Welcome to New York City HOLD National

Honest Open Logical Decisions on Mathematics Education Reform

Today's flagship web site for the mathematics education advocacy community

We are a national nonpartisan advocacy organization that provides parents, K-12 educators, mathematicians and scientists, and others information resources and networking opportunities to support systemic improvements in the quality of mathematics education in our nation's schools.


American Math Forum (AMF)
A private activity promoting informed thought and action in American P-12 mathematics education reform and advocacy. AMF serves as a platform for distribution of local and national news and information, discussion and networking to support a broad range of activities in K-12 mathematics advocacy and reform at the local, state and national levels.

A project of NYC NATIONAL Honest Open Logical Decisions on Mathematics Education Reform - a coalition of parents, educators, mathematicians and scientists, and concerned citizens working to improve mathematics education in our nation's schools.


Contact Us

Contact Information: Elizabeth Carson, Co-Founder and Executive Director, NYC HOLD. Email: nycholdnational@gmail.com

We welcome questions, comments, news, information and research on K-12 mathematics education reform and advocacy. Tell us your story! Share what's working and what's not in K-12 mathematics education in your school / district / state. Share news about individual and group advocacy efforts to improve mathematics education in your area.

Join Our National Mailing List

Email: nycholdnational@gmail.com
You will receive occasional NYC HOLD e-notices with news, information, announcements and Web site updates.

NYC HOLD National Call to Action

Letters Campaign. Please CC letters to nycholdnational@gmail.com. Most recent: Letters from NYC HOLD Call to Action, December, 2007.

General. Concerned parents, teachers, administrators, college and university faculty and citizens at large: Share your knowledge, experiences, views, values and standards for mathematics education and reform in our nation's schools with your peers, colleagues, in your community, and with education officials, government officials and the press.

Our Mission

The performance of American students in mathematics is mediocre at best. Reform efforts over the past two decades have only made matters worse. We are advocates for school mathematics education reforms that support the mathematics interests and abilities of all students. We advocate programs and policies that help all students achieve success in school mathematics courses, that prepare all students for the broadest options in high school math and science courses, and that give them the opportunity to advance into mathematics based college courses and careers.

NYC HOLD National (Honest Open Logical Decisions on Mathematics Education Reform) is a nonpartisan advocacy organization that provides parents, K-12 educators, mathematicians, scientists and other concerned citizens information, resources and networking opportunities to support systemic improvements in the quality of mathematics education in our nation's schools. NYC HOLD was first established in order to address mathematics education in the New York City schools. It is now a national organization.

Who We Are

NYC HOLD National includes parents, mathematicians, K-12 educators and others. We have a Founding Committee and National Advisors.

Site authors: General editing: Bas Braams, Elizabeth Carson, NYC HOLD. Section Editors as noted.

Site Search



Related Organizations and Campaigns

Links to National and Local Campaigns. Give your support to local campaigns in your state. Start a new one for your community.

Special Advice for Parents

Advice for Parents. A parent's first responsibility is to the education of his or her children [more]. Parents can educate themselves, their school, and their community. They can request or demand better programs from school officials, and copy those requests to government officials and the press [more].


Introduction

(Section Editor: NYC HOLD)

Ten Myths About Math Education And Why You Shouldn't Believe Them, by Karen Budd, Elizabeth Carson, Barry Garelick, David Klein, R. James Milgram, Ralph A. Raimi, Martha Schwartz, Sandra Stotsky, Vern Williams, and W. Stephen Wilson (May 4, 2005). "... our point by point refutation of a set of common myths propagated by mathematics educators in our schools of education and NCTM officials that are often presented as fact to policy makers and the general public"... [more]

An A-Maze-ing Approach To Math, by Barry Garelick, Education Next, Spring 2005. Focusses on the NCTM philosophy and Standards and the role of the National Science Foundation in promoting same. "... our children [are] being deprived of a math education, thanks in no small part to a dubious education theory, watered-down standards, and a well-meaning but intellectually bankrupt federally subsidized program of math illiteracy"... [more]

A Brief History of American K-12 Mathematics Education, by David Klein (2001). "Broadly speaking, the education wars of the past century are best understood as a protracted struggle between content and pedagogy. [...] A choice of concentrated content precludes too much student centered, discovery learning... In the same way, the choice of a pedagogy can naturally limit the amount of content that can be presented to students"... [more]. David Klein's home page.

A quarter century of US 'maths wars' and political partisanship, by David Klein, preprint, 2006, to appear in the BSHM Bulletin, the journal of the British Society for the History of Mathematics. About the classical tradition and progressive education. "A distinctive feature of the 1990s and early years of the 21st century was the association of right and left wing political ideologies with competing mathematics education programmes and their advocates"... [more]

A Tale of Two Math Reforms: The Politics of the New Math and the NCTM Standards (Draft, Apr 23, 2000), by Tom Loveless. The paper analyzes the politics of mathematics education reform, comparing the development of the New Math in the 1960's with the NCTM Standards movement in the years after about 1985... [more]

Math Wars: Old vs. New, by Jennifer K. Covino (DA, Oct 2001). Modern day Hatfiels and McCoy: When traditionalists debate constructivists about math education. The author has interviewed prominent figures from NYC HOLD and Mathematically Correct as well as from the constructivist side... [more]

The Math Meltdown, by Staff of the Christian Science Monitor (May 16/23/30, 2000). A three-part series, each part having 5-7 articles. Part 1: In a high-tech era, Americans aren't keeping pace in math; Part 2: Controversial math programs: questions about the approval process; Part 3: What some schools are doing to boost performance... [more]

Math Problems: Why the U.S. Department of Education's recommended math programs don't add up, by David Klein (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 responded in an open letter that was published in the Washington Post. This article elaborates the objections raised in the open letter... [more]

The Math Wars, by David Ross (2001). Discusses the NCTM-led reform and its opposition. "By advocating mastery of the traditional algorithms, the reformers' opponents have in fact established themselves as the defenders of conceptual thinking in the Math Wars"... [more]

Does Two Plus Two Still Equal Four? What Should Our Children Know about Math? A forum at the American Enterprise Institute on March 4, 2002, addressed these questions. Moderated by Lynne V. Cheney, with participation of Mike McKeown, Gail Burrill, David Klein, Tom Loveless, and Lee V. Stiff... [more]. The forum has been reviewed... [more]... [more]

The Second Great Math Rebellion, by Tom Loveless (1997). "In 1989, a group of experts in the field of math education, under the auspices of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, launched a campaign to change the content and teaching of mathematics". Loveless discusses what is wrong with this campaign... [more]

What Is Changing in Math Education?, by Mathematically Correct (Feb 1996). Describes the influence of constructivism, "whole Math", and the push for "integrated content", all working against the idea that component skills in math can be identified and taught, and that these form building blocks for subsequent learning... [more]

Subjects, Mathematics, by The Illinois Loop, ongoing. A large collection of annotated links serving as introduction to the mathematics curriculum wars... [more]

A national math briefer for parents, by Parents for Better Schools in Fairfax County, VA. Their sampler of articles to describe the issues in the mathematics curriculum wars. [more]

(Back to Top of Page, to the Site Outline, to the NYC HOLD News page, or to the NYC HOLD Letters and Testimony Page)


Issues in Mathematics Education

(Section Editor: NYC HOLD)

Subsections

A Mathematical Manifesto
Why Algorithms Matter
Why Facts Matter
When Are Calculators Appropriate?
Why Algebra Matters
Why Geometry Matters
What Mathematics do Students Need in college?
Mathematics-Based Careers
Equity and Access
Conservative or Progressive?
What Says the Research?
International Comparisons

A Mathematical Manifesto

A Mathematical Manifesto, by Ralph A. Raimi for NYC HOLD. Part 1: On Memory. Part 2: On Mathematical Reasoning in School Mathematics. Part 3: On the Algorithms of Arithmetic. Part 4: Elitism and High Stakes Examinations.

