Algebra for Success?

Omaha World Herald article:
Nebraska teachers agree with U.S. math report

Excerpt:
The national panel urged increased focus on algebra as a benchmark skill students should master and move beyond in high school. If students can do that, the panel said, it will boost their success in college and careers.

We must nurture all types of people and each of their individual intelligences. We need to, as educators, focus on educating the whole student (as in individual); not the part that we think will make them successful or as an assembly line learning model. It will be hard. And it will be expensive. (hmmm… could be a good use of billions of dollars we are dumping in to Iraq. Sorry, I’ll save that rant for another day…)

Recent information I have consumed:
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future By Daniel H. Pink – Book
Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom By Thomas Armstrong – Book
Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight – TED Talks

Thoughts?