Algebra is the high school math that most fundamentally addresses functions. Properly taught algebra will build a functional perspective into that child. We can hope that the perspective will remain even after the context it was taught in (algebraic expressions) has been forgotten.

Algebra is a vehicle for teaching a perspective about the world.

We don’t have to require 100% of students to master something like Algebra to ensure that the 1% that really needs it has access to it.

We should strive to expose students to all of these subjects (algebra, computer science, etc) and make learning the subjects as accessible, interesting, and useful as possible.

We can even make it clear to students that the world currently will pay more for certain skills. Just give them the information necessary to make these decisions and make the learning as accessible as possible.

We don’t need to hold back students or make them think they are not capable of being useful contributors to society in order to ensure that those that will embrace and do great things with a certain skill set get access to that learning.

One, I learned lots of valuable things and had lots of valuable experiences in school. Even though I’ve now forgotten their specifics, they’re part of my character.

Two, as a grownup, I’ve specialized myself to the degree that I don’t now need a lot of what I learned in school. I’m pretty much a math person, now. But that doesn’t mean that young-me should have only been taught math. Young-me had no idea what he’d eventually do.

Then we can spend the rest of the time exploring the history/tradition/beauty of more advanced subjects. We can focus our efforts on facilitating a deep love of learning, not just for practical purposes, but because learning even esoteric subjects can be a challenging and deeply enjoyable activity with benefits beyond what we can measure in a practical manner.

> It’s not that we shouldn’t teach algebraic expressions because most of the population gets by just fine without them, it’s that we should call in to question the idea that there is some extensively prescribed curriculum (including algebra) that is necessary to being successful in life.

Plato might respond thus: “Yes, I said, but for [a practical] purpose a very little of either geometry or calculation will be enough; the question relates rather to the greater and more advanced part of geometry–whether that tends in any degree to make more easy the vision of the idea of good; and thither, as I was saying, all things tend which compel the soul to turn her gaze towards that place, where is the full perfection of being, which she ought, by all means, to behold.” (Republic, VII)

Is there a place for the tradition and culture practice of mathematics in molding students to seek the good?

Following up on some of the other comments, could you explain exactly why:

‘The proposition, “A middle-aged bureaucrat hasn’t used algebraic expressions in three decades and turned out fine therefore we shouldn’t teach algebraic expressions to fourteen year-olds” has yet to be nailed down for me.,

I’m not sure that either of these should be equated with the goal of education, but even assuming for purposes of argument that “skills needed to be successful” is the goal, are we equating “success” with median actual behavior?

My own opinion was rather nicely summed up by Randall Munroe here (particularly in the mouseover text): http://xkcd.com/1050/