Earlier this week, I spoke at the National Math Panel Forum at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. There, leading mathematicians, teachers, researchers, and policymakers gathered to discuss how to spread the findings of the National Math Advisory Panel to homes and classrooms across the country. This panel, composed of 19 experts who have a combined six centuries of experience in the mathematics field, was created by President Bush to determine the best ways of teaching and learning math. Together, they spent two years reviewing over 16,000 research studies to come up with their recommendations. I was proud to receive their final report this past March.
This 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 need for knowledge of these concepts has never been greater or more urgent. Nearly half of 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.
Thanks to No Child Left Behind, 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.