Why Algorithms Matter

The Math Wars - 1960's Revisited, by Erica Carle. On NewsWithViews.com, October 13, 2003. (Reproduces a 1960's memo.)

Don't just stand there. Do something! (about school mathematics that is), by Nicholas Pappas (Op-Ed, draft, 2003) (PDF).

On the Algorithms of Arithmetic, by Ralph Raimi (2002).

Algorithms, Algebra, and Access, by Stanley Ocken (Sep 2001).

In Defense of "Mindless Rote", by Ethan Akin (Mar 30, 2001).

Basic Skills Versus Conceptual Understanding: A Bogus Dichotomy in Mathematics Education, by H.-H. Wu (AE, Fall 1999).

The Role of Long Division in the K-12 Curriculum, by David Klein and James Milgram. (PDF format)

Why Facts Matter

Practice Makes Perfect - But Only If You Practice Beyond the Point of Perfection, by Daniel T. Willingham, The American Educator, Spring 2004.

Why Students Think They Understand - When They Don't, by Daniel T. Willingham, American Educator, Winter 2003-2004.

What About Rote Memorization?, by Ralph Raimi.

The Anti-Content Mindset: The Root Cause of The "Math Wars", by Bill Quirk.

The Difference Between Thinking and Knowing. Memorization doesn't deserve its bad name, by Claudia Winkler, The Weekly Standard, May 30, 2002.

When Are Calculators Appropriate?

Computation Skills, Calculators, and Achievement Gaps: An Analysis of NAEP Items, by Tom Loveless, Brown Center for Education working paper, April, 2004.

Should we curb calculator use by younger students?, a debate in the pages of American Teacher.

K-12 Calculator Usage and College Grades, by W. Stephen Wilson and Daniel Q. Naiman, Educational Studies in Mathematics, 2004.

Short response to Tunis's letter to the editor on technology in college, by W. Stephen Wilson, submitted to Educational Studies in Mathematics.

Why Algebra Matters

Electricians Need Algebra, Too, by Richard O. Hill (Mathematics Teacher, Sep 2002).

Algorithms, Algebra, and Access, by Stanley Ocken (Sep 2001).

Why Geometry Matters

A Plea in Defense of Euclidean Geometry, by Barry Simon (Feb, 1998).

What Mathematics do Students Need in college?

Short Response to Tunis's Letter to the Editor on Technology in College, by W. Stephen Wilson, Educational Studies in Mathematics, Vol. 58, issue 3 (Jan 2005).

What Mathematics Must Students Know When They Enter College, Panel remarks at the Association of Independent Maryland Schools by W. Stephen Wilson (Oct 21, 2002). See also Elementary Arithmetic in College, a poll conducted by W. S. Wilson.

Why Students Fail Calculus, by Stanley Ocken (Draft, 2001?).

Goals for high school Instruction in Mathematics, by Jerome Dancis (2000?).

Mathematics-Based Careers

Equity and Access

Elitism and High Stakes Examinations, by Ralph Raimi.

Curriculum Equity in the Classroom, by Manuel P. Berriozabal and Chris Patterson (Dec 2000).

They Have Overcome: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools in California, by Lance Izumi with K. Gwynne Coburn and Matt Cox (PRI, Sep 2002). (PDF format)

High Achievement in Mathematics: Lessons from Three Los Angeles Elementary Schools, by David Klein (Brookings, Aug 2000). (PDF format)

Big Business, Race, and Gender in Mathematics Reform, by David Klein (1999).

Stand and Deliver Revisited. The untold story behind the famous rise - and shameful fall - of Jaime Escalante, America's master math teacher, by Jerry Jesness (Reason, July 2002).

See also the Equity in Education subsection elsewhere on this page.

Conservative or Progressive?

Why Traditional Education Is More Progressive, by E. D. Hirsch (AE, 1997).

See also the Education Philosophy subsection elsewhere on this page.

What Says the Research?

An Address to the California State Board of Education, by E. D. Hirsch (Apr 10, 1997).

Can There Be "Research in Mathematical Education"?, by Herbert Wilf (1999?).

Review of High Quality Experimental Mathematics Research, by Robert C. Dixon et al. for the California State Board of Education (March 1998).

Mathematics Education Research, by Bas Braams (Apr 2001).

See also the Education Research subsection elsewhere on this page.

International Comparisons

PISA Results and School Mathematics in Finland: strengths, weaknesses and future, by George Malaty, University of Joensuu (2008?).

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).

What the United States Can Learn from Singapore's World Class Mathematics System, by Alan Ginsburg, Steven Leinwand, Terry Anstrom and Elizabeth Pollock. AIR Report, Jan 2005. (PDF format)

Telling Lessons from the TIMSS Video Tape, by Alan Siegel (2002). A re-examination of the TIMSS videotape Japanese classroom studies. (PDF format.)

Don't Believe It, by Mathematically Correct (Dec 1997). "Reform math" in the U.S. does not mirror what successful countries use.

Math Lessons From Japan, The TIMSS and the Truth, by Wayne Bishop (LA Times, Jan 15, 1997).

A Russian Teacher in America, by Andrei Toom, The American Educator, Fall 1993.

(Back to Top of Page, to the Site Outline, to the NYC HOLD News page, or to the NYC HOLD Letters and Testimony Page)


Articles of Note

(Section Editor: Bas Braams)

Subsections

Math and Science Curriculum
Education Philosophy
Standards and Assessment
Education Research
Cognitive Science
Equity in Education
Education Policy
Teacher Issues
Book Reviews

Math and Science Curriculum

(See also the Introduction earlier on this page.)

How to Strengthen K-12 Mathematics Education in Massachusetts: Implications of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel's Report, by Sandra Stotsky. Pioneer Institute Policy Brief, 2008.

It Works for Me: An Exploration of "Traditional Math", Parts 1, 2, 3, by Barry Garelick, EdNews.Org, Nov. 4, 6 and 7, 2007. "In general, [traditional math] means topics covered in a logical sequence with information presented in a straightforward direct manner, and requiring memorization of key facts. Mastery of key concepts and skills are then built upon. The assertion by those who believe this type of math is a failure is that the teaching and/or textbooks rely entirely on rote memorization and excessive drill with no understanding of the procedures and underlying concepts..." [more, more and more]

The Fuzzy Math Mindset Behind Phil Mickelson ExxonMobil Math, by William G. Quirk, 2007.

A Quality Math Curriculum in Support of Effective Teaching for Elementary Schools, by William Hook, Wayne Bishop and John Hook, Educational Studies in Mathematics, 2007. An analysis of a "Key Standard" elementary school mathematics curriculum, transplanted in 1998 from it's foreign roots in Asia and Europe. The focus of the paper is on the transition from far-below to above average learning performance of the students... [more] (requires subscription; the authors' preprint is here.)

