You ask whether things have changed -- since math wasn't being taught well 40+ years ago either. You're absolutely right on that, but I believe it's only gotten worse over the years, as more and more math phobic people have gone into the field of education. These people never understood math well, so their teaching had to be based on rote following of procedures, etc. Then came "new math", which was an effort to reinvent math and make it more accessible. That bombed, and the efforts to reinvent continued.
What happened is that eventually those bright, math-phobic folks took over the education establishment. They reinvented math to be gentler, kinder, and more fun. Some of the hallmarks are: Small group problem solving, with students figuring our their own solutions to challenging problems. Visiting many topics for only a few weeks each year and moving on, regardless of whether any real mastery was attained. The thinking was/is that students will revisit the topics again in successive years, and will painlessly absorb the concepts. As appealing as these ideas are, it turns out that they don't work reliably, as evidenced by ensuing decline in achievement scores, skyrocketing tutoring businesses, as well as skyrocketing rates of remedial math in our colleges. This also turns out to be an extremely inefficient way to teach math; in order to have enough time to do all these hands-on projects in groups, the explanation of the underlying structure of math and practice with standard algorithms have all been abandoned.
It's been a grand experiment that has failed; the "discovery" books are confusing and inefficient. Now, the vast majority of students feel irritated and demoralized about math. Middle class whites can often afford tutoring, so they do better than minorities, but all are affected. It's been going on long enough so that we have statistics now to demonstrate that these "reform" books are making things worse than ever before. So, yes, things have changed. We're not even trying to teach math, we're teaching "pretend math" and lo and behold, very few are developing math skills. What most students have learned is that they don't know how to do real math; instead of gaining skills and knowledge, they've internalized the belief that they can't learn it.
Where did we go wrong? We never tackled the problem of teachers, particularly elementary teachers, who do not have a "profound understanding of fundamental mathematics." It turns out that teaching elementary math is really, really hard. Yet, teachers in China with way less education do it much better than we, primarily because they are carefully mentored by, and paired with, experts; this happens over years and years.
The reform approaches have added some very valuable elements to math education -- for example, use of physical objects ("manipulatives") in early grades to help students make the connection between concrete things and symbols. They've also introduced scads of wonderful problems. But the traditional books had a lot of very good math context that needed to be explicitly presented, and not left for students to "discover" on their own -- what discoveries are made in modern classrooms would need to be organized and carefully studied in order to be understood, and there's no time left for that. Besides, that would be seen as "boring" and "not kid-friendly."
So, IMHO, we need to get solid texts back in our classrooms and set about the very, very challenging task of helping teachers to learn real, hard core math. For example, such skills as adding and dividing fractions are mysterious to huge numbers of elementary teachers, yet these skills are really helpful in daily life, and essential to mastering algebra, which is nowadays the "gateway into the American economy."
So, that's as much of it as I can cram into a few paragraphs. Thanks for asking about this issue about which I'm so passionate.
Marty
P.S. The phrase “profound understanding of fundamental mathematics” comes from LiPing Ma's very enlightening book, Knowing and Teaching Elementary Mathematics. Robert Moses is the first person I know of who referred to Algebra as the “gateway into the American economy.” He wrote a book called, Radical Equations: Civil Rights From Mississippi to the Algebra Project. I found it completely riveting. Moses recalls his experiences in the civil rights movement and finds parallels with his championing math education for inner city students in Boston from the 80's to the present.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Response to Danny Westneat 1/27 column in Seattle Times
I am one of the three plaintiffs in the math textbook appeal. I am also the white grandmother of an SPS fifth grader, and a retired SPS math teacher.
Mr. Westneat grants that the textbooks we are opposing may be “lousy,” but he faults us for citing their disproportionate effect on ethnic, racial, and other minorities. He states that we can't prove this claim. I disagree, and West Seattle Dan has posted voluminous statistics in response to the column. They support our claim that inquiry-based texts, which have now accrued a sizable track record, are generally associated with declining achievement among most students and with a widening achievement gap between middle class whites and minorities.
We've brought race and ethnicity (as well as economic status) into this appeal because there is ample evidence that it is a factor. True, this is not the 80's, and true, in my 10 years of experience teaching in Seattle Schools, I found no evidence that people of color are less capable than whites of being outstanding learners. However, in my 30+ years as a parent and grandparent of SPS students and my years as a teacher, I've developed deep, broad, awareness of the ways that centuries of societally mandated racism play out in our classrooms, even in this era of Barack Obama's presidency.
