[chad_oliver]

I think the issue is not that mathematics is bad, but rather that it doesn't deserve the privileged place it has in the curriculum. Maths above pre-algebra is not generally useful, but instead it is only useful to those who go on to study the more technical subjects (e.g. engineering).

Maths is maths, and will always be a powerful tool. But the author is saying that most people need to learn problem-solving and logic more than they need to learn maths; for most people maths is useful only in that it teaches problem-solving and logical thinking. Thus, replace it with programming.

In my opinion, I think a far better idea would be to replace the 'computer studies' classes with programming. Most of these classes teach how to use Excel and Word, and if they do programming it's only a limited variety using Visual Basic. Modernise, guys!