Examined aspects of early childhood environment related to developing mathematical concepts in three studies. Found that family day care providers rated math skills as less important than others, but believed skills were acquired the same way. Parents and providers reported similar frequencies for engaging children in math activities. Activity…

This reprint of an article on results of longitudinal studies of mathematically precocious youth is preceded by a commentary. The commentary stresses that results of the studies indicate that there is no evidence that accelerants lose interest in the area of acceleration or experience knowledge gaps. (Contains references.) (CR)

Presents a four-year longitudinal study that twice measured the attainments in self-esteem, reading, and mathematics of children, in Year 2 and Year 6. Reveals that attainments in mathematics were stable while reading comprehension attainments were significantly higher in Year 6. Suggests that self-esteem and school attainment are significantly…

Used data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study to examine "shadow education" (structured outside-school activities that mimic formal education) as a macro-phenomenon of modern schooling. Findings show shadow education to be prevalent worldwide, but generally remedial in nature, and usually driven by institutional…

Sfard and Thompson (1994) state that what matters most is that educators develop ways of thinking, teaching, and learning mathematics. This study introduced constructive habituation, a new strategy developed to aid both students and teachers in the thinking, teaching, and learning of mathematics. Constructive habituation attempts to unite…

There is a growing concern that governmental calls for parental involvement in children's school mathematics learning have not been underpinned by research. In this article the authors aim to offer a contribution to this debate. Links between children's home and school mathematical practices have been researched in sociocultural studies, but the…

For many decades Americans have been concerned about the effective teaching of mathematics, and educational and political leaders have often advocated reforms such as a return to the basics and strict accountability systems as the way to improve mathematical achievement. International studies, however, suggest that such reforms may not be the best…

Many people predicted that 2005 would be the year that schools nationwide began feeling the bite of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, as states ratcheted up their performance targets and more schools failed to meet those benchmarks. But such dire predictions are not playing out uniformly across the states. Of the 33 states and the District of…

This article reports the results of the evaluation on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's national high school initiative. The new evaluation offers a decidedly mixed picture of the early returns the foundation is getting from the roughly $1 billion it has invested in the initiative so far. The in-depth study, commissioned by the foundation,…

Many children read mathematics word problems and directly translate them to arithmetic operations. More sophisticated problem solvers transform word problems into object-based or mental models. Subsequent solutions are often qualitatively different because these models differentially support cognitive processing. Based on a conception of problem…

In the study reported here, I examined the diagrams that mathematically capable high school students produced in solving applied calculus problems in which a diagram was provided in the problem statement. Analyses of the diagrams contained in written solutions to selected free-response problems from the 1996 BC level Advanced Placement Calculus…

Investigations with the computer can have different functions in the mathematical learning process, such as to let students explore a subject domain, to guide the process of reinvention, or to give them the opportunity to apply what they have learned. Which function has most effect on mathematical level raising? We investigated that question in…

In this article we explore the application of Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC)-based cognitive assessment to school psychology practice. We review the theoretical literature to address both identification practices, with a focus on learning disabilities and mental retardation eligibility, and program development, with a focus on linking assessment to…

This study examined why female adolescents choose to opt out of the math pipeline during high school more often than males, which has implications for their long-term careers. (Contains 3 figures.)

In this article, the author talks about the dismal results in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests, brought about by the inadequacy of funds required by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Recently, chief school officers from 14 states, various state legislatures, and superintendents by the bushel have been loud in their…