I can hear the angels singing hallelujah but I wonder how many math departments
and boards of education will listen?  After all, this panel was appointed by
President Bush.  Its still great news.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080313/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/teaching_math;_ylt=Allrgxc\
lyQDzJeYLzMS6dFBvzwcF
Panel: Schools should focus on fractions





By NANCY ZUCKERBROD, AP Education WriterThu Mar 13, 9:19 AM ET






Schools could improve students' sluggish math scores by hammering home the
basics, such as addition and multiplication, and then increasing the focus on
fractions and geometry, a presidential panel recommended Thursday.



"Difficulty with fractions (including decimals and percents) is pervasive and is
a major obstacle to further progress in mathematics, including algebra," the
panel, appointed by President Bush two years ago, said in a report.



Because success in algebra is linked to higher graduation rates and college
enrollment, the panel focused on improving areas that form the foundation for
algebra. Average U.S. math scores on a variety of tests drop around middle
school, when algebra coursework typically begins. That trend led the panel to
focus on what's happening before kids take algebra.



A major goal for students should be mastery of fractions, since that is a
"severely underdeveloped" area and one that's important to later algebra
success, the report states.

It goes on to say that other critical topics — such as whole numbers and
aspects of geometry and measurement — should be studied in a more in-depth
way.


When it comes to whole numbers, the report states that students must have a
clear grasp of the meaning of basic operations of addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division, among other things.



With geometry and measurement, students should be able to find unknown lengths,
angles and areas, the report states.

In general, U.S. math curricula ought to be streamlined, according to the
report.



"There is I think a tendency in American curricula to cover too many things too
shallowly," Larry Faulkner, the panel's chair and the former president of the
University of Texas, said in a briefing with reporters.



The report takes a diplomatic stance when it comes to taking a position on the
best methods to teach math to kids.



In recent years, there has been a dispute over whether children should learn a
sequence of basic skills in math, including multiplication tables and some
memorization, or should understand the theory behind math problems and come up
with solutions on their own.

The report says both quick and effortless recall of facts and conceptual
understanding of math are beneficial.



In addition, the back-to-basics camp has tended to favor "teacher-directed"
instruction, in which teachers do all the explaining, while the opposing side
has backed "student-centered instruction," in which students have the main
responsibility for learning math — often through working with peers.



The panel found students can benefit from both styles.



"You need some element of discovery to allow kids to secure concepts in their
minds, and you need to be able to have a reasonably efficient approach to be
able to cover the material," Faulkner said.



Teachers need to emphasize that effort pays off, because too many kids feel that
they are just not good at math and give up too early, according to the report.



"In many ways this country seems to have a culture of belief in talent, or a
talent-driven approach to math — that either you can do it or you can't,"
Faulkner said.



He added that much more research is needed to understand why certain teachers
are able to boost their students' math skills. "Very little is known about these
things, surprisingly little I think to this panel — given the importance of
that question," Faulkner said.


The report did note that elementary- and middle-school teachers need more math
preparation.



It took aim at math textbooks, saying they are too long and lack coherence.



Textbook publishers say they are just trying to cover all the things in various
state standards. Like for other subjects, each state sets its own math standards
dictating what students should learn and when. Many critics say students would
be better off with a single national standard, but the panel didn't weigh in on
that.

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