Is Algebra Necessary?

"Is Algebra Necessary?", the title of a piece by Andrew Hacker (an Emeritus Professor at Queens University) in a recent issue of the Sunday New York Times is the topic this Friday. It came to my attention because Hacker briefly quotes me in the piece. Hacker argues that the algebra requirement for all high school students is misguided. Hacker's view is hardly new, but it raised quite a bit of traffic in the blogosphere. So, I thought it may be interesting to discuss the issues it raises in our MSTE Friday Lunch forum.