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Date: Thu, 15 Jan 1998 15:53:09 -0500
From: Ken Ross <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Secy Riley's speech
To: [log in to unmask]
Reply-to: Ken Ross <[log in to unmask]>
IN HIS STATE OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION speech last week,
Secretary Riley called on mathematics professors, teachers,
& other mathematics professionals to "make the importance of
mathematics for our nation clear, so that all teachers teach
better mathematics *and* teach mathematics better."
Also in his speech, delivered on January 9 at the Joint
Mathematics Meetings of the American Mathematical Society (AMS)
& Mathematical Association of America (MAA), the Secretary
called for a cease-fire in the current "math wars" about how
& what math should be taught.
Below are excerpts from his remarks. For the entire speech &
additional information on the Department's math priority
-- that "All students will master challenging mathematics,
including the foundations of algebra & geometry, by the end of
8th grade" -- please see:
http://www.ed.gov/inits.html#2
==================================================
Excerpts from "The State of Mathematics Education:
Building a Strong Foundation for the 21st Century"
(January 9, 1998)
==================================================
Almost 90% of new jobs require more than a high school level of
literacy & math skills. An entry level automobile worker, for
instance, according to an industry-wide standard, needs to be able
to apply formulas from algebra & physics to properly wire the
electrical circuits of a car. Indeed, almost every job today
increasingly demands a combination of theoretical knowledge &
skills that require learning throughout a lifetime.
....
A recent U.S. Department of Education report demonstrates that a
challenging mathematics education can build real opportunities for
students who might not otherwise have them. It found, for example,
that young people who have taken gateway courses like algebra I &
geometry go on to college at much higher rates than those who do
not -- 83% to 36%. The difference is particularly stark for low-
income students. These students are almost 3 times as likely --
71% versus 27% -- to attend college. In fact, taking the tough
courses, including challenging mathematics, is a more important
factor in determining college attendance than is either a student's
family background or income.
....
This undeniable & critical increase in the value of challenging
mathematics for both individual opportunities & our society's long-
term economic growth leads me to an issue about which I am very
troubled -- & that is the increasing polarization & fighting about
how mathematics is taught & what mathematics should be taught....
It is perfectly appropriate to disagree on teaching methodologies &
curriculum content. But what we need is a civil & constructive
discourse. I am hopeful that we can have a "cease-fire" in this
war -- & instead harness the energies employed on these battles for
a crusade for excellence in mathematics for every American student.
One way to begin such a crusade is to start with the facts.... While
our students aren't yet performing at the level we want, they are in
fact doing better than many Americans think. Mathematics scores
from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), the
nation's report card, increased significantly from 1990 to 1996 at
all levels tested. In addition, over the past two decades, more
students are taking Advanced Placement mathematics courses, SAT &
ACT mathematics scores are up, & more high school graduates are
taking more years of mathematics -- in 1994, 51% of students
completed three years compared to only 13% in 1982.
There is also some positive news when you compare our students with
those of other nations. The recent Third International Mathematics
& Science Study (TIMSS), the most extensive international
comparison of education ever undertaken...[shows that] U.S. 4th
graders scored above the international average in mathematics &
science -- in fact, they are near the very top in achievement in
science & can compete with the best in the world.
TIMSS also revealed...that the United States was the only
country...whose students dropped from above average performance in
mathematics at the fourth grade to below average performance in
mathematics at the eighth grade.... I believe the evidence of this
"math gap" & the careful analysis TIMSS provides...gives us not
only a wake-up call, but also a road map for improvement.
While the curriculum in our classrooms continues to focus on basic
arithmetic in the years after fourth grade -- fractions, decimals,
& whole number operations -- classrooms in Japan & Germany have
shifted their emphasis to more advanced concepts -- including
algebra, geometry, & probability. Unfortunately, in too many cases
our eighth grade curriculum looks like the curriculum of 7th grades
elsewhere.
Why is our competitive position dropping in the middle grades?
It's surely not because our kids can't master challenging material.
& it's not because most don't know the basic skills of arithmetic.
In fact, NAEP trend data, released in August of this year, shows
that fully 79% of eighth graders "can add, subtract, multiply, &
divide using whole numbers, & solve one-step problems," up from 65%
in 1978.
These students are ready to move ahead to more challenging
concepts. Of course, we should do whatever it takes to increase
that 79% mastery of basic arithmetic concepts by the middle school
years. Students should get the extra help they need, whether it is
in after-school tutoring or some other way. But, at the same time,
we need to raise our standards higher & ensure that all students
are learning more challenging concepts in addition to the
traditional basics.
That is one reason why we encourage the development of a voluntary
national test in eighth grade mathematics. This test, which is
based on NAEP, but which will provide individual student results,
will help give all teachers, parents, & students the knowledge to
evaluate achievement & develop challenging course work -- at world-
class levels of performance in the basics as well as at more
advanced levels of study.
