1 Roles of Mathematicians, and of MSRI in Mathematics Education

2 The Problems of U.S. Math Education: Student Achievement Low student achievement, measured by international comparisons, and by the demands of the global economy and of responsible citizenship in a modern democracy What little achievement there is is unevenly distributed between the poor and middle class, and across racial and ethnic groups.

3 The Problems of U.S. Math Education: Teacher Quality Most math teachers in the schools are poorly qualified for their work, in particular have weak subject matter knowledge And this is particularly the case in the most underserved schools Yet teachers matter (more than standards, curriculum, assessment) for student achievement And there are so many (~3,700,000) of them

4 Why, and in what ways, should mathematicians care about this? - Removing the ceiling The Pipeline: Sustaining the profession. Providing talented and ambitious students opportunities to experience the beauty and excitement of doing mathematics. There is a long and honored tradition of such nurturing and enrichment, particularly in Eastern Europe, and which MSRI sustains and expands now with the Math Circles and the UP Program

5 Why, and in what ways, should mathematicians care about this? - Raising the floor: Achieve high levels of quantitative proficiency for all students, and close the achievement gaps This problem is historically unprecedented It is a radically new challenge to our educational system; there are no historical models This has not historically been a particular concern of mathematicians The problem is of a scale that dwarfs the size and resources of the mathematics research community

6 So what useful and needed roles can mathematicians play? - And without overtaxing their scholarly work? What do mathematicians have to contribute? –Deep knowledge and appreciation of the discipline –Rigorous scientific standards and sensibilities (These are essential, and mathematicians are especially suited to supply them) What do mathematicians need to acquire? –Intellectual humility and generosity –Appreciation of the complexity of the problems and of the relevance of multiple sources of expertise –The ability to work collaboratively and respectfully across disciplinary and professional boundaries

7 Where can mathematicians help? Standards: Development and/or evaluation Curriculum: Development and/or evaluation Assessment: Development and/or evaluation Collaboration with local schools Policy: Work on (multidisciplinary) committees of professional organizations or government agencies Teacher education / professional development Teacher education is an endemic responsibility of mathematics departments

8 What has MSRI done? Guiding Principles –Act within the resources of the institution –Act compatibly with the culture of the institution, and use its special strengths –Act to have some high leverage and valuable impact on larger problems

9 Example: The Workshops on Issues in Mathematics Education - Use the model of the scientific workshops Address issues/problems of central and current importance in the field Enlist the best scholarly and professional expertise to design and implement the workshop Invite a selection of the main contributors to the field, representing the full variety of methods and viewpoints Aim for disciplined and grounded inquiry, and synthesis that is helps advance the field

10 Conference Series: Critical Issues in Mathematics Education Topics: 1.Assessing students’ learning (March 2004) 2.Mathematical knowledge for teaching (May 2005) 3.Raising the floor: Progress and setbacks in the struggle for quality mathematics education for all (May 2006) 4.Teaching Teachers Mathematics (May 2007) 5.Teaching and Learning Algebra (May 2008) Possible future topics: 1.Professional development & teacher education 2.Instructional uses of technology 3.International studies of mathematics education

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