Elementary School Mathematics Priorities, by W. Stephen Wilson, manuscript, 2007. Core mathematical concepts for K-6... [more] (PDF format)

Are Our Students Better Now? by W. Stephen Wilson (Johns Hopkins University). The author gave his fall 2006 Calculus I class the final exam from his fall 1989 class. The scores were significantly lower in 2006... [more] (PDF format)

The Bellevue [WA] Story (Math program built on foundation of sand), by Bill Hook, Jan 22, 2007. (Word format)

World Class Elementary School Math Standards and Textbooks - Serious Doubts about the Bellevue Claims, by Bill Hook, May 2, 2006. (Method for Calculating Bellevue APTP and SAT Performance, technical note, June 1, 2006.) (Word format)

What I Learned in Elementary School, by Ron Aharoni, The American Educator, Fall 2005. A mathematician reports on his experience teaching first grade... [more]

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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Curriculum Reviews

(Section Editor: Bas Braams, with much help from NYC HOLD and Mathematically Correct)

Subsections

General
NCTM Standards-based Programs
Rigorous College Preparatory Programs

General

Mathematically Correct maintains its own pages of Program Reviews and Textbook Reviews, and many of our reviews below will link to an MC page or to the same location cited by MC. An overview of a 1998 set of these reviews may be found in this TPPF/ECOT page.

Independent Analysis of Mathematics Textbooks, Joint Research Project of Texas Public Policy Foundation and Education Connection of Texas, January, 1999. Their Summary Report (PDF format) compliments the comprehensive analysis on the Mathematically Correct Textbooks page.

Exemplary? Promising? In October of 1999, the United States Department of Education endorsed ten K-12 mathematics programs by describing them as "exemplary" or "promising." This gave rise to an Open Letter to Richard Riley criticising the educational philosophy and the lack of mathematical content of these programs.

On Evaluating Curricular Effectiveness: Judging the Quality of K-12 Mathematics Evaluations, NRC Report, National Academies Press, May, 2004. The key conclusion of this report 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.

Standards-Based School Mathematics Curricula, by Wayne Bishop (Feb 2003). A Review of a book edited by Sharon L. Senk and Denisse R. Thompson.

Emphasis on mastery of computation skills in 3rd grade textbooks submitted for 2007 Texas SBOE approval, A summary chart comparing SRA Real Math (Wright/McG), Saxon Math (Harcourt), enVisionMATH (Scott-Addison), Texas Math (Houghton), Texas HSP Math (Harcourt), Think Math! (Harcourt), Texas Math (Macmillan), and Everyday Math (Wright/McG). By Education Research Analysts, Longview, TX.

NCTM Standards-based Programs

UCSMP Everyday Mathematics

Everyday Math is a K-6 curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (UCSMP) and published by Everyday Learning Corporation. It is sometimes called Chicago Math. It has been adopted as the standard curriculum in NYC elementary schools starting, at the discretion of the schools, in fall 2003 or 2004.

NYC HOLD has an annotated collection of Reviews of UCSMP Everyday Mathematics. We rely very much on reviews published at Mathematically Correct and done in connection with CA textbook adoptions. Additional recent contributions include How Not to Teach Math, New York's chancellor Klein's plan doesn't compute, by Matthew Clavel (City Journal, Mar 7, 2003); and Spiraling through UCSMP Everyday Mathematics and The Many Ways of Arithmetic in UCSMP Everyday Mathematics, by Bas Braams.

TERC: Investigations in Number, Data, and Space

In New York City this has probably been, before the Everyday Mathematics mandate, the most prominent of the reform mathematics curricula for K-5. It is developed by TERC Inc., Cambridge, MA, and marketed through Scott Foresman - Addison Wesley.

NYC HOLD has an annotated collection of Reviews of TERC: Investigations. Among the critical reviews linked on that page are TERC Hands-On Math, by Bill Quirk; the Mathematically Correct reviews for second grade TERC and fifth grade TERC; and the Partial List of My Objections to the TERC Investigations Curriculum, by Tom Parker.

Math Trailblazers

Links in progress.

CMP: Connected Mathematics Project

The Connected Mathematics curriculum for grades 6-8 is developed by a team at Michigan State University and is marketed by Prentice Hall.

NYC HOLD has an annotated collection of Links and Reviews of CMP. We point to An Evaluation of CMP by R. James Milgram; to the MC Seventh Grade Mathematics Review of CMP; and to a set of links related to CMP by Betsy Tsang.

CPM: College Preparatory Mathematics

Grades 6-11?

CPM: College Preparatory Mathematics. Details. Reviewed by ...

CPM Content Review
CPM Miscellaneous Links

COMAP/MMOW

COMAP/MMOW, a.k.a ARISE: Etc.

IMP

IMP: Interactive Mathematics Program. We have a collection of reviews of IMP relying heavily on curriculum reviews by mathematically correct.

Core Plus Mathematics Project (CPMP) Contemporary Mathematics in Context

Reviews of Contemporary Mathematics in Context

Glencoe Pre-Algebra

Glencoe's Manual of Fuzz, by Tom VanCourt, The Textbook Letter, May-June 1999. A review of "Glencoe Pre-Algebra, an Integrated Transition to Algebra and Geometry".

Rigorous College Preparatory Programs

The California Department of Education has a careful content-based adoption process for K-8 curricula. Reports may be found through the CDE site for Mathematics Frameworks and Curricular Materials. David Klein at CSU Northridge also has links to Content Review Panel reports on middle school mathematics programs.

Saxon

Grades K-8 approximately.

Saxon Publishers.

Mathematically Correct has a Comparative review of Sadlier, Saxon, and McGraw-Hill K-6 mathematics.

Singapore Primary Mathematics

Grades K-6 Singapore.

Singapore Textbooks.

Sadlier

Grades K-5? The series seems not well known in New York City. Mathematically Correct has a Comparative review of Sadlier, Saxon, and McGraw-Hill K-6 mathematics. We also note a review, Progress in Mathematics research base, done on behalf of the program publisher.

Prentice Hall Algebra

P-H Middle School Algebra

Structure and Method

Published by McDougal-Littell. There is a two-volume middle school component under the title Mathematics: Structure and Method, Course 1 and Course 2, by Dolciani, Sorgenfrey, and Graham; and a high school Algebra component in two volumes: Algebra I by Brown, Dolciani, Sorgenfrey, and Cole, and Algebra II and Trigonometry by Brown, Dolciani, Sorgenfrey, and Kane. Don't confuse it with Concepts and Skills of the same publisher.

The Middle School texts (Course 1 and Course 2) and the Algebra I text of the Structure and Method series were reviewed for the California Textbook adoptions in 2002. There is also a Mathematically Correct review of an earlier (1994) edition of the Algebra I text.

Singapore New Elementary Mathematics

Grades 7-10 Singapore.

Singapore Textbooks.

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Standards and Assessments

(Section Editors: Elizabeth Carson and Bas Braams)

Subsections

NYC Standards and Assessments
NCEE/ACPS Standards
NYS Standards and Assessments
The NCTM Standards
Exemplary Standards
Reviews of Standards

NYC Standards and Assessments

New York City employs its own set of mathematics "Performance Standards", which supplement the New York State standards. The New York City Standards are based upon the America's Choice Performance Standards (ACPS) developed by the National Center for Education and the Economy (NCEE) and previously marketed as the New Standards Performance Standards.

The relevant NYC documents include A Standards Based Scope and Sequence for Learning and The NYC Edition of the New Standards Performance Standards. See also a press release announcing the introduction of these standards.

Math A Curricula and Math B Curricula Prepared by Association of Mathematics Assistant Principals Supervision of NYC.

Commentary on the NYC Mathematics Scope and Sequence, by Fred Greenleaf with Ralph A. Raimi (Dec 2002).

Review by Bill Quirk of NYC K-5. Redefining Elementary School Math in New York City.

NCEE/ACPS Standards

New York City employs a standards document based on the "Performance Standards" developed by the NCEE.

Bill Quirk evaluates the NCEE/ACPS K-12 standards... NCTM Math in the NCEE America's Choice Performance Standards.

