tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post5418621795333355922..comments2024-02-16T06:29:33.587-08:00Comments on Welcome to " The Math UnderGround " -- Seattle & Washington State: So What is the Seattle Math Plan Now???dan dempseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15536720661510933983noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4983334520933101277.post-74210814353333317762008-03-20T15:03:00.000-07:002008-03-20T15:03:00.000-07:00Dr. Bergerson,Subject: Regarding your choice in s...Dr. Bergerson,<BR/>Subject: Regarding your choice in selecting Dr. Treisman and Dr. Warfield as advisors on mathematics education. <BR/>1. As usual, your judgment flies in the face of reason. How can their expertise be greater than the combined expertise of the Chairs at the CUNY senior colleges, a large group of distinguished mathematicians at the Courant Institute, and now 60 University of Washington Faculty? This is ludicrous. Plainly, you have not consulted with the ‘other’ mathematics experts. Despite public appeals to do so, you have caused even greater harm to Washington’s children. <BR/>2. You are ignorant of the fact NSF funding of NCTM reform math is surrounded in controversy regarding the integrity of the Education and Human Resources Division (EHR) within the NSF. In fact, many of those same people are present in Washington directing MSP grants and using financial incentives to lure school districts into purchasing the same poorly written textbooks that have now become the ‘Dog and Pony Roadshow’ of public education’s critics. Are you daff?<BR/>3. The common perception at NSF is that the EHR division is a constant source of both embarrassment and amusement. Sparing no expense, for the last five decades. they have liberally funded development, implementation, and evaluation of all experimental and content deficient ‘constructivist’ math programs including Everyday Math, Connected math, and IMP. To date there is not one solid piece of research, yet to be produced, that supports any of the reform math programs. <BR/>3. Funding for the last ten years has averaged about $1 Billion per year. The full research effort supported with NSF dollars still has not produced a shred of scientific research that would justify adopting a standardized-math program. <BR/>4. Finally, this is not only my opinion. These are the findings of the National Research Council released in 2004 by the National Academies that pointed out in simple detail how all 13 NSF funded mathematics programs lacked scientifically valid evaluation studies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com