]
A World-Class Math Curriculum Verified by Outstanding Experimental
Research, by William Hook. Presentation to the British Columbia
Minister of Education, April 4, 2004, based on [a] and [b]. Argues that BC can have a
world class curriculum by learning from TIMSS and from CA... [more] (PDF format).
"Curriculum Makes a Huge Difference" - A Summary of Conclusions
from the Trends in International Mathematics Study (TIMSS) with
California Data Added, by William Hook. Unpublished report, March
5, 2004... [more] (PDF
format).
How Did It Ever Come to This, by Ralph A. Raimi. An expanded
version of a talk given at the annual meeting of the National
Association of Scholars in New York on 22 May 2004 on the history of
the previous "New Math"... [more]
A Study of Core-Plus Students Attending Michigan State
University, by Richard O. Hill and Thomas H. Parker (Draft, Dec
2002). From the abstract: A study involving over 3000 Michigan
students found that students arriving at Michigan State University
from four high schools which began using the Core-Plus Mathematics
program placed into, and enrolled in, increasingly lower level courses
as the implementation progressed. The grades these students earned in
the mathematics courses they took are also below average... [more] (PDF
format)
The
Curricular Smorgasbord, by Williamson M. Evers and Paul Clopton,
in Our
Schools and Our Future ...Are We Still at Risk?, edited by Paul
E. Peterson, Hoover Institution Press, 2003.
Math in The City: A View from the College Classroom, by Stanley
Ocken and Robert Feinerman (EU, Dec 2002). Catherine Fosnot, head of
the Math in The City teacher enhancement program rejects categorically
"that meaning can be passed on to learners via symbols; that whole
concepts can be broken into discrete subskills; that concepts can be
taught out of context". The authors rise to the defence of content in
K-12 mathematics... [more]
Math Problems: Why the U.S. Department of Education's recommended
math programs don't add up, by David Klein (ASBJ, Apr 2000). In
October 1999, the U.S. Department of Education released a report
designating 10 math programs as "exemplary" or "promising." David
Klein and other mathematicians took issue with these designations in
an open letter that was published in the Washington Post. This
article elaborates their objections... [more]
New Battles in the Math Wars, by Wilfried Schmid (2000). "Math
education reformers have a prescription for raising the mathematical
knowledge of schoolchildren. Do not teach the standard algorithms of
arithmetic, such as long addition and multiplication, they say; let
the children find their own methods for adding and multiplying
two-digit numbers, and for larger numbers, let them use
calculators"... [more]
Reform Mathematics Education: How to "Succeed" Without Really
Trying, by Paul Clopton (2000). "Since the 1980's, there have
been substantial efforts nation wide to weaken mathematics education
in America, and these efforts have largely been successful... It is
this effort, curiously known as reform, that is the root cause of what
has come to be known as the math wars"... [more]
Testimony of Stan Metzenberg, before the House Science
Subcommittee on Basic Research (980723). About the effects of the
educational reform movement on science education in the United States.
Metzenberg looks at the California Science Standards, the National
Science Education Standards, and the AAAS Benchmarks for Science
Literacy. In his view the NSES and the Benchmarks have set a standard
of achievement for students that is shockingly low, and related NSF
funding is helping to create a generation of scientific
illiterates... [more]. Also,
Follow-Up Questions for Dr. Stan Metzenberg... [more]
The
Coming Disaster in Science Education in America, by John Saxon,
March, 1993, reposted on EducationNews.Org, Feb 2006.
A Prescient Letter to Frank Quigley Concerning The New Math, by
Ralph A. Raimi (1958). Written a few weeks after the inauguration of
the School Mathematics Study Group (SMSG), headed by E. G. Begle...
[more].
By the same author: Whatever Happened to the New Math?
(1995)... [more] and...
[more]
News and Views
The Rote Stuff, by Brett Schaeffer (EdW, March 2003).
Describes favorable class reception of a three-minute individualized
Mathematics test for grade school. The test forms are scored using
software that reads handwriting. Ed school outsiders deride the
procedure as drill and kill... [more]
Trends in Math Achievement: The Importance of Basic Skills, by
Tom Loveless (Feb 6, 2003). A presentation on the occasion of the
launch of the Math and Science initiative at the Department of
Education. Loveless looks at NAEP outcomes and finds that students
are failing in the basics... [more]
The Rationale of Laboratory Exercises In The Teaching Of
Science, by Brian D. Rude (1978). "If one believes that the
scientific method is not easily learned, that it can be learned only
in a laboratory setting, and that failure to understand the scientific
method makes it impossible to learn scientific facts and principles,
then one is certainly justified in spending considerable time in
laboratory work designed to demonstrate the scientific method. I will
dispute all three of these ideas. The scientific method is not hard
to learn and understand, it is not learned best in a laboratory
setting, and an understanding of the scientific method is not
essential for the learning of science"... [more]
More readings on math and science
curriculum.
