America's Math Curriculum Doesn't Add Up

In Freakonomics Radio Episode 391, Steve Levitt hosts and investigates whether traditional math instruction is really preparing students for the work of the digital era.

By Steve Levitt.

Produced by Zack Lapinski.

Most high-school math classes are still preparing students for the Sputnik era. Steve Levitt wants to get rid of the “geometry sandwich” and instead have kids learn what they really need in the modern era: data fluency.

Listen here on the Freakonomics Episode page, or listen and subscribe to our podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or elsewhere. Below is a transcript of the episode, edited for readability. For more information on the people and ideas in the episode, see the links at the bottom of this post.

Looking for more? Check out the Freakonomics Extras page dedicated to K-12 Data Literacy.