Presidential Panel Calls
for Focus on Core Math Skills
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A presidential panel has declared math education in the
United States “broken” and called on schools to focus on ensuring that children
master fundamental skills that provide the underpinnings for success in higher
math and, ultimately, in high-tech jobs. The National Mathematics Advisory
Panel convened in April 2006 to address concerns that many students lack the
know-how to become engineers and scientists. The 24-member panel of
mathematicians, education experts and psychologists said yesterday that
students need a deeper understanding of basic skills, including fluency with
whole numbers and fractions. It urged more training and support for teachers
and called on researchers to find ways to combat “mathematics anxiety.” Larry
R. Faulkner, chairman of the panel and former president of the University of
Texas at Austin, said the country needs to make changes to stay competitive in
an increasingly global economy. He noted that many U.S. companies draw skilled
workers from overseas, a pool that he said is drying
as opportunities abroad improve. President Bush charged the panel with
examining ways to ensure that students have a strong grasp of the building
blocks needed for algebra, a gateway to higher math. Students who complete
Algebra II are more likely to attend and graduate from college. Education
Secretary Margaret Spellings said the report’s release was a “seminal moment”
in math education and urged teachers, school boards, colleges, interest groups
and parents to use it as a guidepost to refine instruction. “I want every
stakeholder in the equation of education to look at all of this and act on it,”
Spellings said. “I think there are very actionable steps right now. Teachers,
starting today, can pay more attention to fractions.”
The panel concluded that the math curricula and textbooks in
elementary and middle schools typically cover too many topics without enough
depth. It noted that countries in which children do
best at math, including Singapore and Japan, emphasize core topics. The panel
identified benchmark skills that students need for a strong math foundation.
The panel also weighed in on the long-running battle between traditionalists,
who favor a focus on memorization and drilling, and those who prefer stressing
concepts and letting students make connections on their own. Students need to
know math facts and have automatic recall, Faulkner said, but they also need
“some element of discovery.” “I think this panel has gradually evolved to the
view that most members believe that most effective teachers draw from both
philosophies at different times,” he said. Roy Romer,
former governor of Colorado and chairman of Strong American Schools, said the
report illustrates a need for states to voluntarily agree on standards that are
“uniform for all of America and benchmarked against the rest of the world.” The
nonpartisan group seeks to make education a priority in the 2008 presidential
election.