Put two and two together

This article criticizes the Everyday Mathematics curriculum used by the NYC public schools ("Everyday Math systematically downplays addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, which everyone knows are the foundations for all higher math."), but I'm not so sure it's well-founded.  The U.S. Dept of Education founded in 2002 the What Works Clearinghouse (www.whatworks.ed.gov) .  In the elementary school math category, Everyday Mathematics is one of two products for which there are studies on the web site. Of the four studies of EM that "met evidence standards with reservations", the finding was that "Everyday Mathematics was found to have potentially positive effects on students' mathematics achievement."  Here's a link to the full report on EM:

 

http://www.whatworks.ed.gov/PDF/Intervention/WWC_Everday_Math_091406.html

 

The only other program for which there was a study that met evidence standards,

Scott Foresman–Addison Wesley Elementary Mathematics, the finding (based on one study) was that "Scott Foresman–Addison Wesley Elementary Mathematics was found to have no discernible effects on students’ math achievement."  http://www.whatworks.ed.gov/PDF/Intervention/WWC_Scott_Foresman_Wesley_092806.html

 

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Put two and two together

By ELIZABETH CARSON Guest Columnist EdNews.org | Published  Yesterday | Daily EdNews , Curriculum , K-12 | Rating:

http://www.ednews.org/articles/3072/1/Put-two-and-two-together/Page1.html Here's a math problem for you: Count the excuses people are trotting out for why schoolkids in New York City and State did poorly in the latest round of math scores. The results showed just 57% of the city's and 66% of the state's students performing at grade level - and a steady decline in achievement as kids got older.