It just doesn't add up

As the month of April closes, I can't forget to celebrate Math Education Month. However, based on recent reports of US math skills, there is not a lot to celebrate about math education in the US. The story is not that new either, based on my first job experience as a secondary mathematics teacher in south Texas. I was shocked to learn that so many ninth graders in my school could not perform the basic arithmetic operations with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. Many had been promoted from elementary and junior high schools without the math skills. The class had many from Mexico too -- whose math skills are lower than US students. Plus, many of the students were in migrant farming families and did not attend all the school year. There was a lot of pressure to teach the basic objectives for the annual test scheduled in the spring and to raise the school's scores in math. However, I recall barely making it through the first half of the objectives before the months of review sessions were scheduled in preparation for the exam. I had hoped that progress could be demonstrated. There was pressure to also lower failure rates by the school administration. I guess there was an expectation that in seven short months I could raise their math proficiencies from the third grade level to the ninth grade level. However, both I and my department head knew that many in my introductory math classes would again be assigned to the class the next year. It was a very frustrating experience.

It was frustrating to me also while working on my math degree in college. I grew up in a rural community and attended a small school where you could attend all twelve grades at the same site. Only the basic mathematics courses were taught in high school there, including algebra I, algebra II, and geometry. That's it. I recall being told that we had to find 8 students who would take trigonometry and then petition the county school board to get that class scheduled at my school. When I attended college on a special summer program for high school juniors, I took college trigonometry. I later completed two semesters of calculus, with students who had completed calculus courses in high school. I was learning things for the first time -- no basic foundation due to the limitations of my school district -- unlike the other students. I worked hard and competed with the students from the city schools and successfully finished the degree in mathematics. I had a great professor who had a unique method of teaching -- a rather old fashioned approach that ensured you learned in each session and demonstrated you could apply what you learned.

I was hoping that the hit CBS show NUMB3RS would instill some interest in mathematics across the public. I was excited to learn about the math education initiative, We All Use Math Every Day, led by Texas Instruments in partnership with CBS and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). However, I don't yet see updates for the most recent post-writer's-strike 2008 episodes. Check out this program and encourage your children's school to participate.

I don't know what the solution is to our math crisis in America. However, I have some opinions:

• Develop national standards on learning objectives for mathematics in each of the grade levels
  
• Evaluate the approaches included in the curricula and textbooks used today. The video of M J McDermott demonstrates some of the approaches used across text books. It is quite scarey to me. The newest approaches may not be the best approaches. I would not be the first to suggest throwing away the new math.
  
• Devote more time to the study of mathematics and science
  
• Develop specialized training for mathematics teachers
  
• Provide to them the tools they need, including computers, software, and online education modules
  
• Create crash courses in educational methods for mathematicians and engineers from industry and let them work under the guidance of an educational professional due to the shortage of math teachers.
  
• Set up math and science labs in the schools to utilize the math and science skills of specialized teachers across multiple classes, similar to the computer labs in many schools
  
• Encourage philanthropists to throw some money into the educational system to improve math teaching methodologies, to provide the resources needed, and to create programs to help raise math proficiency (Just think of what Bill Gates' and Oprah Winfrey's money could do to help the education system!)
  
• Schedule after school programs and summer programs for math educators and math education for students
  
• Make math education fun -- use creative teaching approaches with emphasis on realworld applications so that students see the value
  
• Review and test one of the "fast math skill" approaches with a set of students to see if we can really quickly bridge the gap and instill some confidence in our students
  
• Pay off college student loans for mathematicians and scientists who will choose to work in the public education system for five years following graduation and are successful in raising mathematics skills
  
• Raise the pay for teachers of mathematics and science who are successful -- to make it competitive with industry
  
• Establish a partnership between schools and industry -- where professionals from industry can participate in mentoring, in tutoring, in math and engineering camps, and in special class sessions
  
• Create programs where math and science teachers work for industry in the summer to learn realworld applications and to establish partnerships between industry and education
  
• Study what the other countries are doing that make them successful and test changes in the US educational system
  
• Establish partnerships with other countries and host math educators from those countries in conferences to learn about their approaches
  
• There's a link between music and mathematics -- bring music back into the school system and watch math proficiency improve
  
• Establish incentives for US companies which help educational systems improve math education
  
• Establish incentives for US companies which hire US mathematicians and engineers -- rather than offshoring that work. Or, penalize them for sending that work overseas -- many are not choosing those careers because they do not feel there will be US jobs available
  
• Make math sexy -- not all people who use mathematics are geeky people. Generally mathematicians have great career options -- which generally means that they have funds for the fun in their lives.

To lighten things up a bit, here are some favorite videos from YouTube that you may enjoy:
Mathmaticious, a mathematical parody of Fergie's Fergalicious
As posted on YouTube by SumersetInc

More videos...

• New Math, an award winning video
  
• Math Infomercial
  
• Mathematical genius, a funny clip from an old movie
  
• "Say that funky number, math guy" music video

Today, I encourage you to do the math yourself and evaluate how YOU can help solve the math crisis in America