NYS Standards and Assessments

For all subjects see the main NYSED Standards page and the main NYSED Assessment page.

For mathematics see also the NYSED Mathematics page. Of special interest: Math, Science and Technology Learning Standards and Student Work, NYS Core Curriculum and Resource Guide, Mathematics Publications (including Regents Math A and B Test Sampler), High School Math A&B Curriculum guide.

New York State Mathematics Core Curriculum MST Standard 3, PreK-12, revised edition, March, 2005. See also Mathematics Toolkit Curriculum Guidance Materials and Resources, March 2005.

Reviews

The June, 2003, New York State Regents Math A exam: We have a Critique of the Regents Mathematics A exam, by Bas Braams. See also the Math A Position Paper for NYS Regents, by the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS) and the Report to the New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Commissioner of Education, from the Independent Panel on Math A (Dr. William Brosnan, chairperson), October 1, 2003.

High Stakes Examinations and Educational Foolishness, by Ralph Raimi, 2004.

Serious Defects in Proposed NYS Standards for School Mathematics, a letter from Herbert A. Hauptman (Nobel Laureate, Chemistry) and others to New York State Schools Chancellor Carl T. Hayden (August 21, 1997).

The New York State mathematics standards were also reviewed, with those of all other States, in Fordham Foundation reports in 1998, 2000, and 2005; see the links under Reviews of Standards below.

The NCTM Standards

Reviews of the NCTM Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. NYC HOLD's introduction and annotated set of links... [more]

Reflections on the NCTM Focal Points by Stanley Ocken, January 2007. "On September 12, 2006, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) released its Curriculum Focal Points as a supplement to its K-12 curriculum standards written in 1989 and 2000. The new document is an important statement, but addresses with insufficient clarity the issues that made the prior publications controversial and divisive..." [more]

The Truth About the [1989] NCTM Standards and The Truth About the Revised NCTM Standards by Bill Quirk (1997-2002). These two web articles provide a detailed critique of the two editions of the NCTM Standards. About the 2000 PSSM edition the author writes: "Similar to the original NCTM Standards, PSSM is vague about the major components of arithmetic mastery: (1) Memorization of of basic number facts. (2) Mastery of the standard algorithms of multidigit computation. (3) Mastery of fractions"... [more]... [more]

Good Intentions Are Not Enough, by Richard Askey (1999?). A critique of the philosophy of the 1989 NCTM Standards and some textbooks that reflect those standards, especially the CMP Middle School series. According to Askey "The NCTM authors of their Standards had the strange notion that it is possible to teach conceptual understanding without developing technical skill at the same time"... [more] (PDF format)

Computer Technology, the Standards, and Reform, by Richard Escobales, Jr. Letters, Notices of the AMS Vol. 44 No. 5 (1997) (PDF).

Exemplary Standards

Mathematically Correct

The Mathematically Correct Mathematics Standards of Learning were released in 1997 and served as a contribution to the later California standards. Sources include the Japanese Mathematics Standards, the Virginia Standards of Learning, and the Core Knowledge Curriculum.

California

See the California Content Standards and the detailed Curriculum Frameworks. See also 1999 Conference on Standards-Based K-12 Education; see California Standards and Assessments, by R. James Milgram and Veronica Norris (October 21, 1999); see Four Years of California Mathematics Progress, by Wayne Bishop (Sep 1, 2002); and see Uncivil War A Bloodless Account of a Bitter Battle, by Ralph Raimi.

Indiana

Mathematics standards for Kindergarten - Grade 8 and High School. Summary and Scope and Sequence.

Massachusetts

See the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

Virginia

Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools; and Virginia SOL Instruction, Training,and Assessment Resources.

Singapore

Singapore Ministry of Education Syllabuses. Specifically: Sciences; Primary Mathematics; Lower Secondary Mathematics.

Reviews of Standards

Developing Educational Standards, by Charles Hill of the Wappingers (NY) school district. A privately maintained site with a wealth of information about State standards in all subject areas... [more]

My Life With ACHIEVE, by Ralph Raimi, Sep 25, 2005. An account of the author's interaction with the organization. ACHIEVE has carried out reviews of State standards and has also developed its own curriculum expectations... [more

State Mathematics Standards, by Ralph A. Raimi and Lawrence S. Braden (Fordham Report, 1998). The report represents a detailed analysis of all 47 State mathematics standards documents available at the time. Documents are evaluated on Clarity of language, on Content in the curriculum described, on the focus on deductive reasoning, and on absence of the negative qualities dubbed False Doctrine and Inflation... [more]

The State Of State Standards 2000. An update of the 1998 report. It refers to the 1998 report for the statement of criteria and also for reviews of those Standards that had not changed significantly since 1998... [more]

The State of State Math Standards 2005, by David Klein, Bastiaan J. Braams, Thomas Parker, William Quirk, Wilfried Schmid, W. Stephen Wilson, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Justin Torres, Lawrence Braden, and Ralph A. Raimi, The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Jan 2005.

Mathematics Standards of the Puerto Rico Department of Education: Analysis and Recommendations, by Philip Pennance, June 2002.

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Who Funds 'Reform' Math?

(Section Editor: Elizabeth Carson)

Subsections

Federal Funding
Foundation funding
Industrial funding
NYC Grants and Contracts

Federal Funding

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)

School math books, nonsense, and the National Science Foundation, by David Klein, Guest Editorial to be published in the American Journal of Physics, December 2006... [more]

The NSF has provided many grants for the development and dissemination of fuzzy math programs. For example, here is a listing of some of the NSF grants that supported the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP): #9986372 Connected Mathematics Phase II # #9980760 Adapting and Implementing Conceptually-Based Mathematics Instructional Materials for Developmental-Level Students # #9950679 Preparing Elementary Mathematics Teachers for Success: Implementing a Research-Based Mathematics Curricula # #9911849 Teaching Reflectively: Extending and Sustaining Use of Reforms in the Mathematics Classroom # #9714999 Show-Me Project: A National Center for Standards-based Middle School Mathematics Curriculum Dissemination and Implementation #9619033 The Austin Collaborative for Mathematics Education # #9150217 Connected Mathematics Project.

Foundation funding

The Broad foundation provides support for the Children First initiative. The support comes with strings attached: Wary Foundations Tie Grants To Leadership Stability, by Jeff Archer (Education Week, Feb 12, 2003).

Industrial funding

Texas Instruments Announces Sponsorship Commitment to National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) for Educator Professional Development, press release, September 20, 2000.

Texas Instruments supports the Dana Center in Texas. The Dana Center hosts the work of the NSF funded Texas State Systemic Initiative which promotes (among other 'reform' initiatives) implementation of NCTM standards-based math programs, foremost among them - Connected Mathematics Project (CMP) (used in CSD2 in Manhattan). The Dana Center partners with COMAP, which developed the 'reform' high school program Mathematics: Modeling Our World (MMOW/ARISE) (also used in CSD2 in Manhattan).

NYC Grants and Contracts

The NSF has promoted constructivist mathematics teaching in New York City through its Systemic Initiatives. (Note a related TI Press Release.) For a review of this NSF program see 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 (2000). See also David Klein's presentation at an AEI forum (March, 2002).

Professional Development from TERC. See Agenda Item #2, Authorization To Enter Into a Boardwide Requirements Agreement With Technical Education Resource Center (TERC) to Provide Professional Development Services in Mathematics.

NSF Grant #0085062: New York City Urban Systemic Program (USP) in Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. [Award Abstract].

NSF Grant #9618821: The Middle School Science Leadership Consortium: A Partnership Between The City College of New York and Community School District #2. [Award Abstract].

