Dear Director,
The attached piece by Dr. Richard Askey, which I sent you earlier explains quite well the difficulties with using the Connect Math Project materials.
See section #2 pages 1 through 8.
Dr. Askey also details many difficulties with the reform plans that the district has attempted to implement over the last decade.
It is time to accept the fact that the Reform Math attempt is not working nor will it ever work in Seattle. Dr. Askey details the short-comings and many of these will never be overcome in Seattle.
With the Board's recent decision to move forward and expand the reform math agenda despite huge public opposition the mathematical disabling of students will continue.
My wife brought to my attention a growing situation in USA education. The classification of "instructionally disabled" is expanding rapidly. These students appear similar to students classified as special education but when thoroughly investigated they have no disability. Their deficits are caused from a system that fails to educate them.
Seattle is certainly doing their part in expanding the number of instructionally disabled math students. Will it ever be time for a change of direction?
Sincerely,
Danaher M. Dempsey, Jr.
Key Markers Relating to Organizational Health
12 years ago
1 comment:
I personally don't think it's the programs fault if the students are not learning the math. Who is the "variable" in the classroom anyway? Using Connected Math takes a fairly well educated math teacher that understands how to facilitate learning. It's one thing to tell someone how to do math. It's something totally different when a child can tell you or anyone else for that matter "how" to do the math and more importantly why it is so.
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