What constitutes quality mathematics instruction? And, if we don’t have it in schools now, how do we get it? In this Education Week Commentary, Jere Confrey warns that setting standards will not be enough to raise mathematics achievement. Testing must accompany standards and, even then, the task of fixing American mathematics education will not be complete.
The missing piece is improvement in how the subject is taught. This improvement of the “instructional core” requires long-term, strategic federal investment and action, as well as national recognition, writes Confrey. Lacking federal funding and a comprehensive plan to improve instruction, math achievement will continue to flounder.
What do you think? Could federal policies aimed at strengthening the instructional core improve mathematics achievement?