States that have developed challenging standards of learning,
aligned their assessments to those standards, & provided
substantial professional development for teachers have demonstrated
improvement in student achievement. In North Carolina, for
example, students improved dramatically after development of
challenging standards of learning & a statewide assessment system
aligned to those standards. After beginning the decade near the
bottom of the state NAEP mathematics rankings, North Carolina
posted the greatest achievement gain of any state in the nation.
....
This leads me back to the need to bring an end to the shortsighted,
politicized, & harmful bickering over the teaching & learning of
mathematics. I will tell you that if we continue down this road of
infighting, we will only negate the gains we have already made -- &
the real losers will be the students of America.
I hope each of you will take the responsibility to bring an end to
these battles, to begin to break down stereotypes, & make the
importance of mathematics for our nation clear so that all teachers
teach better mathematics *and* teach mathematics better.
....
Indeed, all Americans should be able to agree on much about
mathematics. We all want our students to master the traditional
basics -- to be able to add, subtract, multiply & divide, & be
accurate & comfortable with simple mental *and* pencil & paper
computation.
We all want our students to have the opportunity to master
challenging mathematics -- which for K-12 students includes
arithmetic & algebra, geometry, probability, statistics, data
analysis, trigonometry, & calculus.
We also want our students to master the basics of a new information
age -- problem solving, communicating mathematical concepts &
applying mathematics in real-world settings as part of this
challenging mathematics.
....
There are many wonderful teachers across the nation who give of
themselves & who inspire students.... We can do better, [however],
particularly in subjects like mathematics, which can require a
special degree of skill & expertise.
Presently, 28% of high school mathematics teachers do not have a
major or minor in mathematics. The average K-8 teacher takes three
or fewer mathematics or mathematics education courses in college.
Furthermore, fewer than one half of 8th grade mathematics teachers
have ever taken a course in the teaching of mathematics at this
level. Equally distressing, the teacher qualifications are even
lower in low income & minority schools.
We must do better. Recent studies have shown that student
achievement is most influenced by teacher expertise, accounting for
as much as 40% of the measured variance in students' mathematics
achievement. According to NAEP, at grade eight, the teachers in the
top-performing third of schools were almost 50% more likely to have
majored in mathematics or mathematics education than the teachers in
the bottom-performing third of schools.
It is time we took a good look at the way we train our teachers &
the continuing support we give them. You have a direct impact on
the future of the mathematics teachers this nation's schools turn
out. According to the most recent survey figures available
(Conference Board on Mathematical Sciences), at least 20% of
mathematics majors completed high school teacher certification
requirements. So the teachers of tomorrow are sitting in *your*
classes today.
So I urge all of you to take a leading role in meeting this
challenge -- & I offer several suggestions to achieve this. First,
I hope you will make it a priority to prepare K-12 teachers. Work
with your colleges' Schools of Education to improve the
mathematical preparation of our teachers by ensuring that courses
focus on rigorous mathematical content that is tied to the content
that K-12 teachers will teach.
Second, it is time for you to take a critical look at the curriculum
& teaching methods used in undergraduate mathematics courses. It is
only natural that a teacher will teach as he or she was taught. By
improving this instruction we can simultaneously provide good
examples & build for the future.
Third, we need to create more partnerships among your higher
education institutions, teachers, & the many museums, technology
centers, businesses, & other community institutions that are
sources of learning. In this way we can take advantage of the
other learning resources that are out there & help students see new
ways that mathematics & other learning is applicable to daily life.
I'm pleased to note that some of this has already begun. The U.S.
Department of Education is funding an effort by the MAA, the AMS,
the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, as well as other
CBMS learned societies, to develop over the next several years
voluntary standards & a framework for the mathematical preparation
of teachers of mathematics & for their induction into the
profession. I hope you will work with them to expand this effort.
We need to have faith in our teachers who, when given the proper
resources & training, will teach to the highest standards. We need
to have faith in our students who, when taught well at challenging
levels, will be able to learn to the highest standards. And we
need to have faith in the American public that, given the facts
about a subject as important as mathematics, they will in turn put
their creativity, discipline, energy & hard work to build a
stronger future for America's students.
Make no mistake about it. There is a disconnect about mathematics
in this country. A recent Harris poll revealed that while more
than 90% of parents *expect* their children to go to college &
almost 90% of kids *want* to go to college; fully half of those
kids want to drop mathematics as soon as they can. It is time to
impress upon a nation eager for learning & achievement the
importance of advanced study in this field.
As the statistics I have related to you today make clear --
"Mathematics Equals Opportunity." There could be no more crucial
message to send to the parents & students of America as we prepare
for the coming century.
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