Education Philosophy
The
Case for Bringing Content into the Language Arts Block and for a
Knowledge-Rich Curriculum Core for all Children, by E. D. Hirsch,
Jr., The American Educator, Spring 2006.
Progressive Education: One Parent's Journey, by Rob Kremer,
Oregon's Future, Winter 2005. The author discovers a disconnect
between his job administering a grant project to advance progressive
principles in the teaching of math and science and the development of
his own children at a school devoted to the same principles... [more]
(PDF format)
What the Almost-Initiated Don't Get About the Education Problem in
America, by Charles R. Lewis. Editorial, the US Freedom
Foundation, December 29, 2003. Addresses five "misconceptions", among
them that schools should adjust to their students, and that currently
employed standardized tests provide a good measure for progress...
[more].
(Part 3 of a series; here Part
2 and Part
1.)
Romancing the Child, by E. D. Hirsch, Jr (2001).
About the chasm between progressive, romantic educational ideas and
the classical approach to teaching reading and mathematics... [more]. By the
same author, Why Traditional Education Is More Progressive
(1997)... [more]
and other articles... [more]
Progressivism's Hidden Failure, by Louisa C. Spencer (2001).
"For the past four years, I have been a volunteer tutor in grades 1-4
of a K-5 public elementary school in New York City's Community School
District 2"... [more]
Standardization's Stifling Impact, by Lois Weiner (EdWeek,
010228). NYC's District 2 has developed a "standards-based
instructional delivery system" based on constructivist materials and
pedagogy that all schools are forced to accept. Ms. Weiner, a
District 2 parent, describes the impact... [more]
When Progressiveness leads to Backwardness, by Amity Schlaes
(Hoover Digest, from FT, Oct 23, 2000). About the Summerhill culture
in Britain and the United States. "The staggering number of
undereducated teenagers graduating from U.S. high schools every year
is a national tragedy - and an object lesson in the damage that
misguided educational fads can wreak"... [more]
Whole Language Lives On, by Louisa Cook Moats (2000). "What's
going on in many places in the name of `balance' or `consensus' is
that the worst practices of whole language are persisting, continuing
to inflict boundless harm on young children who need to learn to
read. How and why that is happening-and how and why such practices are
misguided and harmful-are what this report is about"... [more]
The New, Flexible Math Meets Parental Rebellion, by Anemona
Hartocollis (NYT, Apr 27, 2000). "Parents chafing at constructivist
math tell stories of their children coming home confused and
dispirited by lessons in which getting the right answer to problems is
devalued in favor of strategies that are often primitive, cumbersome
and indirect. Used by inexperienced teachers who are weak in math,
they say, the curriculum can be murky. And tutoring services say that
they are seeing an epidemic of children coming to them for basic math
instruction"... [more]
A New Mission for NCTM: Save Our Schools, by Frank B. Allen
(2000). The author, past President of the NCTM, offers ten statements
that this organization should endorse in order to deserve again to be
called the National Council of TEACHERS of Mathematics... [more]. By the
same author: Mathematics "Council" Loses Hard-Earned
Credibility, (1998?)... [more]
Constructivism in Education Sophistry for a New Age, by Martin
A. Kozloff, May, 1998. "Constructivist 'theory' is a mishmash of
overlapping platitudes and absurdities - 'empty words and poetic
metaphors' (Aristotle, Metaphysics). Taken separately, constructivist
'propositions' are merely simpleminded. Taken together, they are
indistinguishable from the verbal behavior of a person suffering from
chronic schizophrenia."... more.
See also Martin Kozloff's List of recent
papers.
The Computer Delusion, by Todd Oppenheimer (1997). "There is
no good evidence that most uses of computers significantly improve
teaching and learning, yet school districts are cutting programs -
music, art, physical education - that enrich children's lives to make
room for this dubious nostrum"... [more]
A Failure to Produce Better Students, by Senator Robert Byrd,
June 9, 1997. Multicultural mathematics noted on the Senate floor...
[more]
Nurturing the Life of Mind, by Kathleen Vail (ASBJ, Jan 2001).
