From
Email Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2001 9:48 AM
-Please forward this message to other concerned parents-
Parents and others:
At the working business session of CSB #2 held last Tuesday, January
9, the board voted to cancel the math forum scheduled for March 1,
2001. The proposal, made by John Crossman, a PS 6 parent, included a
provision that the board would possibly reconsider sponsorship of a
math forum, contingent upon future progress reports by Interim Acting
Superintendent Shelley Harwayne and the Director of Mathematics, Lucy
West; and after consideration of a preliminary report by Chancellor
Levy's math commission, due out later this month. The vote was: 7 -
yes (Crossman, Feuer, Ellner, Yip, Li, Robinson, Gamble) ; 1 - no
(Somoza) Gloria Martinez was absent.
Note: Robinson had made a previous proposal to cancel the math forum
at the November 28 public session of the board; a meeting at which
parents and mathematicians gave testimony about District 2 math
programs and urged the board continue with plans for the forum. At
that meeting, and under the watchful eyes of concerned parents and
mathematicians, the board vote to cancel the forum did not carry.
Vote to cancel: 3 - yes (Robinson, Yip and LI); 1- no (Somoza) ; 3-
abstained (Feuer, Martinez and Gamble) Crossman and Ellner were absent
At the January 9 meeting there was little discussion by the board
prior to the vote to cancel the forum There was no agenda item
indicating the board intended to discuss and/or proceed with a vote.
There was no opportunity for the public to speak to the issue.
Highlights of Board member statements and positions:
Note: Summaries are from my notes of the past several meetings. I
encourage you to request a tape of the most recent meeting and any
others at which discussion of math education has occurred You may
request tapes be mailed to you. Call Doreen Danzler, school board
secretary at 212.330.9494
John Crossman stated he was spending a "bloody fortune" tutoring his
child, who attends PS 6. At the November 14 meeting Crossman relayed
to Lucy West that some PS 6 parents were concerned with their
children's poor test performance in math on the private middle school
entrance exam. He suggested perhaps parents should at least be
informed that the math education their children receive in District 2
schools was not aligned with that of private schools. He also stated
he did not know how to help his child with the kind of math homework
assigned, though he had himself taken a substantial number of
university courses in mathematics. At the January 9 meeting he
described Lucy West as brilliant and maintains energies would be best
spent supporting the math office in their endeavors. He expressed he
had confidence that the math office was addressing the problems, but
was concerned about the time it appeared necessary to fully prepare
the staff to teach the programs effectively.
Note: Crossman had unfortunately been absent from the last three board
meetings, two of which were public sessions where parents gave
compelling testimony of their concerns about, primarily, TERC; and NYU
mathematics professors presented some of their preliminary findings on
TERC and CMP, drafted as part of preparations for the CSB #2 math
forum
Doug Robinson reiterated his reasons for originally proposing
cancellation of the forum, his belief that there was no ground swell
of parent concern and that he had concluded any new program
implementation would include some difficulties along the way. He
expressed his confidence, based on Lucy West's November presentations
that the math office was adequately addressing the issues parents had
raised.
Winnie Li stated her opinion that the Chinatown community generally
supported the programs and required only more parent training in how
to help their children with homework. Li stated at a November meeting
that with the advent of calculators, basic skills and pencil and paper
calculation were becoming obsolete. She relayed she was unsure of the
extent of parent concern. She stated she thought that in place of a
forum, board members should visit school based math nights.
Danny Yip stated at the November 28 meeting his view that Chinatown
parents were resistant in large part because of their distrust of a
math program different from what they had experienced in their own
education; and that parents needed to let go of the past. He shared
his own experience in a traditional program in Hong Kong, which he
found deficient. He stated he was delighted with the new programs.
He stated he saw no purpose in a public debate.
Karen Feuer gave a brief summary of the math forum plans to date; and
she summarized recent board discussion regarding the forum for John
Crossman, at his request. Feuer was quoted in a local paper
subsequent to the November 28 board meeting where parent testimony was
heard, "the critics are not representative. There are 40,000 parents
in the district and we have five people who continue to promulgate
their views." This, after having heard, at that meeting alone, from
more than five parents as well as several NYU mathematicians.
New board member, Mae Gamble (replacing elected board member John
Quinn, who was removed by the Chancellor earlier this year) questioned
the purpose of a math forum. She asked what it would accomplish
beyond inspiring controversy. And she noted no matter how many
parents attended and spoke at such a forum the board would not be able
to ascertain whether the views expressed were representative of the
entire district. She suggested that the board can not conclude much
regarding the extent of parent concern from the testimony provided at
board meetings either. Gamble has been a math teacher and is a staff
consultant in other districts.
