Mathematics Education: A Continuing Crisis

This year marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of A Nation at Risk by the
National Commission on Excellence in Education, which warned that American
education was being “eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity.” While some gains have
been made, American education remains in crisis. As Edward Fiske recently observed in
the New York Times, “we are failing to provide nearly one-third of our young people
with even the minimal education required to be functioning citizens and workers in a
global economy”.
Nowhere is this failure more apparent than in mathematics. One benchmark is the Trends
in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The latest results show our
eighth-graders scored 12th. For a nation of our wealth and power, this is a disappointment.
In Massachusetts, 28% of all students, and over 50% of African American and Hispanic
students, were judged less than Proficient on the Spring 2008 10th grade MCAS
mathematics test. Passing this test is a graduation requirement. These numbers represent
an improvement, but they are still disturbing considering that students absent from the
test are not counted, that schools are under tremendous financial pressure to improve
MCAS results, and that a student who earns less than proficient in this exam lacks the
ability to take real college mathematics courses or to use mathematics in life.
What can we do as a country to increase mathematical skills in our children?
First, we need to improve the quality of our mathematics teachers. We must help ensure
that elementary school teachers do not pass their own math anxiety to their students.
Mathematics teachers at middle school and above must excel in mathematics. These
teachers do not need to learn the abstract mathematics that mathematics graduate students
do, but they must develop a very deep understanding of the roots of elementary
mathematics. We can learn much from the Chinese, who use this approach to teacher
training. We also need to ensure that more of our teachers use teaching methods informed
by the latest results in neuroscience and learning theory that provide powerful methods to
reach students with different learning styles. For example, lower grade teachers should
know how to properly use manipulatives like Cuisenaire rods, to teach deep
understanding of mathematical concepts to visual and kinesthetic learners.
Second, we need to implement technology wisely. When calculators are introduced too
early many students never learn to multiply 7 times 8 without a calculator. On the other
hand, educational computer programs like Geometer's Sketchpad™ and Maple™,
properly used, can transform mathematics education. Software applications like
spreadsheets, geographic information systems, and computer-aided design can be used to
motivate students and teach them significant mathematics while providing them with
important workplace skills.
Third, we need to get beyond the polarizing debates about math education. One such
debate is the “math wars” between traditionalists and reformers. Another polarizing
debate is the testing wars between those who support high-stakes testing and those who
don't. In each debate both sides bring useful insights, and I think that a consensus will
eventually be reached. For more on this see my blog, peterashmathedblog.blogspot.com.
In the meantime we waste valuable time and energy that should be spent in improving
what we can.
What can parents do to help their child? I suggest three things.
First, with young children particularly, maintain what educator Mahesh Sharma calls a
“culture of mathematics” in the home. Children should be encouraged to develop pre-
mathematics skills (such as logical thinking, problem solving, counting, and spatial
visualization) through play. Parents can introduce games and puzzles like battleship,
Mastermind™, Clue™, tangrams, Rubik’s cube, go, sudoku, card games, etc. Also, when
mathematics appears in the news, parents should talk about it.
Second, do not tell your child that it is OK if they don’t do well in mathematics. Do not
tell them that mathematics is a special skill that can only be mastered by a few. Do not
tell them that you were never any good at math and you did fine. Do tell them that in
today’s world it is vital that they learn mathematics, and if they are having difficulty
supply them with whatever help they need to succeed.
Third, respond appropriately if your child comes home with math homework that you
don’t understand or don’t feel is presenting mathematics correctly. In either case, you
should talk with the teacher. Any good teacher will be happy to explain their teaching
methods. If he or she can’t, consider hiring a tutor to help your child.
Peter F. Ash, Ph.D. lives in Bedford. He teaches mathematics at the Cambridge College
School of Education and runs a tutoring service for high school mathematics students in
Bedford and surrounding towns. He may be reached at peterash3@gmail.com.