"The idea that children must be entertained and feel good while they
learn has been embraced by many well-meaning educators. In many
classrooms, as a result, students are watching movies, working on
multimedia presentations, surfing the Internet, putting on plays, and
dissecting popular song lyrics. The idea is to motivate students, but
the emphasis on enjoyment as a facile substitute for engagement
creates a culture in which students are not likely to challenge
themselves or stretch their abilities"... [more]
Developmentalism: An Obscure but Pervasive Restriction on
Educational Improvement, by J. E. Stone (EPAA, Apr 1996).
"[Developmentalism's] notable exponents include Jean Jacques Rousseau,
John Dewey, and Jean Piaget; and its most recent expressions include
`developmentally appropriate practice' and `constructivism.' In the
years during which it gained ascendance, developmentalism served as a
basis for rejecting harsh and inhumane teaching methods. Today it
impedes efforts to hold schools accountable for student academic
achievement"... [more]
More readings on education philosophy.
Standards and Assessment
Correcting
Fallacies about Educational and Psychological Testing, by Richard
P. Phelps (Ed.), American Psychological Association, 2008. From the
blurb: Standardized testing bears the twin burden of controversy and
complexity and is difficult for many to understand either
dispassionately or technically. In response to this reality, Richard
P. Phelps and a team of well-noted measurement specialists describe
the current state of public debate about testing across fields,
explain and refute the primary criticisms of testing, acknowledge the
limitations and undesirable consequences of testing, provide
suggestions for improving testing practices, and present a vigorous
defense of testing as well as a practical vision for its promise and
future.
Evaluation of AP
Calculus AB and International Baccalaureate Mathematics SL
programs, by David Klein, 2007 (link to two pdf reports).
Advanced
Placement and International Baccalaureate: Do They Deserve Gold Star
Status?, by Sheila Byrd, Lucien Ellington, Paul Gross, Carol Jago,
and Sheldon Stern, Fordham Foundation report, November, 2007.
The
Standardized Testing Primer, by Richard P. Phelps, Peter Lang
Publ., 2007.
The
Fall of the Standard-Bearers, by Diane Ravitch, Opinion, The
Chronicle of Higher Education, March 10, 2006.
Every
State Left Behind, by Diane Ravitch, Op-Ed, The New York Times,
Nov 7, 2005.
Kill
the Messenger: The War on Standardized Testing, by Richard
P. Phelps, Transaction Publ., 2005.
Urban Elementary Schools in California Show Stunning Improvement in
SAT-9 Test Scores over Initial Four Year Period of New Math
Standards, by Wayne Bishop and William Hook (unpublished report,
June 19, 2004). Presents achievement data from four low income and/or
minority districts that adopted the 1997 California mathematics
standards early and aggressively... [more] (PDF format).
How the NCEE Redefines K-12 Math, by Bill Quirk (2002). An
analysis of the NCEE New Standards, also known as America's Choice
Performance Standards (ACPS). Includes the NYC modifications. "[N]o
mathematician would judge the NCEE math performance standards to be an
acceptable guide to the math knowledge that should be acquired in
K-12"... [more].
Testimony on the Draft 2004 Mathematics Framework (for NAEP),
by John Hoven on behalf of the Center for Education Reform (Sep 24,
2001). Hoven finds that the "hard" 8th grade NAEP problems are at a
level similar to Singapore's grade 5... [more] (PDF
format). Tom Loveless and Alan Siegel also testified... [more]... [more]
Facing the Hard Facts in Education Reform, by Paul Barton (ETS
Policy Information Center Report, July 2001). Discusses some elements
of standards-based reform in addition to testing, especially
influences outside the school... [more] (PDF)
California Standards and Assessments, by R. James Milgram and
Veronica Norris (October 21, 1999). A White Paper in support of the
then new California state standards and frameworks... [more]
Why Testing Experts Hate Testing, by Richard P. Phelps (Fordham
Report, Jan 1999). "In addition to the alleged harms of 1) test score
inflation, 2) curriculum narrowing, 3) emphasis on lower-order
thinking, and 4) declining achievement, testing experts add a quartet
of other arguments: 5) standardized tests hurt minorities and women,
6) the tests are too costly, 7) other countries don't test nearly as
much as the U.S. does, and 8) parents, teachers and students in this
country are all opposed to testing. These eight claims are examined
in detail and a rebuttal is offered to each. The arguments are found
to be irrelevant, misplaced, overly simplistic or untrue"... [more]. By
the same author: Test Bashing. A 14-part series... [more]
More readings on standards and assessment.