NSF Grant 9731424: Reconceptualizing Mathematics Teaching and Learning Through Professional Development (District 2). [Award Abstract].

NSF Grant 9911841: Mathematics in the City: Professional Development Materials on Number and Operation for Teaching and learning. [Award Abstract]. (Involves Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.)

OERI Contract RC-96-137002: High Performance Learning Communities. A collaboration between the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University, and CSD #2, "to investigate the continuous improvement of District #2, an urban schooling success story, where a commitment to instructional improvement through content-driven reform has had notable results." [Project Home].

1998 Technology Innovation Challenge Grant Awards. [Press Release] and [Project Description].

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Advice for Parents

(Section Editor: Elizabeth Carson)

Subsections

What's a Parent to Do?
Links
Frequently Asked Questions
Bulletin Board

What's a Parent to Do?

A parent's first responsibility is to the education of his or her children. Parents can supplement their child's mathematics education through skills practice workbooks, mathematics textbooks, and tutoring... [more]

Parents can educate themselves, their school, and their community. They can request or demand better programs from school officials, and copy those requests to goverment officials and the press. Parents can join NYC HOLD... [more]

Links

Terminology that Every Parent Must Understand. Excerpted from the Critical Guide to Terms and Phrases, an appendix in the book: The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them by E. D. Hirsch.

Understanding your child's mathematics education, by Paul Clopton (Parent Power, August 2001).

Fighting Fuzzy Math, by Larry Gipson (Talk, 2002; Power Point format).

Practice Problems for the California Mathematics Standards Grades 1-8

Looking At Your Child's Math Program (Parent Power, August 1999).

Kevin Killion of IllinoisLoop.Org offers How To Respond When Your School Announces a New-New Math Program.

Coping With Math Reform, by Gregory Bachelis.

The Delphi Technique. What Is It?, by Lynn Stuter (1996). "...parents come to understand that their role in education reform is merely perfunctory; that the outcome is preset, that they are not but the rah-rah team so when opposition does arise, advocates of education reform can say, `we had community input.' To make sure that the situation is controlled, only those parents who agree with the process are allowed on the restructuring teams. New participants are carefully screened to ensure that education reform goes forward unquestioned."

How To Disrupt It, by Lynn Stuter (1996). "..always be charming, stay focused, and be persistent... Never, under any circumstance, become angry."

Frequently Asked Questions

Bulletin Board

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National and Local Organizations and Campaigns

(Section Editor: NYC HOLD)

National Organizations

Mathematically Correct

Local Organizations and Campaigns

Illinois Loop # Teach Math Right - Stop "Investigating" in Prince William County Schools (MD) # Parents for Evidence Based Education (IA) # Teach Us Math, Parents Concerned With Penfield (NY)'s Math Programs # Where's the Math (WA) # The MathUnderGround (WA) # Math Matters (WA) # Olympia Parent Advocates for Real Math (WA) # Yes2Math, Kitsap Cty (WA) # OPTIMA, Oregon Parents for Thorough Instruction in Mathematics # Parents for Math Choice in Tigard-Tualatin (OR) # Georgia Parents for Math # POBMATH.com, Plainview - Old Bethpage (NY) # Petition for the removal of TERC Investigations curriculum from math instruction (NY) # Cecil County (MD) Public School Math # Frederick (MD) Education Reform # Bridgewater-Raritan (NJ) Parents Math Forum # Mathematics - Village of Ridgewood (NJ) # New Jersey Coalition for World Class Math # CT Coalition for Wold Class Math # Mindless Math Mutterings (CT) # Dublin (OH) Math Matters # Columbia (MO) Parents for Real Math # Clayton (MO) Math Matters # Plymouth-Canton (MI) Teach Our Kids # Connected Math Disconnected Parents (TX) # Andover (MA) Math Suggestion Box # Newton (MA) Parents for Education # Palo Alto (CA) Parents 2009: Math # Save Our Children from Mediocre Math (Conejo Valley, CA) # Teach Utah Kids # Norton News Investigations Math Summary (UT) # Kids Do Count (UT) # SAU 16 Info, Exeter (NH) # Informed Residents of Reading (MA) # EdDataFromInnes (KA) # P.A.C.E. (Chippewa Valley, MI) # Broward County (FL) Gifted Advisory Committee # Palo Alto HOLD # Mountain View (CA) Achievement # Plano (TX) Parental Rights Council

Organizations in Other Countries

Society for Quality Education (CAN) # Sauver les Lettres (FRA) # Sauver les Maths (FRA) # Lire Ecrire (FRA) # Observatoire Indépendant des Pratiques d'Education et de Formation (FRA) # Parents en Colère (FRA) # ReformEducation (FRA) # Association "Refaire L'Ecole" (CHE) # Campaign for Real Education (GBR) # Reading Reform Foundation (GBR) # Beter Onderwijs Nederland (NDL) # Heelmeesters (NDL) # Boze Betas (NDL)

Personal Pages

Bas Braams # Ralph Raimi # David Klein # Bill Quirk # Hung-Hsi Wu # Jerome Dancis # Richard Phelps # Kitchen Table Math # Chester Finn at Fordham # Jeff Lindsay # Alan Cromer # Brian D. Rude # Martin Kozloff # Bert Fristedt # Lawrence Gray

Other Organizations and Resources

CER's Web Links # Thomas B. Fordham Foundation # Center for Education Reform # National Council on Teacher Quality # Education Consumers # Citizens Education Network # Toby Earl's Teach Math

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Conferences, Talks, Videos

(Section Editor: Elizabeth Carson)

(See also under NYC HOLD Activities)

Math with Madeline, by Where's the Math, Feb 2007. A 5th grader compares different math programs. (Video)

Math Education: A University View, by Cliff Mass and Where's the Math. About mathematics education in WA. (Video format)

Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth, by M. J. McDermott and Where's the Math. About the current state of math education in 4th and 5th grades. (Video format)

Washington's Math Standards, Presentation at Seattle Parents' night, by David Klein, October 6, 2006. [ppt]

Why Do Standards Matter, Presentation at University of Washington Mathematics Department, by David Klein, October 6, 2006. [ppt]

Presentation at Seattle Parents' night, by R. James Milgram, October 6, 2006. [ppt]

US K-12 Mathematics Education Reform 1989 - present, by Elizabeth Carson, Presentation at Seattle Community Math Forum, April 25, 2006. [ppt]

K-12 Mathematics: Some Warning Signs, by Clifford Mass, Presentation at Seattle Community Math Forum, April 25, 2006. [ppt]

A Brief Comparison of Two Math Curricula and the Impact Each May have on Your Child's Learning, by Craig Parsley, Presentation at Seattle Community Math Forum, April 25, 2006. [ppt]

With the Best of Intentions: Lessons Learned in K-12 Education Philanthropy, a meeting at the American Enterprise Institute, April 25, 2005.

U.S. Dept. of Education Math and Science Initiative (main Web page with links to reports and initiatives, including the math and science "summits").

Does Two Plus Two Still Equal Four? What Should Our Children Know about Math? A forum at the American Enterprise Institute on March 4, 2002, addressed these questions. Moderated by Lynne V. Cheney, with participation of Mike McKeown, Gail Burrill, David Klein, Tom Loveless, and Lee V. Stiff... [more]. The forum has been reviewed... [more]... [more]

Are Our School's Math Programs Adequate? Experimental Mathematics Programs And Their Consequences, a forum by NYC HOLD at New York University, June 6, 2001. See June 2001 Math Forum elsewhere on this page.