Gloria Martinez, absent from the January 9 meeting, had stated in a
November meeting she felt it was evident there were problems with the
math programs. She thought there should be some kind of forum but
felt the format might require reworking. She also noted the mixed
messages from parents who had spoken to the board on the nature and
extent of parent concern. She suggested the need for a closer look at
the issues being raised.
At the January 9 meeting, Mary Somoza stood alone in support of the
math forum. She reminded the board of their original commitment to
provide an opportunity for parents to participate in districtwide
public discussion. The forum was to be educational; to provide
opportunity to hear expert and differing opinions regarding our
programs by a panel of math educators and mathematicians. The forum
was to support parent engagement, through a preliminary districtwide
survey and at the forum itself, parents could express their views and
pose questions to the panel. She reminded the board of parents'
dissatisfaction with school based math nights, (which are largely
lectures on the philosophy of the programs, with mock classroom
exercises, and little real parent engagement, with probing quesitons
and dissenting opinions discouraged) And she reiterated her
recognition that there was indeed widespread concern among parents
that was not simply going to go away by shutting down opportunity for
public discourse. She asked the board what harm would come by
allowing the math forum to occur.
What You Can Do:
Remember, regardless of public statements to the contrary, district
officials recognize that one parent letter or statement to the board
suggests the likelihood that there are many others, who share similar
experiences and sentiments, who have not taken the time to write or
attend board meetings.
Do not presume the questions and concerns you have already relayed in
letters or conversations with your principals, or in PA meetings, or
Parent Council meetings, or school based math nights or to math office
officials, or to individual school board members are enough. Your
views are not being substantively carried into public school board
meeting discussions, nor recognized as representative by some school
leaders, nor properly characterized in Lucy West's descriptions of
parent needs, questions and concerns.
The level of denial by some district officials, school board members
and the math office, regarding the extent to which the math programs
require supplementation and the extent to which parents are tutoring
their children and thus maintaining acceptable test scores, is
alarmingly high. The level of disregard for the equity issues the
requisite tutoring present, is equally alarming.
For the district as a whole and schools, individually, to most
expeditiously and effectively work to develop systemic remedy for the
limitations inherent in the math reform programs at all three levels,
K-5, 6-8, and 9-12, students', parents' and teachers' real experiences
with the programs to date, must be made public and shared widely among
the district community.
The math forum was to be a beginning.
Clear, coherent content standards building grade by grade, and a clear
coherent districtwide policy regarding supplementation of TERC, CMP
and ARISE are necessary ASAP. Anything less affords great opportunity
for sluggish, partial remedies, unevenly and inequitably applied in
individual schools across the district, as we have witnessed over the
past several years.
Speak up, be a part of the solution, for our children's sake.
District 2 and central officials:
CSB #2 Office
CSB #2 Board Members:
Karen Feuer, President
Doug Robinson, First Vice-President
Danny Yip, Second Vice-President
John Crossman
Brian Ellner
Winni Li, Secretary
Gloria Martinez
Mary Somoza, Member
Mae Gamble
Lucy West, Director of Mathematics
Shelley Harwayne, Interim Acting Superintendent
Chancellor Harold O Levy
Councilmember Eva Moskowitz
Councilmember Christine Quinn
State Assemblyman Steve Sanders
State Assemblymember Deborah Glick
Return to the NYC HOLD main page or to the News page or to the Letters and Testimony page.
Subject: NYC - CSB #2 Cancels Math Forum You Must Act Now!
333 Seventh Ave, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Fax: 212.220.9499
phone: (w) 212.674.5153
KFFNYC@aol.com
phone: (w) 718.248.8073
dougrobnyc@aol.com
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yyip@metlife.com
phone: (w) 212.407.0627
jkc@ny.zhgm.com
phone: (w) 212.373.3171
bellner@paulweiss.com
phone (w) 212.344.5878
winniw@aafny.org
phone: (w) 212.554.0426
gmartinez@gispc.com
phone and fax (w) 212.307.9010
gsomoza@aol.com
C/ 0 CSB #2 Office
Fax: 212.220.0400
CSD #2 Math Initiative
c/o PS/IS 89
201 Warren Street Room 406
New York, NY 10282
Phone: 212.385.3459
Fax: 212.385.3470
Lkmahon@aol.com
CSD #2
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New York, NY 10001
Fax: 212.330.9480
fax: 718.935.3383
Hlevy@nycboe.net
Phone: 212.818.0580
Fax: 212.818.0706
Tiffay Lacker, Legislative Aide
t.lacker@inetmail.att.net
Attn: Peter Rider
Phone: 212.768.4344
Fax: 212.768.4380
Phone: 212.979.9696
Fax: 212.979.0594
sanders@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: 212.674.5153
Fax: 212.674.5530
glickd@assembly.state.ny.us