1 Why should MSRI be involved in education, and how?
Jan 11, 2016
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Why should MSRI be involved in education, and
how?
Today’s session
Overview of mathematics education in the U.S. and introduction to MSRI initiative: Deborah Ball
Mathematicians’ involvement in education:Undergraduate enrichment program: Ricardo CortezMath circles and Olympiads: Hugo RossiMathematical education of teachers: Hung-Hsi WuPartnerships: Herb Clemens
Commentary: Hyman Bass
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Today’s Session
Overview of mathematics education: Deborah Ball
Specific programs and focal points for mathematicians’ engagement in education:– MSRI Undergraduate Program: Ricardo Cortez – Math Circles: Hugo Rossi
– Mathematical education of teachers: Hung-Hsi Wu
– Partnerships: Herb Clemens
Commentator: Hyman Bass
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Mathematics education: A brief snapshot
1. Achievement 2. Curriculum3. Assessment4. Teaching 5. Teachers and professional education6. Research7. Reform8. Cooperation of stakeholders
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Achievement
• Unevenly distributed• Achievement gap between poor
and middle class students• Summer loss
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What is the “achievement gap”?
• In 2005, 69% of 8th graders scored above “basic” level on NAEP Math
• Significant differences by race: 42% of African American, 52% of Latino, and 80% of White 8th graders score at this level
• And by income level: 51% of low income students scored above “basic”; 79% of others
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How does U.S. achievement compare internationally?
• U.S. 15-year-olds were outperformed in math by students in 23 of 38 other countries
• They were outperformed in science by students in 18 of 38 countries
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Changing demographics: Percentage distribution of the race/ethnicity of public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade: Fall 1972 and
2005
78
58
15
16
6
20
1
7
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
1972 2005
other
hispanic
black
white
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LANGUAGE MINORITY: Percentage of 5- to 17-year-olds who spoke a language other than English at home and who spoke English with difficulty
3 4 5 5 5 5 5 5
9
1213 14
17 18 19 20
0
5
10
15
20
25
1979 1989 1992 1995 1999 2001 2003 2005
spoke a language other than English at home
spoke a language other than english at home, and spoke english with difficulty
Changes in home language: Percentage of public school students in kindergarten through 12th
grade: Fall 1979 and 2005
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Curriculum• No national curriculum or goals ––
curriculum determined locally• Many different curricula; teacher
discretion• Influence of Texas and California• NSF-funded curriculum materials
(less than 20% of the market)
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Assessment• Many different tests• Districts choose tests and frequency of
administration• Most states have assessments;
increasing number of states require test for high school graduation
• NCLB (2001): States to choose assessment to which schools will be accountable
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Teaching
• Lack information about practice, but most indicators suggest “business as usual”
• Mathematics teaching shaped by text, teacher, policy context
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Teachers: Recruitment, professional education and retention
• Over 1300 institutions prepare teachers• Teacher certification requirements vary by state, and by level• Some teacher certification undergraduate; some master’s
level• Many unqualified or uncertified teachers in urban districts• Mathematics preparation unaligned with professional
demands• Retention problems due to poor working conditions, lack of
professional education, salary competition from other sectors
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Teaching is the largest single occupation in the U.S.
Numbers of Employed Persons by Occupation (2003)
3,681 3,6323,343
2,449
1,884 1,842 1,811 1,639 1,6171,362 1,313
952 819
185 180
0500
1,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,000
teachers (elementary, middl..secretaries and administrati..janitors, maids, household...
registered nursessales representativeswaiters and waitresses
home health aides
accountants and auditors
chief executives
engineers (all types)
counselors and social workers
lawyers
physicians and surgeons
psychologists
architects (non-naval)
Occupation
Number Employed (in thousands)
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Disparities in teacher qualifications for different groups
of students
Source: Condition of Education (2003)
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Qualified teachers: Middle school
Source: Condition of Education (2003)
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Research• Low funding for basic research and design
research• Much more funding for intervention with
modest or no evaluation• Education research criticized for
fragmentation, lack of cumulative knowledge, weak connection to practice
• Recent efforts to improve research: criteria for scientific research, infrastructure for improving research community, panels to set research priorities
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“Reform”• “New math” (1960s) –– new curriculum materials;
changed college track of high school mathematics• Standards movement (beginning with NCTM in
1989): more complex goals, all students• New curriculum materials, new work on
assessment• Under-investment in teacher development
(lessons from “new math” era)• Growing attention to teacher knowledge problems• Challenges of implementation
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Cooperation among stakeholders
• Problems of mathematics education are multi-disciplinary and require multiple forms of expertise
• Recent reports: Glenn Commission, Adding It Up, RAND Math Panel, National Math Advisory Panel (2008)
• “Math wars”• Mathematicians taking renewed interest in
mathematics education: Constructive engagement and need for more access and opportunity to develop and provide useful resources
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What is theMathematics in Society
Initiative of MSRI and why are we doing
it?
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Enhancing and specifying our involvement in
education• Articulating education more explicitly
as an aspect of the Institute’s agenda• Adding a member to the Board of
Trustees (2002)• Creating an Education subcommittee • Developing an Education Advisory
Committee• New activities
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Current Education Activities
• Math circles for kids and teachers• Math Olympiad• Resources on the web• Education working conferences
(funded by the National Science Foundation, Noyce Foundation, Bechtel, Texas Instruments, Center for Proficiency in Teaching Mathematics at the University of Michigan)
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Conference Series:Critical Issues in Mathematics
EducationTopics:1. Assessing students’ learning (March 2004)2. Mathematical knowledge for teaching (May 2005)3. Raising the floor: Progress and setbacks in the struggle
for quality mathematics education for all (May 2006)4. Teaching Teachers Mathematics (May 2007)5. Teaching and Learning Algebra (May 2008)
Possible future topics:1. Professional development & teacher education2. Instructional uses of technology3. International studies of mathematics education
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Goals of MSRI’s Education Workshops
• Bring together people from different disciplines and from practice to investigate and work on fundamental problems of education
• Engage mathematicians productively in problems of education
• Build resources for tackling challenging problems in mathematics education
• Shape a research and development agenda