Declining Math
Education in U.S.
Research Illustration
October 26th, 2016
Emma Rubin
Table of Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Subtopic 1
Source Description 1
Source Description 2
Source Description 3
Source Description 4
Synthesis Paragraph 1
7.
Subtopic 2
8. Source Description 5
9. Source Description 6
10. Synthesis Paragraph 2
11. Subtopic 3
12. Source Description 7
13. Source Description 8
14. Synthesis Paragraph 3
Subtopic #1: What is/are the cause(s) of
declining math education?
"Yes" source titles + source authors and each author's key credentials:
1. Thomas S. Dee; PhD at Stanford School of Education and Brian Jacob; Nonresident Senior
Fellow - Economic Studies, Center on Children and Families (University of Michigan) : The
Impact of No Child Left Behind on Achievement
2. Bret G. Range Carleton R. Holt University of Wyoming, John Pijanowski University of
Wyoming, Carleton R. Holt University of Arkansas, Suzie Young University of Wyoming: The
Perceptions of Primary Grade Teachers and Elementary Principals about the Effectiveness of
Grade-Level Retention
3. Michael Marder Professor of Physics Co-Director of UTeach University of Texas, Austin:
Failure of U.S. Public Secondary Schools in Mathematics
4. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
Source Description:
Thomas S. Dee; PhD at Stanford School of Education and Brian Jacob; Nonresident Senior
Fellow - Economic Studies, Center on Children and Families (University of Michigan) : The
Impact of No Child Left Behind on Achievement
The authors collect statistical data based on the NAEP exams for 4th and 8th graders in every state
since before NCLB (No Child Left Behind) was passed in 2001. The authors examine every factor
including the race and socioeconomic status of the students. The authors use several statistical
models to support their claims. The authors focused their research on 4th grade math performance
in every state. The authors conclude that the results of No Child Left Behind are mixed: According
to the data, NCLB increased 4th grade math proficiency by 27%. However, 60% of 4th graders still
fail to meet the standards laid out by NCLB. Additionally, the study did point out that NCLB had
less of an impact on 8th graders. This means that NCLB is not that far-reaching.
Source Description:
Bret G. Range, John Pijanowski University of Wyoming, Carleton R. Holt University of Arkansas, Suzie
Young University of Wyoming: The Perceptions of Primary Grade Teachers and Elementary
Principals about the Effectiveness of Grade-Level Retention
This article discusses a survey that was conducted amongst both teachers and administrators on the
subject of grade retention. Most administrators and teachers were in agreement that students should be
retained due to academic performance. Not only that, but they also expressed that more parental
involvement would probably help to prevent such a measure from having to be implemented. However,
more teachers than administrators agreed retention helps prevent future failure and maintain standards,
helps teachers provide additional math support, and motivates students to attend school.
Source Description
Michael Marder Professor of Physics Co-Director of UTeach University of
Texas, Austin: Failure of U.S. Public Secondary Schools in Mathematics
• Marder argues that one of the threats to math education in the public school is poverty. Marder
makes the argument that no one else is willing to make: it doesn’t matter how good a teacher is, if
the students have a hectic home life, then they are not going to perform according to standards.
He makes his argument by pulling up SAT scores amongst Texan high schoolers: Marder counts
the number of impoverished schools by calculating the concentration of students eligible for free
and reduced-priced meals. He compared the SAT scores of these schools to those earned by
schools that are considered more affluent. “…among schools where less than 15% of the
students are eligible for free and reduced meals, there are virtually none where fewer than 20% of
the students graduate college-ready. Conversely, among schools where more than 85% of the
students are eligible for free and reduced meals, there are none where more than 20% of the
students graduate college-ready. In short, the least successful schools serving the wealthy do
better than the most successful schools serving the poor.”
Source Description
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
• The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 was passed in order to
bolster standards in the U.S. public school system. This law calls for annual
tests for every student in reading and math in grades 3 through 8, plus one in
high school.
Synthesis Paragraph #1
Thomas S. Dee and Brian Jacob explain the effect of the NCLB Act on U.S.
education. They use data to explain if the law is actually accomplishing what it was
written to accomplish. They concluded that NCLB doesn’t really do much to improve
the situation. Despite the fact that NCLB has been proven to not have a significant
effect on performance, high stakes testing is still being used in order to enforce the law.
Marder and Range, Holt, Pijanowski, Young point to causes outside of poor
legislation. Marder explains that poverty amongst U.S. students also leads to poor
achievement. This is not something that NCLB can fix—the law cannot change a
student’s home life. Range, Holt, Pijanowski, Young explain that retention is also an
indicator of student failure. The issue is that fewer students are being retained when it
is necessary to do so. This is due to bureaucratic pressure to pass students along,
regardless of ability. This is one of effects of NCLB.
Subtopic #2: Discussion of the effects of poor
math education, e.g. long-term effects
5. Jeffrey Mervis; Senior Correspondent at Science magazine: U.S. Math Tests
Don't Line Up
6. Jessica S. Howell; Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at
California State University, Sacramento: What Influences Students’ Need for
Remediation in College? Evidence from California
Source Description
Jeffrey Mervis; Senior Correspondent at Science magazine: U.S. Math Tests
Don't Line Up
Since the 1990’s math knowledge of US high school seniors has sunken. These seniors are at a
serious disadvantage if they plan on entering university. This article provides statistics: 1) the
last three NAEP tests show that less high school students have basic math skills. 2) There is
still a persisting racial gap in test scores.
