Learning and Life Skills

"Algebra for All" experiment in the schools appears to miss the mark

  based on a series of studies highlighted in a recent Education Week article: Early-Algebra Push Seen to be Flawed". Education Week, February 10, 2010.

The first of the studies mentioned, (Arkansas and Texas), found that students are not more likely to be college or career-ready even after making it through math courses beyond Algebra 2.

The next, a report on the Chicago public schools' emphasis to include more students in algebra courses, resulted in increased failure rates with no improvement on test scores.  More concerning is that "the students were no more likely to attend college when they left the system" than they were before the algebra push.

Key Tips for Parents from the National Mathematics Advisory Panel 2008 Report

On March 13, 2008, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel presented Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel to the President of the United States and the Secretary of Education.

The Panel issued recommendations to parents, explaining how they can help their children learn mathematics.  They are:

Mathematics Education Begins at Home
 
"In the early years, your child has an opportunity to jump-start his or her mathematics learning through informal activities. Talking about mathematics in a positive manner and involving your child in activities that incorporate basic mathematical concepts will lay the foundation for your child’s success in mathematics at the preschool and elementary school levels. 

Before kindergarten, most children can acquire considerable knowledge of numbers and other core mathematical concepts. For example, young children can understand certain basic aspects about fractions, like sharing half a sandwich with a friend.

The more mathematical knowledge that kindergartners bring with them to school, the greater their chances for success in mathematics in elementary, middle, and high school. "