I don't really think the situation in the article is directly about people not being skilled in math. It's about math-phobia with it's after-affect of people not having skills in math.
It seems like an especially American thing - being good at math makes someone a freak and so it's something kids actively avoid at the ages in which being a freak is not tolerable.
That kind of attitude would need to be actively confronted because what happens is that kids who previously were developing skills tend to drop out given the peer-pressure.
Edit: best documenting link I could find but Google book won't let me copy a quote:
I blame TV in the 80's and 90's..and to today.
The smart kid is the dorky, beat up kid. The dad is usually a guy who thinks he can figure stuff out and repair stuff, but hes wrong and just breaks everything.. better just buy it at the depot.
It seems like an especially American thing - being good at math makes someone a freak and so it's something kids actively avoid at the ages in which being a freak is not tolerable.
That kind of attitude would need to be actively confronted because what happens is that kids who previously were developing skills tend to drop out given the peer-pressure.
Edit: best documenting link I could find but Google book won't let me copy a quote:
https://books.google.com/books?id=CzmpDAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA74&ots=...