My Reflections on “Math as a Gatekeeper: Examining the Evidence” by Pamela Burdman, January 28th, 2025. Link to full article on the Just Equations website.
We’ve all heard it: Math is essential for success. It’s drilled into students from an early age, reinforced through standardized tests and time-consuming test prep, and often used as a benchmark for intelligence. But is math really the golden ticket to opportunity? Or has it become an unnecessary gatekeeper that limits access to higher education and career paths? In the article, "Math as a Gatekeeper: Examining the Evidence", Burdman (2025) discusses the evidence to help us answer these important questions. In the paragraphs below, I unpack the key takeaways from this timely article about equity and mathematics education.
Using data from the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS), Daniel Douglas and Paul Attewell (2017) found that students who perform well in math are substantially more likely to attend college, gain admission to selective universities, and complete degrees—even after controlling for factors like socioeconomic status and general academic achievement. Yet, low-income and minority students are disproportionately left out, often enrolled in schools where high-level math classes aren’t even offered. This raises a tough question: are we truly assessing students' potential, or are we simply filtering out those who lack access to resources?
Even if we assume that advanced math, like calculus, is a fair gatekeeper, there’s another issue—most people hardly use it in their jobs. The idea that math education enhances an individual’s skill sets and productivity and therefore leads to higher wages is rooted in human capital theory. But research paints a different picture. According to Daniel Douglas and Paul Attewell, analyses of workplace skill requirements revealed that fewer than 10% of workers actually use advanced math. Even in STEM fields, Brooke Istas et al. found that only 25% of engineers reported applying nonlinear functions in their work. Instead, they rely on informal arithmetic, data interpretation, and computational tools. This disconnect reminds me of a report I previously read indicating that many students share this frustration: a nationwide survey by YouthTruth found that only 57% of K-12 students see math as important, with many feeling that school math lacks real-world relevance.
If the math we force students to master doesn’t align with what professionals use, why is it treated as a make-or-break subject in employment and college admissions? One explanation is signaling theory, developed by economist Michael Spence. According to the theory, education isn’t about skill-building but about proving and revealing one’s ability to employers. In other words, succeeding in advanced math serves as a sorting mechanism rather than a tool for practical knowledge.
Nevertheless, Burdman stresses, and I agree, that dismissing math education entirely would be a mistake. Both the human capital theory and the signaling theory reduce education to a mere economic tool. I read a little more about this topic – according to professor Simon Marginson at the University College London, “students have many interests in addition to credentials, future earnings and careers, including network building; the accumulation of knowledge, generic skills and cultural capital; intellectual formation as an end in itself…” Furthermore, one study by Oxford researchers has shown that students who stop learning math experience reduced brain plasticity and lower levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter linked to learning and problem-solving.
It is clear that the way we teach and prioritize math needs to change. Notably, several states and organizations like the Launch Years Initiative are doing work that supports making statistics and data analysis a core focus of STEM education. They also advocate for teaching math through real-world problem-solving and authentic modeling, and deemphasizing traditional math topics, such as the quadratic formula. Rather than serving as an exclusionary filter, math education should be designed to empower students with skills that matter—for their careers, their personal growth, and their ability to navigate the modern world.
References
1. Burdman, Pamela. “Blog: Math as a Gatekeeper: Examining the Evidence .” Just Equations, 28 Jan. 2025,
2. YouthTruth. “Making Sense of Learning Math: Insights from the Student Experience.” YouthTruth Survey, 4 Jan. 2024, https://youthtruth.org/resources/making-sense-of-learning-math-insights-from-the-student-experience
3. Istas, Brooke, et al. “When Am I (n)Ever Going to Use This? How Engineers Use Algebra.” Unknown, 8 Mar. 2021, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349900224_When_am_I_never_going_to_use_this_How_engineers_use_algebra?enrichId=rgreq-f03c3e53c54c2039040a5b48c7ac4106-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzM0OTkwMDIyNDtBUzo5OTkyMjQ0Njg1NzAxMTJAMTYxNTI0NTA4NjM3MQ%3D%3D&el=1_x_3&_esc=publicationCoverPdf
4. Douglas, Daniel, and Paul Attewell. “School Mathematics as Gatekeeper.” Taylor & Francis, 2 Oct. 2017, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321286040_School_Mathematics_as_Gatekeeper
5. Marginson, Simon. “Limitations of Human Capital Theory.” Taylor & Francis, 8 Aug. 2017, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318989604_Limitations_of_human_capital_theory.
6. Zacharopoulos, George, et al. “The Impact of a Lack of Mathematical Education on Brain Development and Future Attainment.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118, no. 24, June 2021, https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2013155118
7. Page, M. E. “Signaling in the Labor Market.” ScienceDirect, 2010, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780080448947012148
8. Leoni, Silvia. “A Historical Review of the Role of Education: From Human Capital to Human Capabilities.” Review of Political Economy, Oct. 2019, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09538259.2023.2245233
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