Public Education Reform in Texas: Comprehensive Progress Report. Based on a Lone Star Foundation conference in Austin, TX, Dec 7-8, 2000. Published contributions include a recent history of the Texas standards and standardized assessments, by Donna Garner; Texas Mathematics Education In Transition, by Paul Clopton; Curriculum Equity in the Classroom, by Manuel P. Berriozabal and Chris Patterson; and other contributions on curriculum, standards, assessment, teacher performance, and policy... [more]

1999 Conference on Standards-Based K-12 Education, held at CSU Northridge, May 21-22, 1999 (Proceedings). The conference brought together many of the people that had a direct role in creating California's recent content standards for language arts, mathematics, and science, and national leaders in education reform, to explain these standards and to consider practical issues to make them succeed... [more]

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Short Takes

(New section. Mostly brief articles that don't fit well on the NYC HOLD News page.)

I'm failing first grade, by Elena Beyzarov, special to NYC HOLD, November 17, 2006.

Multiculturalism: E Pluribus Plures, Ethnomathematics, by Diane Ravitch, undated.

Where's the Beef in the Turkey Problem?, by Charles L. Beavers, Feb 1997.

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NYC News and Opinion

NYS News and Opinion

National News and Opinion

The News and Letters sections that used to fill this column have been reorganized into an NYC HOLD News Page and an NYC HOLD Letters and Testimony Page. Please visit those page for links to current and past press reports of interest to New York City HOLD and for letters and testimony by friends and associates of NYC HOLD.


New York City Issues

(Section Editor: Elizabeth Carson)

Subsections

DOE Children First Initiative
City Council Committee on Education
DOE Panel for Educational Policy
Other City Wide
District 2 and Region 9
District 10 and The Bronx

Children First Initiative

Opportunities Lost: How New York City got derailed on the way to school reform, by Sol Stern, Fwd, The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Dec 3, 2004. "It's hard to know why the mayor's promise to put a back-to-basics reading program into the schools morphed into its very opposite."

Gotham's Education Reform Is in Trouble, by Sol Stern (City Journal, Spring 2003). Argues that the new mandated reading program and deputy chancellor Lam must both be removed.

Bloomberg and Klein Rush In, by Sol Stern (City Journal, Spring 2003). According to Stern: "Unless Bloomberg and his handpicked schools chancellor, Joel Klein, admit to some monumental blunders, discredited progressive methods for the teaching of the three Rs such as 'whole language,' 'writing process,' and 'fuzzy math' will soon be enforced in every single classroom in 1,000 New York City schools. This is a disaster in the making [...]"

Selection of a Systematic Phonics Program for NYC Students, by Linnea Ehri, Bruce McCandliss, Dolores Perin, Hollis Scarborough, Sally Shaywitz, Joanna Williams, and Joanna Uhry (Feb 4, 2003). A letter to Chancellor Klein and Deputy Chancellor Lam, a.o., severely criticising the selection of Month by Month Phonics for reading instruction in New York City.

To Chancellor Joel Klein about K-12 Mathematics Curricula in New York City. A letter from Chairs and Administrators of NYC Mathematics Departments (Dec 17, 2002).

New York City Mathematics Department Chairs Warn Chancellor Klein Against Continued Use of Fuzzy Math Programs, Press Release by NYC HOLD (Jan 4, 2003).

Chancellor Joel Klein's "Children First" Blueprint for Reform of Instruction in NYC Public Schools, by Bas Braams (Dec 2002 / Jan 2003).

Open Letter to Chancellor Joel I. Klein and Deputy Chancellor Diana Lam. For an Alternative to NCTM Standards-based "Constructivist" Mathematics Programs in New York City.

Meeting with Chair Evan Rudall of Children First Numeracy Working Group (Dec 11, 2002). Members of the NYC HOLD Steering Committee met with Mr. Evan Rudall, Chair of the Children First Numeracy Working Group, to discuss issues of mathematics instruction in connection with the Children First initiative. Here are our talking points for the meeting.

Survey responses for attention of the Children First Numeracy Working Group (Nov 2002). Contributions by Marvin Bishop, Bas Braams, Sylvain Cappell, Elizabeth Carson, Ginny Donnelly, Jonathan Goodman, Fred Greenleaf, Leonie Haimson, David Klein, Christine Larson, Denise Matava Haffenden, Mike McKeown, Chuck Newman, Stanley Ocken, Marvin Rich, and Martha Schwartz.

Request for responses to a Children First survey, by Elizabeth Carson for NYC HOLD (Nov 22, 2002).

City Council Committee on Education

Committee Web page and Contact Information

Robert Jackson, Chair, Committee on Education. Contact information

NYC Council Committee on Education. Chairperson: Robert Jackson. Members: Yvette D. Clarke, Bill de Blasio, Maria del Carmen Arroyo, Simcha Felder, Lewis A. Fidler, Helen D. Foster, Daniel R. Garodnick, Melinda R. Katz, G. Oliver Koppell, Andrew J. Lanza, Jessica S. Lappin, John C. Liu, Miguel Martinez, Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., James Vacca, Peter F. Vallone, Jr., Albert Vann, David Yassky.

Recent Committee activities of interest to NYC HOLD

Nov 12, 13, 14 and 17, 2003. Union Work Rules Hearings. Testimonies by UFT President Randi Weingarten (excerpts), CSA President Jill Levy, and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein.

Nov 5, 2003: School Mathematics Education Hearing.

Several steering committee members and friends and associates of NYC HOLD submitted testimony for the Nov 5, 2003, hearing. Testimony of Elizabeth Carson # Testimony of Bas Braams # Testimony of Betsy Combier # Testimony of Edmond David # letter from Arthur P. Goldberg # Testimony of Jonathan Goodman # Testimony of Stanley Ocken # letter from Maryann Stimmer (MSWord) # Letter from Mary van Valkenburg.

NYC HOLD press release, November 4, 2003, for the committee hearing.

Transcript, Briefing Paper, Press Release, and Witness List for the hearing, by the Committee. (MS Word)

Press reports on the November 5, 2003, hearing: Angry Divide, by Carl Campanile, the New York Post, Nov 6, 2003; New Math Gets Minus at Hearing, New York Newsday, Nov 6, 2003; New Curriculum Feeds A Math Crisis, Experts Testify, New York Sun, Nov 6, 2003; Parents, educators voice their disapproval of the city's new math system, News 12 The Bronx, Nov 5, 2003; City's Math Debate Moves to Forefront, New York Sun, Nov 4, 2003.

Panel for Educational Policy

Panel Web page

The NYC DOE Panel for Educational Policy meets monthly. A list of members, dates and locations of meetings and all meeting materials are available on the NYC Panel for Educational Policy Web page. Materials include: meeting agendas, minutes of action, other materials, PowerPoint Presentations, remarks, resolutions, agreements and other legal documents.

Panel activities on issues of curriculum

None whatsoever, unfortunately.

Other City Wide

Facade of Excellence, by Sol Stern (Ed Next, Summer 2003). About the "corrosive rules of the teachers' contract" at Stuyvesant high school.

Good Apples: Recruiting and Retaining Quality Teachers in New York City, by the City Council Committee on Education (May, 2003). Documents DOE bureacracy and poor treatment of teachers. The report finds that retention, rather than recruitment, is the main problem. (PDF)

Panel Urges Second Track for Math, by Anemona Hartocollis (NYT, May 31, 2001).

Report of the Commission on Mathematics Education to NYC Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy (May, 2001).

For the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Chancellor's Commission on Mathematics in NYC, by Jonathan Goodman and Alan Siegel (Jan 2001). (PDF format)

Math Panel to Consider City's Tack in Teaching, by Abby Goodnough (NYT, Oct 5, 2000).

BOE Press Release announcing Math Commission, Oct 3, 2000.

