Time To Solve the Math Education Equation

By Madge Goldman

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study, one of the most ambitious studies of school achievement in math and science ever undertaken, reports that American 12th graders placed last in comparison with the rest of the world. ( "U.S. Seniors Near Bottom in World Test," March 4, 1998.) What kind of indifference to America's public good has allowed such a thing to happen?

On the record, the country's political leaders have been anything but indifferent. Consider the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, passed by Congress with much fanfare in 1994. The act called on our educational system to solidify American leadership of this "age of technology" by raising student achievement in science and math into first place in the world by the year 2000. The U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation were directed to target projects in the hundreds of millions of dollars in pursuit of this goal. The educational battle cry was to "Rethink! Reform!" Standards for science and math were revised; conferences disseminated information on newly developed curricula, materials, and methods of instruction; enhanced training for preservice and in-service teachers was supported. At the same time, most states were implementing their own standards for a variety of subjects and rewarding teachers for strengthening their professional training.

Thus, the 12th grade TIMSS result, placing the United States in the world cellar for math and science, comes as a rude shock. Just what has been going on here between the K and the 12? Shock is still being felt, while constructive...