Students of color, students from economically struggling families, students with learning difficulties, as well as everyone else, are guaranteed equal access to education by the laws of our country and state. There is a panoply of factors, put into place long ago and slow to fade, which converge to make it generally challenging for minorities to access the resources essential for safety, security, and basic needs. These factors also have made it inevitable that the confusing Discovering texts and the learning environment they create are going to hurt minorities more than whites. The texts are deleterious; more so to vulnerable groups of people than others. I believe their adoption violates many students' right to equal education.
Mr. Westneat grants that the textbooks we are opposing may be “lousy,” but he faults us for citing their disproportionate effect on ethnic, racial, and other minorities. He states that we can't prove this claim. I disagree, and West Seattle Dan has posted voluminous statistics in response to the column. They support our claim that inquiry-based texts, which have now accrued a sizable track record, are generally associated with declining achievement among most students and with a widening achievement gap between middle class whites and minorities.
We've brought race and ethnicity (as well as economic status) into this appeal because there is ample evidence that it is a factor. True, this is not the 80's, and true, in my 10 years of experience teaching in Seattle Schools, I found no evidence that people of color are less capable than whites of being outstanding learners. However, in my 30+ years as a parent and grandparent of SPS students and my years as a teacher, I've developed deep, broad, awareness of the ways that centuries of societally mandated racism play out in our classrooms, even in this era of Barack Obama's presidency.
Students of color, students from economically struggling families, students with learning difficulties, as well as everyone else, are guaranteed equal access to education by the laws of our country and state. There is a panoply of factors, put into place long ago and slow to fade, which converge to make it generally challenging for minorities to access the resources essential for safety, security, and basic needs. These factors also have made it inevitable that the confusing Discovering texts and the learning environment they create are going to hurt minorities more than whites. The texts are deleterious; more so to vulnerable groups of people than others. I believe their adoption violates many students' right to equal education.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Our day in court
Today Cliff Mass and I, (DaZanne Porter had to be at a training in Yakima) accompanied by Dan Dempsey and Jim W, had our hearing in Judge Julie Spector's King County Superior Courtroom; the event was everything we hoped for, and more. Judge Spector asked excellent questions and said that she hopes to announce a decision by Friday, February 12th.
The hearing started on time at 8:30 AM with several members of the Press Corps present, including KIRO TV, KPLU radio, Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times, and at least 3 others. I know the number because, at the end, Cliff, our attorney, Keith Scully, and I were interviewed; there were five microphones and three cameras pointed towards us at one point.
The hearing was brief; we were done by 9:15. Keith began by presenting our case very clearly and eloquently. Our two main lines of reasoning are, 1) that the vote to adopt Discovering was arbitrary and capricious because of the board's failure to take notice of a plethora of testimony, data, and other information which raised red flags about the efficacy of the Discovering series, and 2) the vote violated the equal education rights of the minority groups who have been shown, through WASL scores, to be disadvantaged by inquiry based instruction.
Realistically, both of these arguments are difficult to prove: “arbitrary and capricious” is historically a very, very difficult proof, and while Keith's civil rights argument was quite compelling, there is no legal precedent for applying the law to this situation.
The School District's attorney, Shannon McMinimee, did her best, saying that the board followed correct procedure, the content of the books is not relevant to the appeal, the books do not represent inquiry-based learning but a “balanced” approach, textbooks are merely tools, etc., etc. She even denigrated the WASL – a new angle in this case. In rebuttal, Keith was terrific, we all agreed. He quoted the introduction of the three texts, which made it crystal clear that these books are about “exploration.” I'm blanking on other details of his rebuttal, but it was crisp and effective. Keith was extremely effective, IMHO. Hopefully, Dan, James, and Cliff can recall more details of the rebuttal.
After the hearing, there was a brief discussion of whether the judge might keep the sample Holt texts, which I had borrowed from Jock McKinlay, a Bellevue parent who is using them to buttress his stand against the adoption of Discovering in that district. The press group waited patiently outside while Jock and I figured it out on the phone; he graciously agreed to leave the books with Judge Spector through the weekend.
Outside, in the hall, Cliff, Keith and I were interviewed by several reporters and each of us had the chance to speak at length. Cliff was his usual charismatic, compelling and erudite self; Keith and I both did fine as well, I think. We were featured on KIRO TV news at noon; the segment presented our side in a good light.