The example given is the last 3 NAEP tests that were administered to high school seniors in
1996, 2000, and 2005. After seeing poor test results in the most recent test, the NCES
(National Center of Education and Statistics) have decided that the most recent exam was
simply written poorly. However, when all three exams are examined on the basis of similar test
questions, there is a noticeable trend: the number of students that lack a basic understanding in
math have jumped from 31% to 39%. For different races, the numbers are even more
depressing. Because the country has not made a serious commitment to forming a rigorous
curriculum, nothing will change.
Source Description
Jessica S. Howell; Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at California State
University, Sacramento: What Influences Students’ Need for Remediation in College? Evidence
from California
The article explores the enormous demand for remediation in college in core subjects like math and
English. The author also discusses the impact of such a phenomenon on the economy and the
quality of education. “According to the U.S. Department of Education, 75% of postsecondary
institutions in the United States offer remedial courses in mathematics and English, catering to the
28% of first-time college freshmen at both two- and four-year postsecondary institutions who lack
the skills necessary to perform college-level work.” (Howell, 2011) Howell also pointed out that this
kind of demand for remediation will put a serious strain on taxpayers as they cover the cost of these
courses in public universities. “Current estimates of the cost of remediation suggest that public
four-year colleges and universities spent in the range of $435–543 million dollars in 2004–05 on
remedial instruction, and that the total cost to students attending two-year or four-year institutions
in the same year was about $708–886 million in remedial education tuition and fees.” (Howell, 2011)
This article also drew a connection between educator experience in K-12 and the percentage of
remediation. The author suggests that more should be done to retain experienced teachers in the
public schools.
Synthesis Paragraph #2
Mervis discusses how, according to the last three NAEP tests, fewer high school
seniors actually have basic math skills. In Mervis’s sample, the number of students that
lack these skill jumped from 31% to 39%. Mervis says that this trend will lead to poor
preparation for college and the workforce. Howell brings up statistics that prove
Mervis’s point: a poor K-12 education will lead to a frustrating college experience. If
students are not well-prepared for college (which is a qualifier for any high-level
employment), then they will have to take many remedial classes to make up for what
the public schools are supposed to accomplish. In public universities, this can lead to
higher costs for taxpayers to pay for these remediation programs.
Subtopic 3: What can be done to fix the
system?
7. Scott Freeman, Sarah L. Eddy, Miles McDonough, Michelle K. Smith,
Nnadozie Okoroafor, Hannah Jordt, and Mary Pat Wenderoth Department of
Biology, University of Washington and School of Biology and Ecology,
University of Maine: Active Learning increases student performance in science,
engineering, and mathematics
8. The Benefits of Formative Assessments for Teaching and Learning by Nora
Bakula, Math and Science Instructor in Missouri public schools
Source Description:
Scott Freeman, Sarah L. Eddy, Miles McDonough, Michelle K. Smith, Nnadozie Okoroafor, Hannah
Jordt, and Mary Pat Wenderoth Department of Biology, University of Washington and School of Biology
and Ecology, University of Maine: Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering,
and mathematics
The article discusses research that proves that active learning in undergraduate
classrooms improves retention. According the study, active learning increases
examination performance by just under half a standard deviation and that
lecturing increases failure rates by 55%. The study also found that active
learning is particularly beneficial in small classes. The study was conducted with
a sample of 29,300 students with data on failure rates. The failure rate of this
sample averaged 33.8% under traditional lecturing and 21.8% under active
learning. This means that 3,516 fewer students would have failed these STEM
courses under active learning.
Source Description
The Benefits of Formative Assessments for Teaching and Learning
Nora Bakula, Math and Science Instructor in Missouri public schools
Bakula presents research that supports an alternative to high-stakes testing. It is called
Formative Assessment, and it allows teachers to pool data and to figure out which
skills their students are struggling to learn. Formative tests can come in a variety of
forms including oral assessments or quizzes. These formative assessments are
performed in order to fix problems before annual district tests are conducted. This
research study was conducted with a sample of 95 seventh-grade students. Out of the
six formative assessments given to students, only one was performance based, and the
rest were more traditional pen/paper assessments. All students received some sort of
remediation of certain concepts based on the results of the formative assessments.
Over a 30-day period 84% of student answers were categorized as high or proficient,
6% at medium, and 11% at low.
Synthesis Paragraph #3
The way to improve education is by introducing different methods of teaching
into the classroom, e.g. stop teaching for high stakes exams. One of the
proposed methods is to use active learning rather than the traditional lecture.
This method has been tested in universities in the STEM field with promising
results. This is supported by Bakula’s experience. She found that
tailoring/adjusting her lessons and assessments in order to suit the needs of her
students helped them improve. NCLB does not give teachers this kind of
feedback. Both sources show that the only way to pass on information
effectively is though constant review and feedback.