A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

American students should leave eighth grade prepared to pursue the higher-level mathematics and science courses that are the gateway to college, good citizenship, productive employment, and lifelong learning. In realizing this vision, it is essential that parents, educators, the broader community, and students themselves understand what high standards in mathematics look like, why they are important, and how they can work to achieve them. This outcome requires activities and information that reinforce the classroom experience and convey the importance of mathematics achievement. Such activities should draw on the support of parents, the professional community of mathematicians, scientists, and engineers, business, academia, and the broader public.

This section of the action strategy includes two complementary elements. The first consists of efforts to make high standards fully and clearly understood. If parents and students and teachers don't know where they should be headed -- what they agree students should know and be able to do -- it is hard to pull together to get there. Schools must have a clear sense of what they are doing and be able to communicate effectively with parents as well as work to invite active parental participation.

The second element builds on the first through partnerships that bring together the many groups that can contribute to helping students achieve high standards in mathematics. These partnerships will elevate the importance of mathematics achievement and provide clear avenues through which interested members of the mathematics, science, engineering, business and education communities, as well as parents and interested citizens, can contribute to efforts to raise mathematics achievement.

Saturday Schools Provide Tutoring Boost The George B. Thomas Sr. Learning Academy Inc. (known as Saturday School), with modest support from the National Science Foundation, has provided free tutoring and mentoring to minority students in Montgomery County (MD) for nearly 11 years. Spearheaded by members of the Mu Nu chapter of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the program began in a public housing community's day-care center, but is now located at Sherwood High School (Olney, MD) and Springbrook High School (Silver Spring, MD). About 180 students and 100 tutors--engineers, mathematicians and others (including high school students fulfilling Maryland's community service graduation requirement)--are registered at the centers; there is often a waiting list of pupils because there aren't enough tutors. Saturday School views itself as a partner with the students' schools; principals refer students to the program and teachers advise tutors on where students need help. Montgomery County Public Schools contributes classrooms, supplies, and training for tutors and parents. The sessions last 2 or more hours; tutors work with students on a wide range of mathematical topics and help students prepare for the Scholastic Assessment Test. Parental participation is required; about one-fifth of the parents tutor, with the remainder providing support and assistance in other ways.

The Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, and other Federal agencies will foster the partnerships by promoting a national dialogue on improving mathematics, acting as a clearinghouse for information and proven approaches to action, helping partners to develop exemplary materials that can be used in their State and local efforts, and mobilizing staff and resources to support local partnership efforts. Effective partnerships must build upon and complement what goes on in the schools. Thus, teachers and school administrators must be vital participants, either formally or informally.

In order to support these strategies, the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation have taken the initial steps to move forward on the Public Understanding and Engagement Mathematics Initiative, an activity designed to create a large-scale, national public education effort that is coupled with extensive opportunities for active engagement of students, parents, and the larger community in the support of mathematics education.

Collectively, the projects selected through this initiative will:

• Use simple and compelling messages to familiarize the public with what middle school students should know and be able to do in mathematics, illustrating the points through sample problems and student work;

• Emphasize important mathematics and interesting problems that engage both middle school students and the public;

• Illustrate the relevance of achievement in challenging mathematics to success in college and a wide range of careers;

• Create well-designed products that will engage the public in doing mathematics;

• Target a variety of media through a plan for disseminating the products;

• Support active partnerships to engage parents and the community, including those with professional organizations, scholarly societies, colleges and college students, and the business sector;

• Mobilize adult volunteers to assist students in a variety of settings (for example, summer, after-school, and weekend programs; contests);

• Develop printed and Internet-based supporting materials as guides for volunteers; and

• Encourage highly visible local and national events and activities that engage the community.

In other activities designed to build public understanding, the Department and the Foundation will:

The Department of Energy's STEM Initiative DOE plays an important role in science education due especially to its premier national laboratories, which have a history of staff working in cooperation with the Nation's education system and other agencies. By opening DOE's laboratories to students and teachers, agency staff offer hands-on research opportunities and technical support for developing Internet and other technical tools to enhance educational experiences. The Department is in the process of creating a National Energy Laboratory Research Participation Program that will coordinate such activities across all DOE laboratories. Among the Department's goals for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, two are particularly relevant to this action strategy: Develop Internet based education technologies for elementary through college students and faculty; and Enhance DOE's community outreach activities for education at its R&D facilities and sites. DOE strongly supports the revitalization of educational activities consistent with its energy and defense missions. An effort is underway to coordinate the use of DOE resources in promoting the public's understanding of science and ensuring a diverse workforce for the Nation's science and technology infrastructure.

• Sponsor a national convocation on middle school mathematics to initiate a continuing dialogue on:
  • what we should expect our students to be able to achieve in mathematics by eighth grade and beyond;

  • exemplary practices in professional development, curricula, instructional materials, and technologies; and

  • building partnerships for parental involvement and community support to help students meet high expectations.

• Seed the continuing national dialogue by providing a wide variety of sample items illustrating the level of expectations set in State and national standards, examples of student work, and information on curricula, instructional methods and technologies that support high standards.

• Create an easy-to-use mathematics Web site providing information on national standards; standards-based instructional units for teachers; information on the national test, including sample problems and examples of student solutions; and all the other materials developed or identified as part of this action strategy.

Additional partnership activities will take advantage of connections the Department and the Foundation maintain in the course of their on-going work. The agencies will:

• Facilitate the connection of national organizations having interests in helping to raise levels of achievement in mathematics and science (for example, professional societies of mathematicians, scientists, and engineers) with State, local and community-based organizations having similar purposes.

• Develop systematic mechanisms for the headquarters and field offices of relevant Federal agencies to participate in the partnerships.

• Encourage and support efforts by business and professional organizations to use the Internet as a new tool for providing on-going tutoring, homework help, and motivation to students.

• Challenge colleges and universities to partner with middle and high schools to help ensure that students know what it takes to go to college and that they have access to a rigorous college preparatory mathematics curriculum.

[Section V]

[Section VII]