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

A solid foundation in mathematics and science is increasingly necessary to navigate this changing technological and information age. To address this important concern, on March 6, 1997, the President issued a memorandum (Appendix 1) directing the Secretary of Education and the Director of the National Science Foundation to form an interagency working group to develop an action strategy for using Federal resources to assist States and local school systems in preparing students to meet challenging mathematics standards in the eighth grade, and for involving the mathematical, scientific, and technical communities in support of those efforts.

The Presidential directive specified that the action strategy include recommendations for the use of Federal resources to help States, local school districts, and schools improve teaching, upgrade curriculum, integrate technology and high-quality instructional materials into the classroom, and motivate students to help them understand how mathematical concepts are applied in today's global workplace. The directive called for the interagency group to review the status of improvements in mathematics education and identify critical needs, drawing on research and input from educators and professional organizations. In addition, it called for the working group to review how Federal resources and partnerships with other organizations can help improve student achievement in science.

The request was based, in part, on results of the Third International Science and Mathematics Study (TIMSS), which demonstrated a clear need to focus on improving mathematics achievement in grades 5-8. American students scored above the international average at the fourth grade, but fell to below the international average at eighth grade. The President's proposed voluntary national test in mathematics at grade 8 provided an additional stimulus. The action strategy targets mathematics in grades 5-8, building on a strong foundation of activity underway across the country to improve elementary and secondary mathematics and science education.

The action strategy:

• Challenges the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation to work together more closely and to build partnerships with other Federal agencies and with State and local educational agencies to strengthen the impact of Federal investments in mathematics and science education.

• Challenges State and local-level school superintendents, mathematics supervisors, school boards, principals, teachers and other educators to take a fresh, critical look at curricula, instructional materials, and professional development strategies (and the use of Federal resources in these areas) in light of TIMSS and other recent research results and to be prepared, as needed, to reformulate current approaches so as to improve effectiveness.

• Challenges the Nation's colleges and universities to develop rigorous new programs for teacher preparation, stressing both subject matter expertise and pedagogical mastery. These institutions will also need to take a far more active role in enhancing the skills and knowledge of the teachers of today and tomorrow, working closely with States, local school districts, and schools in the process.

• Challenges professional organizations in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology to join with teachers, schools, colleges, parents, students, community organizations, and business and industry in developing a strong network of local partnerships aimed at raising student achievement.

• Challenges U.S. families to provide strong support and encouragement for their children to reach high standards of achievement in mathematics and science.

Based on the Federal role in improving achievement in K-12 education, the priorities of the action strategy focus Federal investment on:

• Assisting States, local school districts, and the Nation's colleges and universities to provide the skills and knowledge that equip teachers in grades 5-8 to teach challenging mathematics content in effective ways, with high expectations for their students;

• Assisting States and local school districts to select and implement high-quality, standards-based curricula and instructional materials, including making effective use of educational technologies; and

• Building public understanding of the need for challenging mathematics in grades 5-8, and gaining public support for raising student achievement toward high standards.

The bulk of the Federal resources for improvement in K-12 mathematics and science education flows from the programs of the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. A coherent approach to strengthening the impact of Federal resources used to improve mathematics achievement in grades 5-8 must begin with these programs. Drawing on the resources of other Federal agencies in an effective manner can then follow.

The Department of Education and the National Science Foundation plan a set of joint activities that are the synergy-producing elements of the action strategy. These activities include:

• Competitive planning grants to accelerate the strategic use of resources in improving achievement in mathematics;

• A National Convocation on middle school mathematics that will initiate an on-going dialogue among all stakeholders;

• The Public Understanding and Engagement Mathematics Initiative, a mechanism to involve parents and the public more directly in mathematics education;

• Coordinated research and informational activities; and

• Systematic involvement of other agencies.

Other elements of the action strategy draw on the individual strengths of Federal agency programs aimed at improving mathematics education.

The time is ripe for a concerted effort to improve the achievement of U.S. students in mathematics and science. By focusing our immediate attention on improving performance for middle school mathematics, we will be able to give local, State, and Federal educational agencies a call for action that is substantive, timely, and sufficiently targeted that it is reasonable to anticipate progress. As our effort to address this area of greatest concern gets underway, we can develop models for future action across disciplines and grades.

But the action strategy must be only the beginning of the effort. The interagency cooperation must continue and move to the substantive agenda of implementation. The Department of Education and the National Science Foundation are committed to meeting the challenge of continuing cooperation so that their programs work in concert. The two agencies will develop appropriate mechanisms to keep other agencies and the professional scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and others with mathematical skills and knowledge with whom they work actively involved in improving achievement in mathematics and science education. Perhaps most importantly, they will keep the goal of raising the achievement of all American students in mathematics and science at the forefront of their attention.

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[Cover Letter]

[Section I]