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Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > October > 14
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Latest evidence: U.S. not up to par in math
Writing about a new study, the New York Times says American culture does not value math and therefore our kids’ math skills do not compare with cultures that do. This is particularly damaging to girls. The study found girls with exceptional math talent are rarely identified early and their skills are not nurtured. As a result, professional women in the U.S. who have jobs requiring high level math skills are almost always foreign born.
This stunning report comes from the American Mathematical Society. I must tell you, I feel this effect in my experience. As a non-math oriented professional, my own math skills don’t extend much beyond the elementary. I can help my three daughters with subjects like English, history and to some extent in science, but I end up on shaky ground pretty quickly in math.
My sense is the top math students at my local elementary are getting a lot of extra help at home from math oriented parents. But I am relying on the school for that, and I am not sure it will be enough for my daughters to make it professional in high tech fields. At school, math instruction seems to remain at a pretty elementary level. This is troubling, because those jobs pay well and I’d like them to have that as an option.
What is your experience with math instruction?
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