Region 9 (Districts 1, 2, 4, and 7)

District 2 Community Education Council questions "constructivist" mathematics curricula, letter to Regional and District superintendents from CECD2, June 27, 2005.

Research or 'Cheerleading'? Scholarship on Community School District 2, New York City, by Lois Weiner (EPAA, August 2003).

Tweed's Revolving Door, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, July 28, 2003).

Making a List, Checking It Twice, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Feb 18, 2003).

The New Tweed Ring's Status Quo, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Feb 14, 2003).

Klein's Clones, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Feb 7, 2003).

Klein's New Math Still Fuzzy, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Jan 24, 2003).

Profs Urge End To "Fuzzy" Math, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Jan 6, 2003).

New York Is Failing the Testing Test, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Oct 4, 2002). Subjective Essays and Collective Measurements Can't Tell Us If Our Kids Are Learning.

Mythical Figures and Magic Formulas in N.Y. Schools, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Aug 16, 2002). Debunks the Alvarado Cult and Offers Klein Advice on How To Avoid Tilting at Windmills.

Levy's Last Attempt To Put Lipstick on the Pig, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Jul 19, 2002). On Why This Year's Test Scores Tell So Little About Performance.

Time To Wipe the Slate Clean on School Reform, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Jun 18, 2002). On the Need To Overthrow the University-Institutional Complex.

The Upper East Side High School Illusion, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Jun 6, 2002). Political Interference, Reports, Is Ruining a Neighborhood's Hopes.

Construction of District 2's Exemplary Status; When Research and Public Policy Elide, by Lois Weiner (AERA meeting, April 2002).

Chancellor Levy Denies the Math Forum in District 2, letter to Elizabeth Carson of Jan 24, 2001.

Shelley Harwayne and Lucy West on Mathematics Curriculum in CSD2, a memo to Principals and Math Staff Developers, Jan 23, 2001.

New York District 2 Cancels Math Forum. Call to Action, by Elizabeth Carson, Jan 16, 2001.

The New, Flexible Math Meets Parental Rebellion, by Anemona Hartocollis (NYT, Apr 27, 2000).

Shelley Harwayne and mathematics, by Bas Braams (Jul 2002). Shelley Harwayne is Superintendent of New York City Community School District 2. Earlier she was the founding principal of the Manhattan New School. Ms. Harwayne is a nationally recognized personality in the area of language and literacy teaching, and also wrote some words about mathematics education... [more]

The Manhattan Project (New Standards in CSD#2), by Jill Grossman, City Limits Monthly, February 2000.

A Continuing Experiment, by Ralph Raimi (NAS Science Newslist, July 2001). The imposition of the TERC and CMP curricula on District 2 is supported by research and professional development grants from the NSF. In the field of medicine, observes Raimi, if midway into the experiment subjects evidence or complain of serious side-effects, the testing is stopped before further damage is done. Not so in the District 2 educational experiment... [more]

The Upper East Side High School Illusion, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Jun 6, 2002). Political Interference, Reports, Is Ruining a Neighborhood's Hopes.

Standardization's Stifling Impact, by Lois Weiner. Education Week, Feb 28, 2001.

Parents' Extra Cost, by Denise Matava Haffenden. Letters, Education Week, April 11, 2001.

District 2 Critique: No Ideology Involved, by Louisa C. Spencer. Letters, Education Week, April 11, 2001.

Progressivism's Hidden Failure, by Louisa C. Spencer. Education Week, Feb 28, 2001.

Math Profs Rail Against Dist. 2 Methods, by Ronald Drenger, Tribeca Trib, Jul/Aug 2001.

Parents' New Battle in City Math War, Town and Village, June 7, 2001.

To understand the math program, professor says, follow the money, by Ralph A. Raimi, Tribeca Trib, April 2001.

PS 89: A Question of Philosophy, by Carl Glassman, Tribeca Trib, Jan 1998.

NYC Teacher interviews of District 2 mathematics teachers, by Fred Greenleaf (Feb, 2001).

Angry parents demand answers on 'new math', by Lyndee Yamshon, T&V, Feb 8, 2001.

A Cartoon Version of Math, by Alan Siegel and Jonathan Goodman, Letters, T&V, Jan 25, 2001.

Parents and teachers search for solution to math problems, by Linda Barr, T&V, Jan 18, 2001.

Talking points prepared for a District 2 math forum in 2000, cancelled by CSB #2.

Parent questions and comments culled from a parent survey and from Community School Board 2 testimony, 2000-2001.

Please notice also many items under NYC Mathematics Education on our News page and under NYC HOLD Activities.

District 10 and The Bronx

The State of the Bronx, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Mar 7, 2003).

Klein Plan Stirs Concern At Famed Bronx School, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Mar 3, 2003). Opponent of Programs for Gifted Could Land Science High School 'A Double Step Backward,' Says One Involved Parent

Klein Facing Angry Parents in Bronx, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Feb 10, 2003). Community Up in Arms Over Firings.

Taking the Neighborhood out of Schools, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Jan 31, 2003).

Students Are Pawns in Education Games, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Jan 3, 2003).

Hopes Riding on Bronx Charter School, by Andrew Wolf and John Desio (NY Sun, Dec 9, 2002). Jordan 'Elated' for Groundbreaking Today.

The Schools Find Their Mark, by Andrew Wolf (NY Sun, Nov 15, 2002).

On Way Out, Community Board Assails 'Fuzzy Math', by Anna Schneider-Mayerson (NY Sun, Aug 26, 2002). Bronx Board Issues Parting Salvo Against a Controversial Method.

Board nixes 'fuzzy math;' Ball in Zardoya's court, by John DeSio, Riverdale Review, Aug 22-28, 2002.

Great news for the children of Bronx Community School District 10!, an NYC HOLD press release (August 16, 2002). School Board 10 passed a resolution calling for rigorous skills-based math programs in District 10 and a halt to officials' plans to implement controversial fuzzy math throughout NYC's largest school district. District 10 administrators, including a director of mathematics newly imported from District 2, sought to emulate Manhattan District 2's fuzzy math initiative, planning to adopt Investigations in Number Data and Space (TERC) and Connected Mathematics (CMP) for grades K-8. The Interactive Mathematics Project (IMP) was to be used in the new high school, a fuzzy program teachers in the Bronx HS superintendency successfully campaigned against last year... [more]

The CSD10 Math Resolution of Aug 15, 2002.

An Open Letter to the Members of Community School Board 10 (Editorial, The Riverdale Review, Aug 15, 2002).

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New York State Issues

(Section Editor: Elizabeth Carson)

Subsections

NYS K-12 Standards
NYS Regents and K-8 Assessments

NYS K-12 Standards

NYS Regents and K-8 Assessments

The June, 2003, New York State Regents Math A exam: We have a Critique of the Regents Mathematics A exam, by Bas Braams. See also the Math A Position Paper for NYS Regents, by the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New York State (AMTNYS) and the Report to the New York State Board of Regents and the New York State Commissioner of Education, from the Independent Panel on Math A.

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NYC and NYS Education Pages

(Section Editor: Elizabeth Carson)

NYC Dept. of Education

Home Page
Districts and Instructional Divisions
District and School Information
Annual School Reports
Division of Assessment and Accountability
Test Information For Parents
City and State Math Scores
2002-2003 Citywide and Statewide Assessment Calendar
Region 9 Training Site

NYS Dept. of Education

Home Page
NYS Board of Regents
Mathematics

Also of Interest

Oswego City School District Regents Exam Prep Center (not an official NYS-DOE site).

