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Despite being the inventing country of the Internet, the US is not satisfied with its current state in Internet speed and broadband adoption. Although, more students, teachers and researchers in the US use Internet than any other country in the world, it is not satisfactory for the US educators and legislators to maintain US competitiveness in the achievement of science, mathematics and technology. Another alarming situation is that the mean scores in science and mathematics of US, students are lower than expected. Even with coherent action taken by the government and various institutions, the US cannot produce a sufficient number of experts in science, mathematics and technology fields to meet national and global needs. These situations are not satisfactory for educators and legislators to reach US education goals. To improve this situation, President Obama's government has taken several action plans. This paper presents a closer look at US science, mathematics and technology education as well as the President's plan to improve the situation. Conclusions are made regarding whether the US plan is too ambitious as well as whether the vision is comprehensive enough but still possible to execute. (Contains 1 table.)

This paper draws from a broad study that explored mathematics teachers’ engagement with textbooks within the Lesson Study context. In the current paper, we report on teachers’ use of mathematics textbook activities to inform their instructional decisions during collaborative lesson planning of numeric and geometric patterns. The study took place within the Lesson Study (LS) context – a teacher development practice that emphasises, inter alia, collaborative lesson planning. Data was collected by observing teachers during collaborative lesson planning and through interviews. Data analysis was informed by the Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) framework and Modes of teacher engagement with the textbook. Findings suggest that teachers’ instructional decisions are mainly stimulated by the textbooks, teachers use textbook activities with fidelity, and they seldom adapt the activities drawn from the textbooks. However, where adaptation occurs teachers do it superficially. We contend that the capacity to conduct in-depth interrogation of the text is a derivative of mathematics subject matter knowledge (SMK) as well as pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Therefore, the widespread adoption of text without interrogation could be indicative of the lack of requisite content knowledge and pedagogical skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The authors examined a tablet computer application (iPad app) for its effectiveness in helping students studying pre-algebra to solve mathematical word problems. Methods: Forty-three visually impaired students (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) completed eight alternating mathematics units presented using their traditional literacy medium or an iPad app. Twenty percent of the mathematics problems included graphics such as maps, line graphs, and bar graphs. During each session, teachers of visually impaired students rated the amount of support they provided for students and the student motivation. Results: Students answered more mathematics problems correctly when using the iPad app and, overall, teachers reported that their students were more motivated with the app than with their traditional literacy medium. Students often used the hints provided in the app when they did not solve a problem correctly the first time. Discussion: Visually impaired students and their teachers found the app and graphics to be easy to use and motivating. The built-in Scratch pad was used by almost all students who were print users. Implications for practitioners: The study results contribute to the growing body of knowledge about the potential value of tablet-type devices for use by visually impaired students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past forty years, United States school districts have increasingly hired mathematics specialists to support the teaching and learning of mathematics. Despite the prevalence of this professional development structure, this is a relatively new research topic for the mathematics education field. In this paper, we report findings from an exploration of literature between 1981 and 2018 to examine the role of mathematics specialists (MSs). In particular, we examine: (a) MS positioning across research; (b) historical trends of school‐based MS research; and (c) orientations of school‐based MSs within research. Using the McGatha and Rigelman framework as an analytic lens, we found that beyond the positions identified in their framework (coach, intervention specialist, teacher), there were four additional MS positionings within the research (learner, other p‐12 stakeholder, university stakeholder, unknown). Ultimately, we forward an expansion to the McGatha and Rigelman framework to include these new categories, as well as contextual descriptions and working definitions to support future research in more accurately and robustly capturing the ways in which MSs are investigated and reported on in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within-class ability grouping (WCAG) is widely used in elementary mathematics instruction in the United States, yet it has drawn criticism on the grounds that it can inequitably limit the learning opportunities of some students, not least because of its connection to between-class ability grouping (BCAG) that is more common in middle or secondary schooling. Meanwhile, some high achieving countries use relatively little ability grouping in elementary school in comparison to the United States. In this paper, we draw on qualitative data from a series of assignments in four sections of an elementary mathematics methods course in the beginning teacher education programme at a United States university. These assignments were designed to explore the potential of using preservice teachers' (PSTs') memories of and experiences with ability grouping in their own schooling to support critical reflection about the possible negative consequences of within-class ability grouping practices. We found that while many PSTs reported negative personal experiences with ability grouping in mathematics, they often remained uncritical when reflecting on the use of ability grouping in the elementary classes they visited as part of