In response to the urgent national need to revitalize mathematics and science education, the National Research Council (NRC) has undertaken an examination of mathematics education from kindergarten through graduate study. This is a summary of a report outlining the seriousness of the situation and emphasizing how critical mathematics is for…

Recent calls for educational reform have focused on secondary schools, but results emerging from a cross-national study suggest that the reasons for American students' achievement problems lie not only in American schools but also in American homes. In the study, American, Taiwanese, and Japanese first and fifth graders were tested in reading and…

The development of an instructional model for teaching formal mathematical concepts (probability concepts) to disadvantaged high school students through computer programming and some results from a field test are described in this document. The instructional model takes into account both learner characteristics (cognitive, affective, and…

This guide presents a statewide strategy to ensure that all South Carolina vocational educators are properly prepared to provide relevant basic skills reinforcement instruction as part of all vocational courses. The guide is organized in three sections. The first, a short section, answers the following questions: (1) Why should basic skills be…

A 1986 global survey revealed that mathematics and science are firmly in place in school curricula worldwide, but teaching of technology has a much more tentative hold. All of the countries that responded taught science and mathematics at most levels but technology was taught in only a few countries. In an effort to probe more deeply into the…

At a time when many are concerned with the shortage of qualified science and mathematics teachers in public schools, a recent survey was conducted by the National Executive Service Corps (NESC) into the availability of technical professionals nearing retirement who have expressed a willingness to teach. The results of the 9-month study indicates…

The current reform of general secondary education and vocational training in the USSR is aimed at further improving quality and meeting social demands. This document is an addendum to "Science and Mathematics Education in the General Secondary School in the Soviet Union," published in July 1986. It discusses some of the new reform…

This volume is organized into six parts. Chapters 1-5, which make up Part 1, first discuss the forces impinging on algebra in the curriculum and suggest possible directions for change. Chapters 6-8, Part 2, concentrate on concepts and teaching possibilities available prior to the formal introduction of algebra. The notion that algebraic ideas are…

A case study of a seventh-grade mathematics classroom was conducted for almost three months in l985-86. The purpose was to investigate factors related to mathematics achievement. The 16 students consisted of 4 black females, 3 black males, 5 white females, and 4 white males; the teacher was a black male. The data came from field notes and audio…

Data are reported for the classroom observational portion of a cross-sectional study conducted in Tasmania, Australia to examine the acquisition and development of addition and subtraction skills in young children. During the study, a group of students in grades l, 2, and 3 who differed in cognitive processing skills were observed during…

A study of 60 elementary and secondary math and science teachers who were nominated by their peers as effective microcomputer-using teachers was conducted to describe how peer-nominated teachers use microcomputers instructionally, and how these uses vary as a function of teacher characteristics (e.g., knowledge, attitudes) and other background…

The six chapters in this report focus on: (1) a basic orientation for a focused research agenda; (2) research on reasoning (considering the development of competence and the search for generality in reasoning skills); (3) research on instruction (examining research on teachers, curricula and curricular materials, and testing); (4) research on…

This unit is 1 of 12 developed for the university classroom portion of the Mathematics-Methods Program (MMP), created by the Indiana University Mathematics Education Development Center (MEDC) as an innovative program for the mathematics training of prospective elementary school teachers (PSTs). Each unit is written in an activity format that…

To assess enrollment trends in Michigan colleges and universities, two surveys were conducted in 1976 and 1977. Community colleges reported either fairly constant enrollments in remedial courses or slight increases; many of their students had always needed remedial work. For four-year institutions, increases were often dramatic. This is paralleled…

This collection of 10 papers aims to provide teachers at all levels with ideas on a number of important aspects of mathematics education. The Report of the Committee on Inquiry into the Teaching of Mathematics (Cockcroft Report) has provoked wide discussion in England, and the papers examine some contemporary issues in school mathematics in light…