美国成立国家数学委员会拟通过研究加强数学教育
（
National Mathematics Advisory Panel:
Strengthening Math Education Through Research
"You've got to know math if you're going to compete
in this 21st-century world."
– President George W. Bush
"It is more important than ever that our
students receive solid math instruction in the early grades to prepare them to
take and pass algebra and other challenging courses in middle and high
school."
–
On April 18, 2006,
President Bush issued an Executive Order creating the National Mathematics
Advisory Panel. The Panel will advise the President and the Secretary of
Education on the best use of scientifically based research to advance the
teaching and learning of mathematics.
- Modeled after the influential National
Reading Panel, the National Mathematics Panel (NMP) will examine and
summarize the scientific evidence related to the teaching and learning of
mathematics, with a specific focus on preparation for and success in
learning algebra.
- The NMP will issue two reports containing
policy recommendations on how to improve mathematics achievement for all
students.
Today, Secretary
Margaret Spellings announced the 17 expert panelists and six ex-officio members
who will comprise the National Math Panel.
- The NMP will be chaired by Dr. Larry
Faulkner, president of the Houston Endowment and President Emeritus of
the
- Dr. Deborah Ball, Dean, School of Education
and Collegiate Professor,
- Dr. Camilla Benbow, Dean
of Education and Human Development,
- Dr. A. Wade Boykin,
Professor and Director of the Developmental Psychology Graduate Program
in the Department of Psychology,
- Dr. Francis "Skip" Fennell,
Professor of Education,
- Dr. David Geary, Curators'
Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences,
- Dr. Russell Gersten,
Executive Director, Instructional Research Group; Professor Emeritus,
College for Education, University of
- Nancy Ichinaga, former
Principal,
- Dr. Tom Loveless, Director,
- Dr. Liping Ma, Senior Scholar
for the Advancement of Teaching, Carnegie Foundation
- Dr. Valerie Reyna,
Professor of Human Development and Professor of Psychology,
- Dr. Wilfried Schmid,
Professor of Mathematics,
- Dr. Robert Siegler,
Teresa Heinz Professor of Cognitive Psychology, Department of Psychology,
- Dr. Jim Simons, President of
Renaissance Technologies Corporation; former Chairman of the Mathematics
Department, State University of New York at Stony Brook
- Dr. Sandra Stotsky,
Independent researcher and consultant in education; former Senior
Associate Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Education
- Vern Williams, Math Teacher,
- Dr. Hung-Hsi Wu, Professor of
Mathematics,
- Ex-officio members:
- Dan Berch, National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of
Health
- Diane Jones, White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy
- Tom Luce, Assistant
- Kathie Olsen, Deputy Director,
National Science Foundation
- Raymond Simon,
- Grover "Russ" Whitehurst,
Director,
- All meetings of the NMP will be open to the
public and will be announced in the Federal Register.
The NMP will issue an
interim report to the President and Secretary by January 31, 2007. A
final report will be issued no later than February 28, 2008. Topics to
be addressed by the NMP include:
- The critical skills and skill progressions
needed to learn algebra and prepare for more advanced courses;
- The proper role and design of standards and
assessment in promoting student competence in math;
- The processes by which students of various
abilities or backgrounds learn math;
- Institutional practices, programs and
materials that have proven effective in improving math learning;
- How the training, selection, placement and
professional development of math teachers affect student achievement; and
- Research needs in support of math education.
The need for action is
clear. To gain an edge in the 21st century global economy,
- "Tomorrow's jobs will go to those with
education in science, engineering, and mathematics and to high-skill
technical workers."—The Looming Workforce Crisis, National
Association of Manufacturers, 2005.
- "The scientific and technical building
blocks of our economic leadership are eroding at a time when many other
nations are gathering strength."—Rising Above the Gathering Storm,
National Academies, 2005.
- Students who take advanced mathematics
courses in high school are far more likely to earn a bachelor's degree in
college (College Board).
- Students from low-income families who acquire
strong math skills by the 8th grade are 10 times more likely to finish
college than peers of the same background who do not (
- Less than half of
The National Mathematics
Panel is part of President Bush's agenda to strengthen math education in order
to give our students the skills to succeed in the 21st century. Included in his
FY 2007 budget request is $260 million to allow the National Mathematics
Advisory Panel to continue its work and to help states implement its
recommendations. Key to this effort are two new programs:
- Math Now for Elementary School Students —
Modeled after the innovative Reading First program, it would utilize the
NMP's recommendations to promote scientifically based practices in math
instruction so students are prepared for success in algebra and more
advanced math as they move into middle and high school.
