More Resources Forum Report Helping Your Child Critical Foundations for Algebra

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today delivered the luncheon keynote at the National Math Panel Forum in Washington, D.C.

The National Math Panel Forum brought together more than 300 educators and policymakers from across the U.S. in a two-day event to share ideas on how to improve mathematics education in America. The U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the Conference Board of Mathematical Sciences (CBMS), is hosting the National Math Panel Forum in response to a recommendation in the National Math Panel's final report, Foundations for Success, issued in March 2008.

Following are the Secretary's prepared remarks:

Thank you to Bill McCallum for that kind introduction.

I'd also like to thank Ron Rosier and everyone at CBMS for co-hosting this event.

I'm delighted to be here with all of you, and I expect big things to result from our collective effort.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge several National Math Panel members who are here today-Bob Siegler of Carnegie Mellon University, Skip Fennell, former President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Hung-Hsi Wu of U.C. Berkeley, Joan Ferrini-Mundy of the National Science Foundation. Last but not least, my Deputy Secretary, Ray Simon, a former math teacher himself who has dedicated his entire career to education. Ray, I'm grateful to have you on my team. And I thank you for your leadership in this critical area.

Thanks, finally, to my friend Larry Faulkner, and the entire Math Panel for lending your combined 6 centuries of experience to creating this historic report.

You spent more than two years reviewing more than 16,000 studies. The report represents our nation's body of research-based strategies to improve math instruction.

It contains lots of useful information for students and families. For example, effort and persistence count! And there are many things parents can do at home to give their kids a solid foundation in school - it can be as simple as talking about fractions when you're at home cooking dinner, or when you make change at the grocery store.

The knowledge of these concepts has never been greater or more urgent.

According to the Nation's Report Card, minority eighth graders in urban middle schools lack even basic math skills. Nearly half our 17-year-olds lack the math skills needed to work on the production line of a modern auto plant when they finish high school.

Math-related jobs are growing at three times the rate of other jobs. Yet the U.S. ranks 25th out of 30 developed nations in math literacy and problem solving.

That's why with No Child Left Behind, we set a goal to bring our kids to grade level or better in reading and math by 2014.

You would think we were asking for the stars and the moon-for something that's undoable or unreasonable or unnecessary. We're not. We're talking about baseline, grade-level skills.

That's what I want for my children. That's what you want for yours. Why would we think other families want less for theirs?

Sadly, we are a long way from achieving even this modest goal.

With No Child Left Behind, we have shifted the national conversation. Instead of just asking how much we spend, we're finally asking whether students are learning-and we're holding ourselves accountable to change if they aren't.

We have a lot more information than we did six years ago, because states test kids annually, disaggregate that data, and provide consequences like getting kids extra help.

We know which students are falling behind, and where. Now that we have this information, our challenge is to do something about it! We need to make the Math Panel's recommendations actionable in our classrooms and at home.

Among other things, the report confirms that teachers' content knowledge has a direct bearing on student achievement. It tells us they need automatic recall of facts to free up memory for complex problems.

It also shows what benchmarks students need to reach at various points in their schooling. For example, addition and subtraction by the end of third grade. And fractions and decimals by the end of fourth grade.

I'm pleased that last year, the Congress authorized the President's Math Now program, which aims to translate the Math Panel's findings into practical tools for educators. Unfortunately, Congress has not funded the program. I hope that they will do so soon. In the meantime, it's up to all of us to spread the word about the panel's work.

The Department of Education is doing its part. Every elementary and middle school in the country now has a copy of this brochure-it gives parents tips on how to help their child do better in math, and it comes in English and Spanish. We've seen tremendous appetite for this information. We've filled 160,000 orders for the brochure just this month!

In addition to these resources, I'm proud to announce two others - one from my department, and also an important private effort.

First, a new web site from my department.

Earlier this year, we were proud to create a new web site called Doing What Works. It's a terrific collection of research-based tools for teachers. Today, we're launching a new section of that site called "Critical Foundations for Algebra." It shows how to apply the Math Panel's findings in the classroom, and offers lessons that build over time. You can find it online at dww.ed.gov.

Second, the private effort. Two years ago, I joined with Kathie Olson of the National Science Foundation to host the first National Summit on the Advancement of Girls in Math and Science. Out of that effort came an initiative called Girls! Balance the Equation, led by Diana Bendz, who is here today.

Diana spent years in senior positions at IBM, so she's seen firsthand how important math and science are in today's workforce. Her initiative unites groups that are already doing great work in this area - like NASA, the Girl Scouts, and astronaut Sally Ride's organization for science.

Diana tells me that soon, they will launch a website, girls balance the equation dot org. It will be a resource for girls of all ages, as well as for parents and teachers. And I look forward to seeing what they'll accomplish in the future.

When it comes to math, we need all the help we can get for girls and boys. As the Math Panel noted, improving instruction will take years. We started this journey in reading in the 1990s with the National Reading Panel. Today, the science-based teaching of reading is catching hold, with the help of the Reading First program.

In math, we're only just beginning to take advantage of what research has to offer. That's why I'm pleased that CBMS will take a leadership role in sharing the Panel's findings. I hope many more people will join your cause. I intend to keep talking about the Math Panel for many years.

Reform is never easy. And it's never finished. But fortunately, we're beginning to collect an arsenal of proven strategies that teachers can share and replicate. That's what this is all about - finding what works, then taking it to scale.

Research and data offer the potential to help teachers customize instruction for every child, and to help all of us in education to make better decisions. That's a resource we can't afford to lose. We are now armed with powerful information. And I can't wait to work with you to help our students soar.

Thank you. I would be happy to answer your questions.

For additional information, visit the following websites:
http://ime.math.arizona.edu/2008-09/1007_forum.html (forum information)
http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/index.html (National Math Panel report)
http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/succeed/brochure.html (Helping Your Child brochure)
http://dww.ed.gov/ (Doing What Works)

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