Education Research
A Close Examination of Jo Boaler's Railside Report, by Wayne
Bishop, Paul Clopton and R. James Milgram. Reviews a report (just now
in press) that purports to demonstrate the advantage of a
reform-oriented mathematics program in an urban high school with
diverse student body, which is studied alongside two other school.
"[...] a close examination of the actual outcomes in these schools
shows that Prof. Boaler's claims are grossly exaggerated and do not
translate into success for her treatment students." The review was
prepared for publication in Education Next. [more]
Why
Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the
Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and
Inquiry-Based Teaching, by Paul A. Kirschner, John Sweller, and
Richard E. Clark. Educational Psychologist, 41(2) 75-86, 2006.
Instruction
versus exploration in science learning: Recent psychological research
calls "discovery learning" into question, by Rachel Adelson,
American Psychological Association, Monitor on Psychology, June, 2004.
Understanding
and misunderstanding the Third International Mathematics and Science
Study: what is at stake and why K-12 education studies matter, by
Alan Siegel, Proceedings of the International Congress of
Mathematicians (ICM2006), Volume III: Invited Lectures, M. Sanz-Sole,
J. Soria, L.L. Varona, and J. Verdera, Ed., pp. 1599--1630 (2006).
Curriculum-based
interventions for increasing K-12 math achievement: middle school.
A report from the What Works Clearinghouse, Dec 2004.
On Evaluating Curricular Effectiveness: Judging the Quality of K-12
Mathematics Evaluations, NRC Report, National Academies Press,
May, 2004. The key conclusion is that evaluations of mathematics
curricula to date fall short of the scientific standards necessary to
gauge overall effectiveness, and in particular that all the 13 NSF
funded mathematics programs lack scientifically validated evaluation
studies... [more]
Classroom Research and Cargo Cults, by E. D. Hirsch Jr. (Policy
Review, Oct 2002). The author attributes the frequent irrelevance of
education research to an a-theoretical tradition, and suggests that
general cognitive principles tend to be more dependable than maxims
from classroom research. These cognitive principles include: that
prior knowledge is a prerequisite to effective learning; that learning
is helped by meaningful association; that learning requires a mix of
generalization and example; that rehearsal is usually necessary for
retention; that automaticity is essential to higher skills; and that
implicit instruction of beginners is usually less effective... [more]
Telling
Lessons from the TIMSS Video Tape, by Alan Siegel (2002). A
re-examination of the TIMSS videotape Japanese classroom studies.
(PDF format.)
Construction of District 2's Exemplary Status; When Research and
Public Policy Elide, by Lois Weiner (AERA meeting, April 2002).
"This study uses high-profile research on District 2 as a case study
of how a political context that presents urban schools as
unsalvageable has also resulted in research stripped of critique...
Comparison of school-wide achievement between District 2 and District
25, Queens, indicates that researchers' description of District 2's
model of systemic reform as exemplary is at the very least
questionable"... [more] (or here for the *.doc original)
Education Research and Evaluation and Student Achievement: Quality
Counts, by G. Reid Lyon. Testimony to the House Committee on
Education and the Workforce (May 4, 2000). Historically, education
research has not had a significant impact on educational policies and
classroom instructional practices. Dr. Lyon testifies that much
education research is not of good quality, and that what good research
there is is not well transmitted to the classroom. He makes
recommendation focussing on research quality and the translation to
practice... [more]
Why Education Experts Resist Effective Practices, by Douglas
Carnine (2000). "In other professions, such as medicine, scientific
research is taken seriously, because it usually brings clarity and
progress... Yet so much of what passes for education research serves
to confuse at least as much as it clarifies"... [more]
Can there be "research in mathematical education"?, by Herbert
S. Wilf (1999?). "We examine a number of papers and books, all of
which have been cited, by people who are knowledgeable in the field,
as being good examples of `research in mathematics education.' ...
[N]o conclusions of any interest follow as a result of any of the
`research' that is reported in these works"... [more]
(PDF format)
Address to California State Board of Education, by
E. D. Hirsch, Jr. (April 10, 1997). CA law requires
education policy to be research-based. But, writes Hirsch: "I don't
know of a single failed educational policy, ranging from the
naturalistic teaching of reading, to the open classroom, to the
teaching of abstract set theory in third-grade math that has not been
research-based"... [more]
More readings on education research.
