We're keeping people from finishing high school, completing college, or even going into a program where they can develop their true talents. We talk about how American is the land of opportunity - we are actually closing off opportunity to find yourself and do something for yourself in the world, because of these irrational, senseless requirements.

Educator Andrew Hacker explains why America's current mathematic education policy is failing students - from Algebra's barrier to higher ed for many students, to the STEM advocates dehumanizing classrooms to push for more testing and lower wages - and makes the case for teaching "numeracy," a greater arithmetical understanding of the numbers in our lives and workplaces, so we can get back to work innovating and pursuing our strengths.

Andrew is author of The Math Myth And Other STEM Delusions from The New Press.