Whether we prevail or not, I feel like we've hit a home run by pulling media attention towards the math education catastrophe that is occurring in Seattle Public Schools. Dan Dempsey was busy telling people the facts about the new SPS initiative for turning Cleveland High School into a science, technology, engineering and math focused program. If nothing else comes of this, hopefully the district will not succeed in squandering money on this fruitless public relations gimmick.
Thanks to Chris Jackins for introducing us to Keith Scully, thanks to Dan Dempsey for providing the data needed to make a case, thanks to Rick and Linh-Co Burke, Dick Padrick, Ted N, Paul D, Jim W, and all the members of wheresthemath.com and community members who have helped to support this effort.
The hearing started on time at 8:30 AM with several members of the Press Corps present, including KIRO TV, KPLU radio, Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times, and at least 3 others. I know the number because, at the end, Cliff, our attorney, Keith Scully, and I were interviewed; there were five microphones and three cameras pointed towards us at one point.
The hearing was brief; we were done by 9:15. Keith began by presenting our case very clearly and eloquently. Our two main lines of reasoning are, 1) that the vote to adopt Discovering was arbitrary and capricious because of the board's failure to take notice of a plethora of testimony, data, and other information which raised red flags about the efficacy of the Discovering series, and 2) the vote violated the equal education rights of the minority groups who have been shown, through WASL scores, to be disadvantaged by inquiry based instruction.
Realistically, both of these arguments are difficult to prove: “arbitrary and capricious” is historically a very, very difficult proof, and while Keith's civil rights argument was quite compelling, there is no legal precedent for applying the law to this situation.
The School District's attorney, Shannon McMinimee, did her best, saying that the board followed correct procedure, the content of the books is not relevant to the appeal, the books do not represent inquiry-based learning but a “balanced” approach, textbooks are merely tools, etc., etc. She even denigrated the WASL – a new angle in this case. In rebuttal, Keith was terrific, we all agreed. He quoted the introduction of the three texts, which made it crystal clear that these books are about “exploration.” I'm blanking on other details of his rebuttal, but it was crisp and effective. Keith was extremely effective, IMHO. Hopefully, Dan, James, and Cliff can recall more details of the rebuttal.
After the hearing, there was a brief discussion of whether the judge might keep the sample Holt texts, which I had borrowed from Jock McKinlay, a Bellevue parent who is using them to buttress his stand against the adoption of Discovering in that district. The press group waited patiently outside while Jock and I figured it out on the phone; he graciously agreed to leave the books with Judge Spector through the weekend.
Outside, in the hall, Cliff, Keith and I were interviewed by several reporters and each of us had the chance to speak at length. Cliff was his usual charismatic, compelling and erudite self; Keith and I both did fine as well, I think. We were featured on KIRO TV news at noon; the segment presented our side in a good light.
Whether we prevail or not, I feel like we've hit a home run by pulling media attention towards the math education catastrophe that is occurring in Seattle Public Schools. Dan Dempsey was busy telling people the facts about the new SPS initiative for turning Cleveland High School into a science, technology, engineering and math focused program. If nothing else comes of this, hopefully the district will not succeed in squandering money on this fruitless public relations gimmick.
Thanks to Chris Jackins for introducing us to Keith Scully, thanks to Dan Dempsey for providing the data needed to make a case, thanks to Rick and Linh-Co Burke, Dick Padrick, Ted N, Paul D, Jim W, and all the members of wheresthemath.com and community members who have helped to support this effort.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Hearing rescheduled
The hearing on the Appeal of the Seattle High School math text adoption has been rescheduled. It will be held on Tuesday, January 26th, 8:30 AM, in the courtroom of Judge Julie Spector, King County Courthouse, 615 Third Avenue, Room W 842. For further information, contact:
Martha McLaren
mmcl@pugetridge.net
206 762 2350
Martha McLaren
mmcl@pugetridge.net
206 762 2350
January 5, 2010 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Martha McLaren
mmcl@pugetridge.net
206 762 2350
Hearing Impending in High School Math Text Adoption Appeal.
Seattle, Washington – January 7, 2010 – A hearing is set for Monday, Jan. 11, at 8:30 AM, in the King County Superior Courtroom of Judge Julie Spector, on the appeal of a Seattle School Board vote last May to adopt the Discovering Mathematics high school textbook series. The appellants contend that the school district acted arbitrarily and capriciously by voting 4 to 3 to adopt a type of textbook associated with a widening achievement gap between minority students and white students, and between low-income and other students.
