The Math Myth

I have no idea what he's talking about with including Stats in up to 8th grade math. I've taken a few university classes on it, and I still don't feel like I have enough to be confident solving all but the simplest statistical problems.

There's a lot you learn in High School. Functions is a big one that comes to mind. The idea that f(x) = x^2 + 2 or something, and you can compare it to another function g(x) is pretty important, but not really covered till the end of High School. Sure, if you have studied programming too, then you know what functions are, but that's not quite a good assumption to make for the general population.

That's the point -- the "math myth" is specifically in relation to math (and science) skills as being of particular importance as a comparative advantage over other countries (Russia, Germany, Japan, India, China) where these fields are perceived to be prioritised higher in education.

If there's low market demand for the skills, it's unlikely that countries with a higher supply of those skills can leverage them to surge ahead in comparative advantages.

That said, I don't think I agree with the conclusion. Most people who are good at something don't particularly know they are, and few can explain why they are, so just asking them is useless. Sure, math and science are probably of limited value in their distilled, pure forms, but my impression is that most successful people in computers and software do subconsciously draw on a fairly solid math/science basis on a daily basis, even if they never consciously sit down to apply science to a problem.

I took particular issue with the Accenture anecdote - we can all laugh at useless consultants all day long, but I've met more than a few who can pick inconsistencies (not validate hard math, but "why is that number so low when that is so high, and is revenue in X really only a third of Y" style things) out of a wall of numbers in what seems like an instant. You don't do that without a solid math foundation, even if you don't think you use it.

The argument that mathematics skills in the US (or many other Western countries) are inadequate usually isn't a complaint that there aren't enough graduates familiar with advanced pure mathematical theorems. It's usually a complaint that after years of compulsory education the masses struggle to do basic arithmetic and understand basic statistics, and plenty of people whose jobs do entail working with figures or making calculations from time to time lack the "eighth grade level" numeracy to spot the figures in the Excel output table are out by two orders of magnitude because someone screwed up inputting the formula.

or google: sample size calculator