Math Now for
Middle School Students — Similar to the Striving Readers Initiative, it
would diagnose older students' deficiencies and provide intensive, systematic
instruction to enable them to take and pass algebra.
相关内容：美国成立国家数学委员会提高中小学生数学能力
（转自《科学时报》，王丹红）
据《科学》杂志在线新闻报道，
在签署成立国家数学委员会命令的同一天，布什和斯柏灵斯等到位于马里兰州的Parkland Magnet中学视察，并就美国竞争力计划发表演讲。布什说：“为了确保美国成为世界的领袖，我们将持续关注高标准、负责任的教育，而且特别注意数学和科学教育。”“今天上午，我签署了一份总统行政命令：成立国家数学委员会。这是我们实现为孩子们奠定数学和科学基础的目标的战略措施之一。
布什在演讲中指出：“我们必须让美国人民清楚地知道，为了保证美国的竞争力，我们必须确保我们的孩子掌握竞争21世纪工作机会的技能。” “今天的时代已经不同于20世纪50年代，那时没有全球竞争的意识，在今天，你要明白，如果孩子们没有与印度或中国孩子竞争的技能，那么他们就会失去工作机会。”
布什说：“你们知道中国国家主席胡锦涛正在华盛顿特区访问，或许你们不知道他在星期四访问了西雅图。这是一次非常重要的访问。中国在许多方面是我们非常重要的战略伙伴，也在许多方面给我们提出了挑战。中国的经济正在增长，许多中国人已经认识到市场的好处。中国的企业非常强壮，我们或者会说，让我们以公平的方式与中国竞争，或者说，我们无法与中国竞争，这会让我们孤立于世界。”
布什指出：“我选择了美国曾经走过的路线。我告诉人们不要害怕未来。我们应该做的事情是塑造未来，我们应该为未来承担责任，实现这些目标的最好办法是确保我们成为世界上最具创造力的国家。在过去几十年里，我们是世界上最具创造力的国家，人们的生活标准也因此提高。我们应该始终站在技术变化最前沿，我们应该成为研发和开发的中心。”
斯柏灵斯说，国家数学委员会将告诉美国的数学教师们“什么是课堂上最有效的方法”。她认为这是一个并不得罪人的问题，但这个问题在长达10年的时间里在美国数学界造成了分裂。她说：“我们盼望收到委员会的建议，我们希望这些建议能勾画出如何促进杰出数学教育的蓝图。我们今天比任何时候都迫切地意识到：我们的学生在早期接受到持续的数学教育非常重要，这可以让他们作好在中学和高中学习代数和其他更富挑战性的课程的准备。”
得克萨斯大学的荣誉退休教授、化学家Larry Faulkner出任国家数学委员会主席；副主席是范德比尔特大学的教育心理学家Camilla Benbow，他同时担任一项天才数学学生纵向研究项目的共同主任委员会成员，他将于下周开始工作。
在政府的支持下，美国国家数学委员会准备启动一个耗资2.5亿美元的数学计划，目标是让小学生拥有坚实的数学基础，提高后进中学生的能力。该计划强调数学是教育成功的关键。Faulkner目前也是休斯敦一家拥有16亿美元的私人慈善机构的主席，他说：“我明白我们的责任，总统希望在如何提升学生学习代数和高水平课程基础的问题上得到最好的建议。代数是通向其他课程的一个极为重要的通道，但我们目前的成功率并不高。”
Faulkner将自己称为是一个解决争议的“诚实的斡旋者”。国家数学委员会的成员包括在目前的课程改革问题中持相反意见的几位著名学者，争论的焦点是该改革方案是否在为学生提供严格的数学训练的同时又培育了他们对这一学科的深刻见解。其中一个阵营的代表是哈佛大学的Wilfried
Schmid和加州大学伯克利分校的Hung-His Wu，另一个阵营的代表是美国国家数学教师委员会主席Francis Fennell，以及密歇根大学的数学教育家Deborah
Loewenberg Ball。但Ball和Schmid同时是一个寻找改革派和反对派共同点的小组的成员。
国家数学委员会计划于明年1月提出最初的建议，在2008年2月提交最后的报告。
（转自《科学时报》，王丹红）