The three plaintiffs are the mother of an African American 9th grader, a retired math teacher whose grandchild is a 5th grader, and a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. They filed the appeal based on their claim that, well before the May 6th vote, there was an ample accumulation of evidence that the “reform” math curricula favored by the district had helped to drive down WASL achievement scores, especially for English language learners and other minorities. Aiming to reverse the decision to adopt the texts, which they label confusing, wasteful of students' time, and lacking in clear explanations and practice problems, the plaintiffs filed their appeal on June 5th , shortly after the Board vote.
Martha McLaren, grandmother of a 5th grade student, declared, “Few people understand what a catastrophe is unfolding in our schools due to this misguided approach to teaching mathematics. It's tragic for individual students who grow up believing they are incompetent, and it's ultimately an immeasurable blow to society.”
"I can't afford the tutoring that wealthier parents can afford in order for their children to learn the math skills they don't learn in Seattle Public Schools," stated Ms. DaZanne Porter, mother of a Cleveland High School freshman.
Summarizing the situation which has evoked a rising protest to Seattle Schools' math curriculum, UW atmospheric sciences professor and co-plaintiff Cliff Mass describes giving a simple basic math skills exam to his first year students in the fall. They scored a class average of 58%. In the January 2 Cliff Mass Weather Blog, he writes, “If many of our state's best students are mathematically illiterate, as shown by this exam, can you imagine what is happening to the others--those going to community college or no college at all? ... Quite simply, we are failing our children and crippling their ability to participate in an increasingly mathematical world.”
Attorney Keith Scully, of Gendler and Mann, LLP, is representing the plaintiffs. He estimates the hearing will last about one hour, and expects a decision from Judge Spector by the end of the month. The hearing will be held in the King County Courthouse, at 516 Third Avenue, E-609, in Seattle.
Donations for legal expenses in this appeal are accepted with gratitude. They may be made directly to the “Seattle Math Group” account at Washington Federal Savings Bank.
##
Contact: Martha McLaren
mmcl@pugetridge.net
206 762 2350
Hearing Impending in High School Math Text Adoption Appeal.
Seattle, Washington – January 7, 2010 – A hearing is set for Monday, Jan. 11, at 8:30 AM, in the King County Superior Courtroom of Judge Julie Spector, on the appeal of a Seattle School Board vote last May to adopt the Discovering Mathematics high school textbook series. The appellants contend that the school district acted arbitrarily and capriciously by voting 4 to 3 to adopt a type of textbook associated with a widening achievement gap between minority students and white students, and between low-income and other students.
The three plaintiffs are the mother of an African American 9th grader, a retired math teacher whose grandchild is a 5th grader, and a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. They filed the appeal based on their claim that, well before the May 6th vote, there was an ample accumulation of evidence that the “reform” math curricula favored by the district had helped to drive down WASL achievement scores, especially for English language learners and other minorities. Aiming to reverse the decision to adopt the texts, which they label confusing, wasteful of students' time, and lacking in clear explanations and practice problems, the plaintiffs filed their appeal on June 5th , shortly after the Board vote.
Martha McLaren, grandmother of a 5th grade student, declared, “Few people understand what a catastrophe is unfolding in our schools due to this misguided approach to teaching mathematics. It's tragic for individual students who grow up believing they are incompetent, and it's ultimately an immeasurable blow to society.”
"I can't afford the tutoring that wealthier parents can afford in order for their children to learn the math skills they don't learn in Seattle Public Schools," stated Ms. DaZanne Porter, mother of a Cleveland High School freshman.
Summarizing the situation which has evoked a rising protest to Seattle Schools' math curriculum, UW atmospheric sciences professor and co-plaintiff Cliff Mass describes giving a simple basic math skills exam to his first year students in the fall. They scored a class average of 58%. In the January 2 Cliff Mass Weather Blog, he writes, “If many of our state's best students are mathematically illiterate, as shown by this exam, can you imagine what is happening to the others--those going to community college or no college at all? ... Quite simply, we are failing our children and crippling their ability to participate in an increasingly mathematical world.”
Attorney Keith Scully, of Gendler and Mann, LLP, is representing the plaintiffs. He estimates the hearing will last about one hour, and expects a decision from Judge Spector by the end of the month. The hearing will be held in the King County Courthouse, at 516 Third Avenue, E-609, in Seattle.
