American Kids Don’t Add Up

When it comes to mathematics, American students don’t come close to the level of achievement reached by their peers around the world, says a report by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, which was presented last month to Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

“American students have not been succeeding in the mathematical part of their education at anything like a level expected of an international leader,” says the panel, commissioned by President Bush two years ago, adding that it was “particularly disturbing” that kids here consistently performed at a “mediocre level” compared to other kids worldwide.

Although the National Report Card, a national assessment of student performance by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), shows test scores of U.S. kids in grades four and eight reaching historic highs, other findings aren’t as glowing. For example, only 23 percent of our students are proficient in math by the 12th grade. As a result, there’s a growing demand for remedial math education for incoming university and college students.

The report also says there are “large, persistent disparities” in mathematics achievement when it comes to race and income. Although many students have difficulties with math overall, major problems seem to arise at the late middle school level with the introduction of algebra, a subject that is essential for later achievement. This, of course, raises questions about how to best prepare children when they start learning algebra.

The panel suggests streamlining the mathematics curriculum in grades pre-K–8 so that a well-defined set of the most critical topics are emphasized, encouraging rigorous initiatives to attract and prepare teachers, and improving NAEP and state assessments to emphasize the most critical skills leading to algebra.