69ý

Mathematics Federal File

Adding Up Report From Math Panel

By Sean Cavanagh — April 03, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

When President Bush signed an executive order creating a National Mathematics Advisory Panel a year ago this month, his intent seemed plain enough.

The 17-member expert body was expected to produce a preliminary report by the end of January 2007 and a final report by the end of February 2008. Both of those reports, the order stated, were to contain recommendations based on “the best available scientific evidence” about strategies for improving math education, in areas such as instruction, testing, teacher training and placement, and help for students of different abilities and backgrounds.

Yet critics have noted that the 16-page preliminary report the panel released in January includes no such recommendations—only an overview of its mission, membership, and the process it has followed so far. (“Math Panel Issues Its First Report, But Holds Off on Policy Proposals,” Jan. 17, 2007.)

A “Very Sad Joke,” reads a headline about the report on National Math Panel Watch, a Web site, at , created by Steven Leinwand, a principal research scientist at the American Institutes for Research, in Washington.

“It raises real questions about what they’re going to be able to do for us,” Mr. Leinwand said in an interview, calling the report “16 pages of dribble.”

The site also includes comments from Steve Rasmussen, the president of Key Curriculum Press, a California-based education publishing company, who wondered whether internal disagreements were delaying the panel.

Issuing such a slim report “denies the public the opportunity to respond and comment thoughtfully” before the final report, Mr. Rasmussen wrote.

But math panel Chairman Larry R. Faulkner said the group was reluctant to put forward recommendations before completing its research, which he noted covers a broad list of topics. It is that workload, not any intrapanel division, that explains the brief initial report, he said.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and White House officials have told him they are satisfied with the panel’s progress, he added.

“It’s not of any service to convey recommendations we’re not secure about,” said Mr. Faulkner, the president of the Houston Endowment, a Texas philanthropy. “The value that the panel has is going to rest entirely on the quality of that final report.”

See Also

For more stories on this topic see Curriculum and Learning and our Federal news page.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the April 04, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Mathematics Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Innovative Approaches to Math Engagement?
Answer 7 questions about effective strategies to engage students in math.
Mathematics Video Here's How All 69ý Can Learn to Enjoy Word Problems
Teachers should weave students' cultural context into word problems, says math expert David Dai.
1 min read
Mathematics Q&A Word Problems Get a Bad Rap in Math Class. Here’s How to Get Them Right
Kevin Dykema, a math expert, shares strategies for teachers to help students tackle word problems.
5 min read
Education Week Math Mini-Course, Week 4, Word Problems, 2700 x 1806
Eglė Plytnikaitė for Education Week
Mathematics Can Kindergarten Math Lay the Foundation for Algebra? New Study Aims to Find Out
Teaching algebraic thinking skills early—like generalizing, representing, and reasoning—can set students up for success, researchers say.
4 min read
Illustration of a young boy writing in a notepad with Algebra equations floating all around him
iStock/Getty