their teacher education programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examine the relationship between teacher meanings and conventions. • Teachers often do not dissociate conventions from logico-mathematical operations. • We provide implications for teaching in relation to conventions of graphing. In this paper, we use relevant literature and data to motivate a more detailed look into relationships between what we perceive to be conventions common to United States (U.S.) school mathematics and individuals' meanings for graphs and related topics. Specifically, we draw on data from pre-service (PST) and in-service (IST) teachers to characterize such relationships. We use PSTs' responses during clinical interviews to illustrate three themes: (a) some PSTs' responses implied practices we perceive to be conventions of U.S. school mathematics were instead inherent aspects of PSTs' meanings; (b) some PSTs' responses implied they understood certain practices in U.S. school mathematics as customary choices not necessary to represent particular mathematical ideas; and (c) some PSTs' responses exhibited what we or they perceived to be contradictory actions and claims. We then compare our PST findings to data collected with ISTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem Statement: The acquisition of certain mathematical skills is part of many curricula around the world. These skills involve problem-solving, effective use of mathematics in daily life, thinking logically and systematically, taking risks and making decisions. The US National Council of Teachers of Mathematics ([NCTM], 1991) relates these skills to mathematical power. Knowledge construction and abstraction might have an impact on mathematical power. In this paper, the primary concern is with the construction of new knowledge structures rather than with consolidation or abstraction for that matter. Recognizing, Building-with, and Constructing (RBC hereafter) theory of abstraction provides a particularly useful framework in achieving a detailed examination of the new mathematical constructions through epistemic actions. Therefore, this paper, with reference to the RBC epistemic actions, examines the knowledge construction process of students with different mathematical power. Purpose of Study: The purpose of the study is to explain the similarities and differences between the knowledge construction processes of 6th grade students with different mathematical power. Methods: A case study was used as the main research approach. The mathematical power scale was applied to 282 students. The case study was conducted with four students who were chosen purposefully among them. The RBC theory of abstraction was used as an analytical tool. The patterns noticed in the case study were determined and interpreted. Findings and Results: According to findings, it was seen that the students with low mathematical power, whose knowledge constructing processes were examined, could recognize structures while they could not building with and constructing. When observing that the students with low mathematical power have low communication, connection and reasoning skills, in general, it can be said that for building-with and constructing, it is important to have these three skills. The students who reflected themselves and used the feedback to continue had high mathematical power. They also were able to construct mathematical knowledge more quickly. Conclusions and Recommendations: The RBC theory of abstraction can be useful in explaining the relationship between the components of mathematical power and other mental activities. For this purpose, the usage of the RBC theory of abstraction in the mathematical knowledge construction process in the classroom can be proposed as a new study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite widespread agreement that proof should be central to all students' mathematical experiences, many students demonstrate poor ability with it. The curriculum can play an important role in enhancing students' proof capabilities: teachers' decisions about what to implement in their classrooms, and how to implement it, are mediated through the curriculum materials they use. Yet, little research has focused on how proof is promoted in mathematics curriculum materials and, more specifically, on the guidance that curriculum materials offer to teachers to enact the proof opportunities designed in the curriculum. This paper presents an analytic approach that can be used in the examination of the guidance curriculum materials offer to teachers to implement in their classrooms the proof opportunities designed in the curriculum. Also, it presents findings obtained from application of this approach to an analysis of a popular US reform-based mathematics curriculum. Implications for curriculum design and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mathematics education community has been widely recognized as a leader in the standards-based reform movement. Despite the widespread interest and attention that reform documents such as the NCTM Standards have generated. what has yet to he fully understood is the impact of these types of reform documents on the preservice teacher preparation process. This paper examines the state of the standards-based reform effort in mathematics teacher education by presenting the results of a three-year study of six cohorts of secondary mathematics student teachers (n = 63). Examined in particular are the ways in which these student teachers' professed beliefs about and knowledge of the NCTM Standards contrast with their teaching practices. Possible explanations for the mismatch between belief and knowledge statements and teaching practices are examined, along with other implications for mathematics teacher preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the relationships between different aspects of mathematics engagement for 285 students in their first year of high school in the United States. Path Analyses were used to trace the relationships between students' self-reported prior motivation and appraisals of control and value of mathematics, perceptions of teacher support and peer support. These variables and observed teacher and peer support as coded from video by researchers, were examined as potentially impacting students' self-reported in-the moment affect and task-level control and value appraisals Our results showed three key contributions. First, significant paths corresponded to relationships predicted