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

An Action Strategy for Improving Achievement in Mathematics and Science U.S. Department of Education Washington, DC   National Science Foundation Arlington, VA The President The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: We are pleased to transmit the report of the U.S. Department of Education- National Science Foundation joint working group on mathematics and science education. As you know, since the early 1980's, U.S. elementary and secondary school students have begun taking tougher courses, and we are starting to see the results. National Assessment of Educational Progress scores have improved in math and science, with gains in mathematics equal to at least one grade level. On the SAT, average math scores are at their highest in 25 years, even as the number and diversity of test-takers have increased. However, the eighth-grade results of the 41-Nation Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) show that the U.S. is below average in mathematics and just above average in science. That isn't acceptable; in this technology-rich information era, our students need to perform much better in both subjects, but especially in the fundamentals of mathematics, if they are to excel at higher level mathematics and science courses that are the gateway to college and to citizenship, productive employment, and lifelong learning. Because mathematics and science provide many of the underpinnings necessary for students and society to navigate this ever changing technological and information age, in a March 6, 1997, Presidential Directive, you asked us to convene a working group to develop an "action strategy" for using Federal resources to assist State and local school systems to prepare students to meet challenging mathematics standards in the eighth grade and for involving the mathematics, science, and technical communities in those efforts. You asked that the action strategy include recommendations for using Federal resources to help States, local educational agencies, and schools implement their efforts to improve teaching, upgrade curriculum, and integrate technology and high-quality instructional materials into the classroom, and to motivate students and help them understand how mathematics concepts are applied in the real world. You asked the working group to review the current status of improvements in mathematics education and to identify and address critical areas of need, drawing on research and input from educators and professional organizations. Finally, you asked us to explore how Federal resources and partnerships with other organizations can help improve student achievement in mathematics and science. We believe that the enclosed action strategy meets those objectives in all respects. Consistent with your Directive, and with the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the strategy focuses most prominently on the improvement of middle-school (grade 5-8) mathematics, but also addresses broader needs in all of elementary and secondary mathematics and science education. More specifically, the strategy proposes a new Federal effort focusing on middle school mathematics, with an extension to other areas of mathematics and science in future years. Also consistent with your Directive, the strategy focuses on three principal areas where Federal investments can achieve maximum leverage and impact: upgrading teaching, improving curriculum and instructional materials, and building parent and public awareness and engagement. In each of these areas, the strategy seeks to maximize the potential benefits obtainable through the programs of our two agencies, that is, the competitive grant programs administered by NSF and the formula and competitive grant programs of the Department of Education. It also acknowledges the potential contributions of other Federal agencies to this effort. The joint working group identified many areas where we can make progress with existing resources and programs. In fact, the Department and the Foundation have now committed to launching, in fiscal year 1998, a new set of planning grants for local reform and improvement of middle-school mathematics instruction. These grants will, in particular, help middle schools that enroll large concentrations of children from low-income families to use all relevant Federal, State, and local resources in a way that produces meaningful gains in mathematics achievement. In addition, our agencies have committed to launching a new public information and engagement campaign during the current fiscal year. While we will initiate these efforts this year, the potential for bringing about significant improvements in the mathematics education of the Nation's 13.5 million middle school students, and in elementary and secondary mathematics and science education more broadly, will depend on the level of resources the Federal Government commits to this effort. In order to benefit a significant number of schools, teachers, and students in the coming years, we have included additional funds for activities linked to the action strategy in our respective fiscal year 1999 budget requests. The additional funding, if we can obtain it, should have a synergistic impact because our new activities should result in more effective use of the existing investments that the Federal Government now makes available to schools for mathematics and science education and for related education purposes. Thank you for providing the stimulus that has resulted in a closer working relationship between our agencies and in the new activities set forth in the action strategy. We are prepared to do our part to bring the ideas in the strategy to fruition. Yours sincerely, Richard Riley Secretary of Education   Neal Lane Director, National Science Foundation

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[Executive Summary]