This report describes a three-year project aimed at improving mathematics education in grades 6-9 in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of the project was to enhance mathematical knowledge and improve the instructional skills of middle school mathematics teachers (n=58) through an innovative teacher enhancement program. Since the middle school years…

The curriculum framework for mathematics identifies beliefs about math, general and specific student outcomes, and illustrative examples agreed upon by the six jurisdictions of Western Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and the Northwest Territories). The intent is to communicate clearly high expectations…

This booklet contains a series of articles outlining the problem with developmental mathematics training in the United States, with comments from numerous educators and high-ranking business executives. Solutions to improving mathematics training are offered as the result of research from the Continuous Sequence in Basic Mathematics (CSBM)…

The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (ENC) helps teachers by offering a broad assortment of services that enable them to quickly locate educational resources. This document is one in a series of print catalogs designed to give educators information about curriculum resources available for teaching math and…

This document provides a history of mathematics education and the reforms that have taken place in the past in order to understand current reform. Information is presented on setting the stage for current reform efforts and issues. Reviewing mathematics education history is necessary when seeking possible solutions that are realistic for the…

Manipulatives are being used more frequently in primary school mathematics teaching and learning. This paper calls for a continuing research program including the role and acceptance of manipulatives in secondary school mathematics classes. It also seeks to identify and justify current teacher usage of concrete materials (manipulatives) in…

The reform of elementary and secondary school mathematics education in the United States has received renewed attention with the publication of several mathematics reform documents and the 1989 Education Summit sponsored by the nation's governors and President Bush. This digest lists documents and programs in four areas: (1) curriculum and…

The basic problem which motivated this study is that the present universal support given the teaching of mathematics has led to a neglect of the justification question. That is, we are sometimes careless in presenting rationales for teaching mathematics and do not adequately consider the consequences of invoking particular rationales. The major…

Tomorrow's school math program will continue emphasis on sequential, systematic, and structured teaching using a variety of programs, working in settings of individualizing through small-group instruction in a socio-emotional climate reflecting the new humanism. (Author)

This booklet was designed to increase awareness about the metric system. Why the metric system is being used increasingly is described. Pictures illustrate simple comparisons of the most commonly used units of the metric and customary systems. Calculations using both systems are compared through presentation of three problems. Next, everyday units…

This collection of brief essays covers a range of topics pertaining to mathematics education thought by the author to be of relevance. These include thoughts on: philosophy of education, noting diverse schools of thought; goals, noting ways to organize mathematics instruction; process objectives, with a brief list of objectives and comments on…

This paper provides a general overview of the forces that contributed to the rise and fall of the "new math" movement. It is noted that the movement developed as a response to certain problems in mathematics education; these problems remain to be solved. Some small-scale successes were achieved, from which we can learn. The answer to…

Assessment data and other research findings on fractions are briefly reviewed. These indicate that students are able to add and subtract fractions but have substantial difficulty finding and using common denominators. Selected results for nine-year-olds from the first and second national assessments of mathematics are used to portray what students…

This article reports the development of a mathematics course using the mastery learning model and a study of the relationship between learning rate and verbal and quantitative aptitudes. (Author)