Chuck, see if this link is freely available:
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/318/5856/1534
here's a snippet:
Science 7 December 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5856, pp. 1534 - 1535
MATHEMATICS EDUCATION:
U.S. Expert Panel Sees Algebra As Key to Improvements in Math
Jeffrey Mervis
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND--No single report will end the decade-long
debate about why U.S. students aren't doing better in math. But last
week, a panel of experts assembled by the Department of Education
signaled it had reached consensus on one of the most important
topics in that debate: how students can become proficient inalgebra.
Usually offered in the 8th or 9th grade, algebra is a gateway course
for high school mathematics; without mastering algebra, a college
degree in science or engineering is impossible. Its importance has
made it the primary focus of the National Mathematics Advisory
Panel, convened in April 2006. Last week, the group of 19
mathematicians, psychologists, and educators vetted a 68-page draft
report due out this winter that members hope will play a major role
in shaping math instruction across an education system that comes in
50 state flavors, with variations by 14,000 local school districts.
The report, debated line by line during an open 6-hour meeting at an
airport hotel here, contains dozens of recommendations on how to
boost student achievement in math. Taking aim at watered-down
courses, the report defines the content of a rigorous algebra course
as well as what students need to know before taking it. It urges
school districts "to avoid an approach that continually revisits
topics, year after year, without closure," part of what critics
deride as a "mile-wide, inch-deep" math curriculum. ...
i'd be curious to see the full report if we can find it.
Les