but cannot read and write, then they are of little value to society. To ensure a future that is meaningful for all, funds must be provided for the entire curriculum.

Too often we have stressed the areas of math and science at the expense of the other disciplines. What this country needs are students who can read with understanding, write with clarity and possess a knowledge of the past that will allow them to be able to think about the future, as well as those having the ability to compute and follow and/or create scientific formulas. We need citizens who understand the world’s interdependence.

RICHARD F. KRAFT, Chair, History/Social Science Department, Los Altos High School, Hacienda Heights