Mathematics has always been a hard sell to students. Many don’t see the connection between mathematics concepts and “real life”. A new study indicates that students who increased the number of mathematics courses they took in high school enjoyed higher average earnings afterwards. About 15 years after graduation, these students’ were earning about 10% higher for every year of additional mathematics coursework.
Want to encourage your child to focus more on math? Tell them it will make them richer.
Taking additional math classes can improve one’s salary after graduation.
Although the additional high school mathematics alone was not at a level that would lead to a career requiring very high mathematics abilities, the additional coursework prepared students for jobs that required basic levels of computational knowledge. Other real life benefits include the increased likelihood of building wealth through real estate and other assets, and the decreased likelihood of foreclosure or becoming delinquent on credit card debt.
Requiring students to take an extra math course increases the likelihood that they’ll build wealth through real estate and other assets and decreases the likelihood that they’ll experience foreclosure or become delinquent on credit card debt.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- In the 1980s, high schools were required to raise the minimum level of coursework in order to graduate.
- 15 years later, African Americans affected by this requirement saw their wages rise by 10% for every extra year of math they took.
- This requirement may improve their odds of amassing wealth through real estate or other assets, and it decreases their chance of foreclosures and credit card payment delinquency.
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