Below is the news note in Science. (Les was right.) The real report might be more interesting, but I think I can read between the lines.
Short form. The math nazis won. A total bullshit, waste of time panel will find, back to basics algebra taught the old fashioned way: with rulers. Get it wrong, get a wack. And put away those glu-stiks and crayons, kids. This isn't going to be fun.
Key words: rigorous, boost achievement, assessments, standard algorithm, mile-wide inch deep, the 90s (synonomous with 60s, Democrat deviance), fluency, closure, University of Texas, problem solving abilities...
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U.S. Expert Panel Sees Algebra As Key to Improvements in Math
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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 in algebra.
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. It recommends giving teachers more authority to choose those educational materials and practices best suited to their students. It also calls for more useful assessments of what students know and for shifting educational policy debates "away from polarizing controversies."
At the same time, says panel chair Larry Faulkner, a chemist and former University of Texas president, the report will note that little or no good data exist on several hot-button issues. On choosing between a prescribed math curriculum presented by the teacher and one that incorporates what piques the interest of students, Faulkner notes, "it's a matter of religion, and it's important for the world to know that." That uncertainty is also true, he says, for whether elementary school students should be taught by math specialists rather than their regular classroom teacher. On the use of calculators in class, the group was deliberately equivocal: Math educator Douglas Clements of the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, told his fellow panelists that "we found limited to no impact on computational skills, problem-solving abilities, and conceptual development."
Despite the panel's desire for a consensus document, many issues seem likely to remain contentious long after the report is released. Take the discussion about how to teach arithmetic and whole numbers. Harvard University mathematician Wilfried Schmid argued strongly for including the phrase "the standard" in a paragraph that calls for "fluency with the standard algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division." The two words, especially the article, are a rallying cry for the back-to-basics movement, which cites changes in the mathematics curriculum introduced in the 1990s as a major reason for low test scores. "Without that word," Schmid exhorted his colleagues, "we are sending a message that anything goes."
Math educator Deborah Ball of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, demurred, arguing that retaining the phrase would hamstring teachers who may want to use student-derived approaches in their lessons. "We're not talking about how to teach math in this paragraph," she explained, "and the use of alternative algorithms can be a useful tool for teachers. I'd like to drop the 'the.' " After more discussion, her view was adopted unanimously.
The vote was a cue for Francis "Skip" Fennel, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and chair of the subgroup that had worked on this section and who supported Ball's position, to take a coffee break. But the discussion wasn't over. As a way to reopen the issue, Schmid said another panel member, Fairfax, Virginia, middle school math teacher Vern Williams, had asked for his reaction to the vote and that "I am not distraught, but I'd be happier if the word were kept." The panel immediately took a second vote and decided, by a margin of 8-3, with three abstentions, to retain the article. Fennel then walked back in the room and, upon hearing about the new tally, declared: "You mean I lost?"
In addition to embodying the tensions within the math community, the panel is also carrying some heavy political baggage. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings dropped by the meeting to give the panel a brief pep talk and urge it to finish quickly. Notwithstanding the panel's remaining work--it got through barely half of the 45 paragraphs in its draft executive summary--Spellings was comfortable describing its take-home message later to a small group of reporters.
The report will tell the country "what works" in math education, Spellings explained. "Once we know what works, it's our responsibility to align the resources" from the federal, state, and local governments. Spellings said the report's most important points are the need for students to master fractions, the importance of early childhood education, and the value of developing teacher skills, both during their training and after they are hired. Those messages dovetail with several initiatives proposed by the Bush Administration, including a $250 million Math Now program for middle school students that Congress has so far refused to fund.
Jeffery Mervis