by Control Value Theory (CVT) across a particularly robust set of variables and over the course of their first semester in high school. Second, results added further nuance by considering the objects that students' in-the-moment emotions were directed toward, showing distinctions between positive and negative emotions directed at the mathematics task, students' teachers and peers, and selves. Third, results more closely considered the impact of both observed and perceived aspect of support from peers and teachers in the classroom, in both its academic and social forms. Implications are discussed for theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Across the world, mathematical expressions are represented very differently in braille. The aim of this study was (1) to gain an overall insight in mathematical braille notations and (2) to investigate how mathematical braille notations support braille readers in reading and comprehending mathematical expressions. Method: Twenty teachers from sixteen countries (thirteen European Union, EU, and three non-EU) were asked to transform 21 mathematical expressions and equations into the mathematical braille notation currently used by their braille readers. Three mathematical expressions were selected, and the transformed expressions in the different braille notations were qualitatively compared at braille and mathematical structure level. Results: The results illustrated that most mathematical braille notations use mathematical structures that either support braille readers in getting an overview of an expression—for example, by announcing the start and end of a fraction—or facilitate communication between braille readers and people who can see. Discussion: The method of comparing transformed expressions at structure level can be extended to other types of mathematical expressions and other mathematical braille notations. Agreement on the structure of different mathematical expressions can be a first step towards a universal mathematical braille notation. Implications for Practitioners: Mathematics teachers should be aware of and use the strengths of the mathematical braille notation and try to compensate for weaknesses of the notation in the support of braille readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to integrate technology into instruction is among the characteristics of a competent mathematics teacher. Research indicates that the vast majority of teachers in Turkey believe the use of computers in education is important, but have limited knowledge and experience on how to use technology in their instruction. This paper describes the T-Math project (http://www.t-math.org), which adapted the InterMath (http://intermath.coe.uga.edu) knowledge base for mathematics teachers in the United States and developed relevant resources for professional development of Turkish mathematics teachers to guide them in constructing useful strategies for their students while developing as expert mathematics teachers. Examples of mathematical investigations adopted and developed in the T-Math project arc presented as well as the anticipated challenges and subsequent strategies for integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from 403 third graders were analyzed to determine relative and combined efficacy of group-administered Curriculum-Based Measures (CBMs) and Teacher Rankings of student reading and math performance taken early in the school year to predict end-of-year achievement scores. Teacher Rankings added to the power of CBMs to predict reading (R 2 change =.18) and math (R 2 change =.22). Combined CBMs and Teacher Rankings predicted at-risk status in reading (82%) and math (86%), based on logistic regression, and yielded strong area under the curve (AUC) statistics, defining risk status.88 (reading) and.82 (math). Surprisingly, Teacher Rankings yielded higher correlations with end-of-year scores than CBMs. Findings support using rankings as a simple, efficient strategy to add to the predictive power of CBMs readily available within a response to intervention (RTI) context and depicts a methodology school personnel can use to determine the relative/combined predictive power of CBMs and rankings. Of note, predictions based on Teacher Rankings vary across end-of-year performance levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given US students' lack of international competitiveness in mathematics and science, many states have adopted the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). To help ensure that the Standards for Mathematical Practice within the CCSSM and effective teaching practices are implemented appropriately, many teachers are emerging as teacher leaders with the intent of supporting teachers with this implementation. Unfortunately, not all of these teachers are necessarily prepared in the field of teacher leadership. Recognizing the importance of having well-prepared teacher leaders, this article describes the case of Ms. Hodges, as she transitioned from mathematics teacher to teacher leader. Data revealed that several factors affected Ms. Hodges' transition, some positively and others negatively. These results as well as implications for teacher leader development are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a learning design perspective on No Child Left Behind (NCLB), I examine how accountability policy shaped urban educators’ instructional sensemaking. Focusing on the role of policy-rooted classifications, I examine conversations from a middle school mathematics teacher team as a “best case” because they worked diligently to comply with the NCLB. Using discourse analysis, I identify instances of torque in their conversations: when educators’ compliance with accountability logics pulled them away from humanistic goals of education in ways that stood to exacerbate existing educational inequality. This article contributes to documentation on unintended consequences of accountability policies while identifying features that contribute to torque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research is a qualitative case study of pre-service teachers' experiences with a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) module during a middle level interdisciplinary course in the teaching of mathematics and science. Data were collected through document analysis of participant reflection journals (during six distinct stem tasks) and college curriculum as well as an analysis of researcher observations of the STEM