Saturday, November 13, 2010

Queens Teacher: Is Reform Math Causing Our International Ranking to Plummet?

Queens Teacher: Is Reform Math Causing Our International Ranking to Plummet?

Is Reform Math Causing Our International Ranking to Plummet?

Have you researched your child’s math text lately?
By Beth Schultz
Published:
Friday, September 11, 2009

Does your child use the K-6 “Everyday Math”? (RSU1, RSU5, Yarmouth, etc.) If so, Google “Everyday Math Controversy” and research it.

The Everyday Math text chooses not to teach traditional long division. According to the Teacher’s Edition: “It is simply counter-productive to invest many hours of precious class time on such algorithms. The mathematical payoff is not worth the cost, particularly because quotients can be found quickly and accurately with a calculator.”

Everyday Math, however, teaches only to the state standards (Maine’s standards received a “D” grade by the