Donations for legal expenses in this appeal are accepted with gratitude. They may be made directly to the “Seattle Math Group” account at Washington Federal Savings Bank.
##
December 3 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Martha McLaren
mmcl@pugetridge.net
206 762 2350
Brief Filed in Court Challenge of Seattle High School Math Text Adoption
Seattle, Washington – Dec. 3, 2009 – A brief was filed Monday, Nov. 23, in King County Superior Court appealing a May 6, 2009 Seattle School Board vote to adopt the Discovering Mathematics high school textbook series. The brief contends that the school district acted arbitrarily and capriciously in voting 4 to 3 to adopt a type of textbook associated with a widening achievement gap between minority students and white students, and between low-income students and other students.
Seeking to prevent the school district from adopting this series are plaintiffs DaZanne Porter, an African American and mother of a 9th-grade student in Seattle Public Schools; Martha McLaren, retired Seattle math teacher and grandparent of a Seattle Public Schools fourth grader; and Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington.
According to the brief filed Monday, Seattle Public Schools began eliminating "traditional" math texts in the 1990s, moving toward an approach called "reform," "discovery learning," or "constructivism," among other names. Reform texts rely heavily on written language, presenting complicated, “real-life” problems. Memorization and skills practice is de-emphasized, and calculator work is encouraged from kindergarten on. Students generally work in small groups to devise their own approaches and solutions. With traditional "explicit" texts, however, students are given the opportunity to master key topics through examples, practice and extensive teacher feedback.
The brief claims the district committee chosen to review mathematics textbooks was biased toward reform, and that the textbook criteria were similarly biased, so that the resulting recommendation would be a reform textbook. The brief also states that the board voted to adopt the Discovering textbook series in contradiction of information presented prior to the vote.
The plaintiffs contend that the district superintendent and school board had access to data and research, including WASL scores, indicating that math skills of minority students have continually declined for all grades since reform textbooks were introduced. The plaintiffs also claim the school board was informed that the Discovering series was not a good candidate program to reverse this negative trend.
Citizens testifying to the board prior to the May 6 vote emphasized that the Discovering textbook series had been rated “unsound” in a review conducted by the Washington State Board of Education, and that the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction had passed over the Discovering program, instead recommending Holt Mathematics, a balanced textbook series featuring increased explicit instruction.
In Seattle, the movement toward reform texts has culminated in the adoption of the Everyday Math K-5 texts, Connected Mathematics Project (CMP2) texts for grades 6 - 8, and now the Discovering texts for high school. At Cleveland High School, which has 95% ethnic minority and 70% free and reduced lunch students, a similar “Discovery/Inquiry” text was piloted from September 2006 to June 2009. In those three years, the WASL pass rates for Cleveland's Black 10th graders averaged around 10%, while the district average for Black 10th graders was about 22%; scores for limited English students declined dramatically, from 15.4% to 0% of students passing the exam.
The appeal of the School Board's May 6, 2009 vote was filed June 5 by attorney Keith Scully of Gendler and Mann, LLP. A hearing on the appeal is set for Jan. 11, 2010, in the court of Judge Julie Spector.
##
Contact: Martha McLaren
mmcl@pugetridge.net
206 762 2350
Brief Filed in Court Challenge of Seattle High School Math Text Adoption
Seattle, Washington – Dec. 3, 2009 – A brief was filed Monday, Nov. 23, in King County Superior Court appealing a May 6, 2009 Seattle School Board vote to adopt the Discovering Mathematics high school textbook series. The brief contends that the school district acted arbitrarily and capriciously in voting 4 to 3 to adopt a type of textbook associated with a widening achievement gap between minority students and white students, and between low-income students and other students.
Seeking to prevent the school district from adopting this series are plaintiffs DaZanne Porter, an African American and mother of a 9th-grade student in Seattle Public Schools; Martha McLaren, retired Seattle math teacher and grandparent of a Seattle Public Schools fourth grader; and Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington.
According to the brief filed Monday, Seattle Public Schools began eliminating "traditional" math texts in the 1990s, moving toward an approach called "reform," "discovery learning," or "constructivism," among other names. Reform texts rely heavily on written language, presenting complicated, “real-life” problems. Memorization and skills practice is de-emphasized, and calculator work is encouraged from kindergarten on. Students generally work in small groups to devise their own approaches and solutions. With traditional "explicit" texts, however, students are given the opportunity to master key topics through examples, practice and extensive teacher feedback.