Cognitive Science
Should There Be a Three-Strikes Rule Against Pure Discovery
Learning? The Case for Guided Methods of Instruction, by Richard
E. Mayer, American Psychologist, Vol. 59 (2004) pp. 14-19. "Overall,
the constructivist view of learning may be best supported by methods
of instruction that involve cognitive activity rather than behavioral
activity, instructional guidance rather than pure discovery, and
curricular focus rather than unstruc- tured exploration..." [more]
(PDF format)
The Equivalence of Learning Paths in Early Science Education:
Effects of Direct Instruction and Discovery Learning, by David
Klahr and Milena Nigam, Psychological Science, 2004. "We found not
only that many more children learned from direct instruction than from
discovery learning, but also that when asked to make broader, richer
scientific judgements the (many) children who learned about
experimental design from direct instruction performed as well as those
(few) children who discovered the method on their own"... [more]
(PDF format)
The Effects of Cumulative Practice on Mathematics Problem
Solving, by Kristen H Mayfield and Philip N Chase, Journal of
Applied Behavior Analysis, Vol 35 (2002) pp. 105-123. "The study
compared the effects of cumulative practice, simple review practice,
and extra practice on problem-solving and application skills. Three
groups of college students with poor mathematics skills learned to use
five algebra rules under similar training conditions..." [more]
(PDF format)
Applications and Misapplications of Cognitive Psychology to
Mathematics Education, by John R. Anderson, Lynne M. Reder, and
Herbert A. Simon (1995?). A critical look at situated learning and
constructivism. "Situated learning commonly advocates practices that
lead to overly specific learning outcomes while constructivism
advocates very inefficient learning and assessment procedures"... [more]
Ask the Cognitive Scientist, a column by Daniel T. Willingham
in the AFT magazine The American Educator. Sample titles: Practice
Makes Perfect - But Only If You Practice Beyond the Point of
Perfection... [more];
Why Students Think They Understand - When They Don't... [more];
The Privileged Status of Story... [more];
Students Remember...What They Think About... [more];
Allocating Student Study Time, "Massed" versus "Distributed"
Practice... [more]
More readings on cognitive science.
Equity in Education
They Have Overcome: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools in
California, by Lance Izumi with K. Gwynne Coburn and Matt Cox
(PRI, Sep 2002). In the footsteps of the Heritage Foundation's "No
Excuses" reports the Pacific Research Institute looks at eight
high performing high poverty public elementary schools in California
(four of them in Inglewood) and asks why they succeed. Components
include scripted, phonics based reading instruction; strong academic
content standards; teacher centered instruction; frequent assessment;
and discipline... [more]
(PDF format)
High Achievement in Mathematics: Lessons from Three Los Angeles
Elementary Schools, by David Klein (Brookings, Aug 2000). The
paper describes characteristics and academic policies of three low
income schools (Bennett-Kew, Kelso, and Robert Hill Lane) whose
students are unusually successful in mathematics. Klein identifies as
fundamental ingredients: California's clear set of high quality grade
by grade standards; textbooks and curricula aligned to the standards;
sufficiently high teacher knowledge of mathematics to teach to the
standards... [more]
(PDF format)
The War Against Boys, by Christina Hoff Sommers (Atlantic
Monthly, May 2000). "This we think we know: American schools favor
boys and grind down girls. The truth is the very opposite. By
virtually every measure, girls are thriving in school; it is boys who
are the second sex." In four parts. Part 1 offers some educational
statistics... [more].
Part 2 discusses the work of Carol Gilligan... [more].
Part 3 concerns the politics of the AAUW... [more].
Part 4 looks at the family environment... [more].
See also the ensuing letters and Sommers's reply... [more]
No Excuses: Lessons from 21 High-Performing, High-Poverty
Schools, by Samual Casey Carter (The Heritage Foundation, 2000).
The report's condensed list of "best practices" deals with parental
accountability; the hiring of teachers; regular standardized testing;
focus on reading and mathematics; and good spending practices... [more]
(PDF format)
No Excuses: Seven Principals of Low-Income Schools Who Set the
Standard for High Achievement, by Samual Casey Carter (The
Heritage Foundation, 1999). The Heritage's 1999 award of the
Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship went to principals Irwin Kurz
(NY), Gregory Hodge (NY), Michael Feinberg (TX), David Levin (NY),
Nancy Ichinaga (CA), Helen DeBerry (IL), Ernestine Sanders (MI)... [more]
(PDF format)
Curriculum
Equity in the Classroom, And Courtroom, by Veronica Norris.
Contribution to the Lone Star Foundation conference Public
Education Reform in Texas, Dec 7-8, 2000.