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Call to Action

(Section Editor: Elizabeth Carson)

Subsections

General
NYC and NYS Education Policy Makers
NYC and NYS Goverment Officials
The Press

General

Concerned parents, teachers, administrators, college and university faculty and citizens at large: It is critically important to share your knowledge, experiences, views, values and standards for mathematics education and reform in our nation's schools with your peers, colleagues, in your community, with education officials, government officials and the press.

Parents can help to promote improvements in K-12 mathematics education in their school, their district, and citywide by sharing their experiences, concerns and suggestions regarding their child's math programs and asserting their own values and standards for mathematics instruction.

Parents can write to classroom teachers, principals, and district and central board education officials; and to city and state government officials. Parents can testify to elected and appointed education policy boards. Parents can submit letters and opinion essays to the press.

We urge parents to send courtesy copies of letters and testimony to the widest appropriate readership. The potential for individual parents' experiences, views and opinions to productively inform policy is enhanced when brought to the attention of the larger parent body and a broad group of education administrators and government officials. And too, the potential for a parent's views and opinions to be marginalized, dismissed or ignored is minimized when views are shared broadly.

Please consider sharing your letters, opinion essays and written testimony with NYC HOLD. Send to nycholdnational@gmail.com. We welcome permission to post your submissions on our Letters and Testimony Page. Contact information for City and State education officials, goverment officials, and the local press follows.

NYC Education Policy Makers

Joel I. Klein, Chancellor. Office of the Chancellor, 52 Chambers Street Rm 314, New York, NY 10007; Email JKlein@nycboe.net; Phone 212-374-5141; Fax 212-374-5584; Weekend Pager 917-925-7361.

Michele Cahill, Senior Counselor for Education Policy; Email mcahill@nycboe.net

Communications and Media Relations, NYC Department of Education, 52 Chambers Street Rm 314, New York, NY 10007; Phone 212-374-5141; Fax (212) 374-5584. David K. Chai, Press Secretary; Phone 212-374-5143.

NYC Panel for Education Policy: Mr. Alan Aviles Mr. Philip A. Berry Mr. Igor Biselman (Student Advisory Council member) Dr. David C. Chang Ms. Joan Correale Mr. Michael Flowers Ms. Martine G. Guerrier Mr. Tino Hernandez Ms. Jacquelyn Kamin Dr. Augusta Souza Kappner Mr. Joel I. Klein Mr. Richard Menschel Mr. Jesse Mojica Ms. Marita Regan Ms. Samantha Scully (Student Advisory Council member) (PEP Email contact information here)

NYC Community Education Councils home page

Community and Citywide Education Councils Contact Information

NYC DOE Contact Page

NYC School Directory

NYC Local and Regional Offices

NYC Regional Operation Centers

NYC Central Offices and Divisions

NYC DOE Ideas/Suggestions About Instructional Programs

NYC Community School District Offices

NYC Community and Citywide Education Council Members

NYS Education Policy Makers

Richard P Mills, NYS Commissioner of Education. Phone 518.474.5844, Fax 518.473.4909, Email rmills@mail.nysed.gov. New York State Education Department, Room 111 Education Building, Albany, NY 12234.

New York State Board of Regents

Members of the NYS Board of Regents

NYC Goverment Officials

Elected representatives have a responsibility to be informed of parents' experiences, concerns, suggestions and opinions regarding the public education of their children. Goverment officials have a duty to understand, support, and advocate for their constituents' values and standards for their childrens' education.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. City Hall, New York, NY 10007. Phone: 311 (or 212.NEW.YORK outside NYC); FAX: 212.788.2460; Email: also mbloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov.

Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott

NYC Public Advocate

NYC Borough Presidents

NYC Council.

Committee on Education.

NYS Goverment Officials

Catherine Nolan Chair, Assembly Education Committee, NYS Assembly. Office addresses. Email: nolanc@assembly.state.ny.us;

NYS Assembly Education Committee

New York State Senate

New York State Assembly

US State and Federal Officials

Congress.Org contact information

The Press

The press can be a valuable ally to parents as a means for the dissemination of information and perspectives to the larger parent community and the general public. Press coverage works to hold the system accountable by helping to "persuade" education policy makers and goverment officials to take seriously parents' concerns and desires for improvement in the quality of their children's education. Parents can submit letters to the editor or op-eds to local and citywide newspapers. Parents can contact news reporters and columnists with story ideas.

Letters to the editor should include your full name, address and a phone number. Letters should be limited to about 150 words.

City-wide (and larger) newspapers
The New York Times: letters@nytimes.com
The New York Daily News: voicers@edit.nydailynews.com
The New York Post: letters@nypost.com
The New York Sun: editor@nysun.com
The Village Voice: Contact Page

Community Newspapers
The Riverdale Review and Bronx Press Review: bxny@aol.com
Our Town: editorial@manhattanmedia.com
Town and Village: Lbarr2802@aol.com
Tribeca Trib: editor@tribecatrib.com

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NYC HOLD Activities

(Section Editor: Elizabeth Carson)

Math and Reading, Delivery on the Promise of Mayoral Control

A Forum at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, October 2, 2005. Announcement and Agenda, NYU press release, and a Flyer for the event.

Mathematics in the NYC Children First Initiative, by Fred Greenleaf. Presented at the CIMSE Forum Delivery on the Promise of Mayoral Control, New York University, Oct 2, 2005.

Mathematics Education Reform: Toward a Coherent K-12 Curriculum, by Stanley Ocken. Presented at the CIMSE Forum Delivery on the Promise of Mayoral Control, New York University, Oct 2, 2005.

Why Reading Teachers Are Not Trained to Use a Research-Based Pedagogy: Is Institutional Reform Possible?, by Sandra Stotsky. Presented at the CIMSE Forum Delivery on the Promise of Mayoral Control, New York University, Oct 2, 2005.

June 2001 Math Forum

Are Our School's Math Programs Adequate? Experimental Mathematics Programs And Their Consequences

NYC HOLD held a parent sponsored public forum at New York University Law School on June 6, 2001, to discuss "reform" mathematics programs in the New York City schools. Moderator: Elizabeth Carson, Panel Members: Bas Braams, Sylvain Cappell, Jonathan Goodman, Fred Greenleaf, Charles Newman (Department of Mathematics, Courant Institute, NYU); Alan Siegel (Department of Computer Science, Courant Institute, NYU); Ethan Akin, Stanley Ocken (Department of Mathematics, CCNY); Marvin Bishop (Department of Mathematic and Computer Science, Manhattan College) Ralph Raimi (Department of Mathematics, University of Rochester); Wilfried Schmid (Department of Mathematics, Harvard University); Susan Szczepanski (Department of Mathematics, Lehigh University). Planning Committee Co-chairs: Denise Matava Haffenden, Marjorie Weinman.

Forum Agenda (PDF format)

Opening remarks by: Ralph Raimi # Wilfried Schmid # Fred Greenleaf # Alan Siegel # Stanley Ocken # Bas Braams.

Handouts #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, Questionaire.

Math Wrath Explodes Amid "Fuzzy" Furor, by Rod Dreher, The New York Post, June 6, 2001.

Math Profs Rail Against Dist. 2 Methods, by Ronald Drenger, Tribeca Trib, Jul/Aug 2001.

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Credits: This page reflects contributions by the entire NYC HOLD Founding Committee. In addition the editors thank the following for their input: Wayne Bishop, John Hoven, David Klein, Mike McKeown, Stan Metzenberg, Jim Milgram, Richard Phelps, Martha Schwartz; and the Mathematically Correct group and the Kto15/Kto16 email group. The first instance of this web page was produced by Carolyn Jung.

NYC HOLD: nycholdnational@gmail.com
Web editor: braams@math.nyu.edu

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