activities. While the first and last tasks were reflective and designed to identify pre-existing STEM experiences and post-module knowledge, respectively, the other four STEM tasks simulated student-centered STEM activities common to the middle level classroom. The data were analyzed for patterns and significant experiences among participants. Findings indicated that participants perceived little to no experiences with STEM in K-12 education and other college courses despite contradicting data from required college coursework. As the module progressed, participants developed improved self-efficacy and expanded definitions for the teaching of STEM at the middle level. Future recommendations include more purposeful connection of teaching methodology and STEM content courses taught in isolation. Additional research is needed in more consistent and authentic STEM field placements for the continued growth and support of STEM in middle level teacher preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite widespread agreement that the activity of reasoning-and-proving should be central to all students' mathematical experiences, many students face serious difficulties with this activity. Mathematics textbooks can play an important role in students' opportunities to engage in reasoning-and-proving: research suggests that many decisions that teachers make about what tasks to implement in their classrooms and when and how to implement them are mediated by the textbooks they use. Yet, little is known about how reasoning-and-proving is promoted in school mathematics textbooks. In this article, I present an analytic/methodological approach for the examination of the opportunities designed in mathematics textbooks for students to engage in reasoning-and-proving. In addition, I exemplify the utility of the approach in an examination of a strategically selected American mathematics textbook series. I use the findings from this examination as a context to discuss issues of textbook design in the domain of reasoning-and-proving that pertain to any textbook series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important feature of the Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program of the National Science Foundation is to increase K-12 student achievement in math and science by increasing the quality, quantity, and diversity of the nation's K-12 math and science teachers. Because the underlying supply of math and science teachers is never directly observed, the central premise of this article is that an examination of the extent to which the MSP Program might impact the quantity and quality of math and science teachers requires careful thought and modeling. With that starting point, this study first develops a model that supports a premise that shifts in underlying supply can be inferred from shifts in the percentage of certified math teachers employed when (a) salaries are constrained to be below market clearing salaries and (b) uncertified or “out-of-field” certified teachers can compete as substitutes for certified math teachers. The study then tests the plausibility of the model using data from Texas and in so doing provides preliminary estimates of the extent to which a school or school district's MSP participation affected the supply of certified math teaches available to that school or district. The results, although inconclusive on the question of the labor supply effects of MSP participation by a school or school district, do suggest the reasonableness of the model for future work when more appropriate data will be available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act on elementary science education within a Midwestern state possessing strong national education measures. Elementary teachers (N = 164) responded to an online survey, which included both closed-ended and open-ended questions pertaining to science instruction and changes made in science instruction since the implementation of NCLB. More than half of these teachers indicated they have cut time from science instruction since NCLB became a law. The reason given for this decrease in science education was mainly the need to increase time for math and reading instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a study in which measures of mathematical knowledge for teaching developed in the United States were adapted to measure mathematical knowledge for teaching in Ireland. When adapting the measures it was not assumed that the mathematical knowledge used by Irish and U.S. teachers is the same. Instead psychometric and interview-based methods were used to determine a correspondence between the constructs being measured, and ensure the integrity of item performance in the Irish context. The study found overlap between the knowledge that is used to teach in both Ireland and the United States, and that the items tapped into this knowledge. However, specific findings confirm the usefulness of conducting extensive checks on the validity of items used in cross-national contexts. The process of adaptation is described to provide guidance for others interested in using the items to measure mathematical knowledge for teaching outside the United States. The process also enabled the authors to raise questions about the assumptions that lie behind the practice-based construct of mathematical knowledge for teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the findings of a survey conducted to determine which science, engineering, and math (SEM) majors during which years in their undergraduate education and from which academic performance levels are most interested in K-12 teaching. In the United States, there is a serious shortage of qualified math and science teachers. Troubled not only by recruitment, the science and math K-12 teaching field also suffers from flagging retention. Only 4% of new math and science teachers report foreseeing teaching as a longer-term career commitment. One result of the supply shortage of K-12 science and math teachers is the field's reported decline in content knowledge preparation. Nearly 32% of math and science teachers report majoring in neither math nor science. When disaggregated by discipline at the high school level, as of 1999, those without majors in their subject areas number 37% of biology teachers, 59% of physical science teachers, and 60% of math teachers. These unpromising statistics grow more extreme in middle schools and high-poverty public high schools, especially regarding math and physical sciences instruction.

