Opinion
Education Letter to the Editor

Makeup of Math Panel Shows ‘Glaring Oversight’

June 13, 2006 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

I was relieved to read in your May 24, 2006, article “Some Worry About Potential Bias on the National Math Panel” that there are others who are concerned about the backgrounds of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel’s members.

I am a middle school mathematics teacher with over 30 years of experience, and I am certain that it would be helpful to have more classroom teachers represented on the panel. Moreover, as a teacher of students who speak English as a second language, I am disappointed that there are no panelists who have expertise in both reaching students who are English-language learners and teaching mathematics.

The educational needs of this growing population must be addressed if the charge of the panel is to be completed in a meaningful way. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 3.4 million students with limited English proficiency in 2000. Over 70 percent of these students are Spanish-speakers.

It is my hope that this glaring oversight in the composition of the panel will be corrected, and that the mathematical needs of Hispanic students will be an important part of the panel’s deliberations.

Bob McDonald

Tempe, Ariz.

A version of this article appeared in the June 14, 2006 edition of Education Week as Makeup of Math Panel Shows ‘Glaring Oversight’

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read