How should we group to achieve excellence with equity?, by
Bonnie Grossen (Jul 1996). "Ability grouping in America has become a
loaded word. In response to inequities of the past associated with
ability grouping, an emerging national agenda among nearly all reform
constituencies is claiming that ability grouping is bad, it is racist,
it must be eliminated." Grossen reviews the issue and argues for
excellence with equity... [more]
Education Policy
Recommendations
for Reforming the American High School. A Memorandum to the
Governors of the Fifty States from the K-12 Committee of the National
Association of Scholars. Memo drafted by Sandra Stotsky, R. James
Milgram, and Elizabeth Carson.
Uncivil War A
Bloodless Account of a Bitter Battle, by Ralph Raimi. A book
review of California Dreaming, by Suzanne Wilson, Education Next,
Spring 2004. Also an Unabridged
version.
National Science Foundation Systemic Initiatives: How a small
amount of federal money promotes ill-designed mathematics and science
programs in K-12 and undermines local control of education; by Michael
McKeown, David Klein, and Chris Patterson. Chapter 13 of What's
at Stake in the K-12 Standards Wars - A Primer for Educational Policy
Makers, edited by Sandra Stotsky (Peter Lang, New York, 2000).
Many states and districts have accepted NSF Systemic Initiatives
grants to make "fundamental, comprehensive, and coordinated changes in
science, mathematics, and technology education through attendant
changes in policy, resource allocation, governance, management,
content and conduct." This article shows how it is all for the worse,
and explains the dynamics behind acceptance of these grants... [more] (PDF format)
Two Speeches, by Chris Woodhead (ELC, 010929; CPS, 011015).
The former UK Chief Inspector of Schools touches on the National
Curriculum, the Office for Standards in Education, trends in the A-
and O-level examinations; schools choice, accountability, and
competition; and the monopoly of anti-education ideas in the education
establishment... [more]
and... [more] (second
article is in PDF format)
Whole Hog for Whole Math, by Lynne V. Cheney (1998). The NSF
Education Directorate went Whole Hog fighting the back to basics
revision of the CA Standards... [more]. By the
same author: Exam Scam - The Latest Education Disaster: Whole
Math (WS, Aug 1997)... [more]
A Nation Still At Risk - An Education Manifesto, by Jeanne
Allen of the CER, among others (April 30, 1998). Addresses the
continuing mediocrity in American education 15 years after the "A
Nation at Risk" report. The manifesto calls for a renewal strategy
based on standards, assessment, and accountability; and on pluralism,
competition, and choice... [more]
More readings on education policy.
Teacher Issues
What is So Difficult About the Preparation of Mathematics
Teachers, by H. Wu (preprint, 2002). The author sees a gap
between the mathematics that teachers learn in the undergraduate
curriculum and what they teach in school. The university does not do
enough to help teachers understand the essential characteristics of
mathematics: its precision, the ubiquity of logical reasoning, and its
coherence as a discipline. The article looks specifically at the
teaching of fractions and of school geometry... [more] (PDF format)
Some Lessons from California, by Mary Burmeister and H. Wu
(manuscript, Jan 2002). Perspectives on mathematics professional
development through content oriented summer institutes for elementary
school teachers. The authors are a school teacher and a university
mathematician... [more] (PDF format)
Teacher Certification Reconsidered: Stumbling for Quality, by
Kate Walsh (Abell Foundation, Oct 2001). The report finds that the
academic research attempting to link teacher certification with
student achievement is astonishingly deficient: selective in its
citations; padded with misrepresented references; giving undue weight
to non-reviewed studies; avoiding standardized achievement measures;
and routinely violating principles of sound statistical analysis. The
core recommendation of the report is to eliminate coursework
requirements for teacher certification, in favor of much simpler and
more flexible rules for entry... [more].
A critique from the education establishment was followed by a
rejoinder by Walsh with Michael Podgursky... [more]
Facing the Classroom Challenge: Teacher Quality and Teacher
Training in California's Schools of Education, by Lance T. Izumi with
K. Gwynne Coburn (PRI, April 2001). Definitely of interest also
outside CA, this report contains a good overview of teaching methods
and philosophies. Singapore, Kumon, and Bennett-Kew are presented as
models for reform... [more]
More readings on teacher issues.
Book Reviews
Excellence
in Peril, by Bill Evers, The Texas Education
Review, Winter 2003-2004. Review of "Class Warfare: Besieged
Schools, Bewildered Parents, Betrayed Kids and the Attack on
Excellence" by J. Martin Rochester (Encounter Books, 2002).
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