Focuses on the efforts of classroom teachers to meet the needs of mathematically gifted students in the U.S. Characteristics of the gifted math students; Challenges for school districts; Role of student assessment in such efforts.

In this article, I present the results of an analysis of the relationship between teacher evaluation scores and student achievement on district and state tests in reading, mathematics, and science in a large Midwestern U.S. school district. Within a value-added framework, I correlated the difference between predicted and actual student achievement in science, mathematics, and reading for students in Grades 3 through 8 with teacher evaluation ratings. Small to moderate positive correlationships were found for most grades in each subject tested. When these correlationships were combined across grades within subjects, the average correlationships were .27 for science, .32 for reading, and .43 for mathematics. These results show that scores from a rigorous teacher evaluation system can be substantially related to student achievement and provide criterion-related validity evidence for the use of the performance evaluation scores as the basis for a performance-based pay system or other decisions with consequences for teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcripts from an undergraduate elementary mathematics methods class provide a story of students' struggle and transformation. As the teacher leads classroom discourse, students' thinking shifts from using remembering in mathematics to using logic and reasoning. The teacher reflects on the exchange and finds in it examples of major issues in mathematics education in the USA. Re-analysis of the exchange using Bakhtin's (1981) concept of 'appropriation' reveals the teacher's initial judgment of student resistance and lack of open-mindedness (Dewey, 1933) could be reinterpreted as a struggle for meaning. Reciprocal teacher and student growth results. Recommendations are made for faculty to reanalyse negative student responses, value and encourage them as necessary to learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that investigated the effect of arts infusion in university methods classes on pre-service teachers' choice to integrate arts into their curriculum as teachers. Information on initial arts integration projects; Discussion on attitudes towards arts of pre-service teachers; Integration of arts into the curriculum of the University of North Texas; Arts integration in social studies and mathematics methods classes.

Using data from the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), we examine the relationship between class size and eighth-grade math achievement in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, Iceland, Singapore, and the United States. Class sizes tend to be greater and more homogenous in centralized education systems compared with those in decentralized systems. The United States seems to be unique among the countries in our study. After controlling for possible confounding characteristics of the teacher, school, and classroom, in no other country than the United States did we find a beneficial effect of small classes. Contrary to our expectations, we also found little evidence that smaller or larger classes differ in the amount of curriculum taught or in the instructional practices of teachers. Except for the case of Hong Kong, neither curricular coverage nor instructional practices mediates the relationship between class size and math achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on an inquiry into what tends to he taken for granted with regard to the teaching and learning of mathematics. The inquiry, undertaken in the context of a course on methods for mathematics teaching. was developed around an examination of the mathematical notions that infuse conventional theories of cognition and that permeate the structures and practices of school mathematics. In particular, concepts drawn from or aligned with Euclidean geometry were examined. Specifically, alternatives drawn from fractal geometry were explored. The importance of interrogating the often-transparent figurative underpinnings of our thinking about thinking is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]