News

Math Education Inadequate in the U.S.

A new report discusses the math education of students in the U.S. and finds much lacking. The nonprofit organization Education Trust found that despite overall gains in math achievement at the fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades over the last several years, these gains are largely attributable to math education in the elementary grades—high school math achievement has declined.

Contact: Theresa Clarke
Education Policy Studies NGA

Education Trust recommends that state and local leaders at the K-12 and higher education levels must engage in a coordinated effort to improve math experiences in the U.S.

Other highlights of the report include:

* In 2000, 26 percent of fourth-graders perform at or above the proficient level in math.

* More than half of all African American and Latino fourth-graders perform below the basic level. By grade twelve, more than half of Latino students and almost 70 percent of African American students perform below basic.

* There is a shrinking supply of math teachers, stemming from a 50 percent decline in math degrees since 1971.

* In the countries participating in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), an average of 71 percent of eighth grade math teachers were math majors in college, as opposed to 41 percent in the U.S.

Related Links:

* Education Trust Press Release http://www.edtrust.org/main/news/10_30_02_AddITUp.asp

* Full Report: ‘Add it Up: Math Education in the U.S. Does Not Compute’
(pdf) http://www.edtrust.org/main/documents/k16_summer02.pdf

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