The brief claims the district committee chosen to review mathematics textbooks was biased toward reform, and that the textbook criteria were similarly biased, so that the resulting recommendation would be a reform textbook. The brief also states that the board voted to adopt the Discovering textbook series in contradiction of information presented prior to the vote.
The plaintiffs contend that the district superintendent and school board had access to data and research, including WASL scores, indicating that math skills of minority students have continually declined for all grades since reform textbooks were introduced. The plaintiffs also claim the school board was informed that the Discovering series was not a good candidate program to reverse this negative trend.
Citizens testifying to the board prior to the May 6 vote emphasized that the Discovering textbook series had been rated “unsound” in a review conducted by the Washington State Board of Education, and that the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction had passed over the Discovering program, instead recommending Holt Mathematics, a balanced textbook series featuring increased explicit instruction.
In Seattle, the movement toward reform texts has culminated in the adoption of the Everyday Math K-5 texts, Connected Mathematics Project (CMP2) texts for grades 6 - 8, and now the Discovering texts for high school. At Cleveland High School, which has 95% ethnic minority and 70% free and reduced lunch students, a similar “Discovery/Inquiry” text was piloted from September 2006 to June 2009. In those three years, the WASL pass rates for Cleveland's Black 10th graders averaged around 10%, while the district average for Black 10th graders was about 22%; scores for limited English students declined dramatically, from 15.4% to 0% of students passing the exam.
The appeal of the School Board's May 6, 2009 vote was filed June 5 by attorney Keith Scully of Gendler and Mann, LLP. A hearing on the appeal is set for Jan. 11, 2010, in the court of Judge Julie Spector.
##
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
June 8, 2009 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Martha McLaren
206. 762 2350
mmcl@pugetridge.net
Court Challenge of Seattle Math Text Adoption
A trio of plaintiffs has challenged Seattle Public Schools' recent adoption of the Discovering series
Seattle, Washington -- June 8, 2009 -- An appeal of the Seattle School Board's controversial May 6th decision to adopt the Discovering series of high school math texts was filed in King County Superior Court on Friday, June 5, 2009. Plaintiffs are DaZanne Porter, an African American and mother of an 8th grade student in Seattle Public Schools, Martha McLaren, retired Seattle math teacher and grandparent of a Seattle Public Schools fourth grader, and Cliff Mass, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington. Their appeal of the School Board's 4 to 3 decision was filed by attorney Keith Scully of Gendler and Mann, LLP. The Declaration cites recent WASL data showing a continually widening achievement gap in mathematics among ethnic minority and free-lunch students in 4th, 7th, and 10th grades. The plaintiffs state that this widening achievement gap corresponds with the expanded use of "inquiry based" texts books in Seattle public schools. According to their declaration, the SPS staff knew that the Discovering series had been deemed "unsound" in a study commissioned by the State Board of Education.
Ms. Porter, parent of an African American eighth grader and a teacher who is a reading coach at a Seattle elementary school, states that her son has already experienced unnecessary confusion and frustration caused by "inquiry based" curricula in Seattle elementary and middle schools. She wants the District to adopt a "balanced" text such as that recommended by the State Board of Education, by the Holt Publishing Company, which she says will give her son a much better chance to learn math skills needed for college and career. "I can't afford the tutoring that wealthier parents can afford in order for their children to learn the math skills they don't learn in Seattle Public Schools," stated Ms. Porter. "I've looked at these math textbooks, and they are not parent friendly, which means I will not be able to help my son, which will put him further behind."
Ms. McLaren, retired Seattle Math teacher and grandparent of a Seattle Public Schools fourth grader, states that as a math teacher and math substitute for 8 years, she witnessed students floundering with "inquiry based" math curricula throughout the district. She has spoken with numerous teachers who confirm her observation that the "inquiry-based" textbooks", used by students working in small groups, have resulted in confusion, discontent, and lost time for math education. She reports that the Seattle School District has denied the relationship between the widening achievement gap and the use of inquiry-based curricula. The achievement gap began to expand after the introduction of inquiry based materials at all grade levels in the late 90s, and continued to grow with the adoption of inquiry based middle school texts (CMP2) in 2006 and elementary texts (Everyday Math) in 2007. The elementary textbooks which district administrators predicted would reduce the achievement gap are instead linked to increases in the gaps for Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, Low Income and Limited English students.
Professor Mass teaches atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. He has had to
The Seattle Public School District has 20 days from June 5 to deliver the record of information available to it in making its adoption decision.
##
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