In many countries, math has long been recognized as a tough subject that can be mastered through hard work, said Tom Loveless, a scholar at the Brookings Instit

In many countries, math has long been recognized as a tough subject that can be mastered through hard work, said Tom Loveless, a scholar at the Brookings Institution who analyzes international math test results and cultural differences. Efforts to make math more fun or dress up textbooks are not the answer, he said. OK, yes, but the state of American textbooks is TERRIBLE. They don't need shiny graphics or examples using social cliques. They don't need personality quizzies. (Ex-Winnie Cooper, I am pissed at you.) In the lower grades, some schools are subsidizing textbooks by purchasing ones from companies that use brand names in the problems. E.g. "If Tommy has 3 Oreos..." That is not the kind of dressing up they need, no. But if you compare your basic Silver Burdett piece of shit to a book like "Mathematics: A Human Endeavor" or Geometry by the same author (Harold Jacobs), you'll see the difference. I have the Geometry book. It uses Escher, Alice in Wonderland, and other great and useful devices for explaining math. (Hofstadter uses the same devices - not a coincidence, I am sure.) It uncovers math in everyday life and unexpected places. It reveals. It pulls back the curtain. That is the magic of learning. It does not pander, which is what all the other textbooks do. And, in fact, the entire school system does.