Improving High School Student Success in Mathematics
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This is a summary introduction the attached research brief.
Research abounds with findings that promise meaningful mathematics improvements for urban high schools. Often the weakest students in mathematics are minorities from low-income households who speak a home language other than English. Among the root causes of high school mathematics failure are students enter high school substantially under prepared to engage the curriculum because school districts struggle to provide meaningful and committed use of professional development to support school change, their teachers find it difficult to make meaningful use of nontraditional pedagogies related to curricula designed to address students’ needs. This article provides one interpretation of the data from the American Institutes of Research database in 2006 and makes several suggestions for improving lagging mathematics performance in high schools. To address the under prepared student, administrators and teachers can provide support through additional instructional time, focused supplemental instruction, and curriculum restructuring. These changes alone are insufficient without requisite changes in the school mathematics curriculum. Therefore, these changes should be accompanied by the adoption of a quality nontraditional curriculum. For example, these include but are not limited to a computerized mathematics curriculum or a concept oriented mathematics curriculum all contextualized through and entirely project-based approach. However, for these changes to occur, teachers require professional development and support to implement these changes successfully. The responsibility rests with school administrators and district personnel to adopt a philosophy that engenders meaningfully sustained professional development for school change. High-quality professional development should be accompanied by on-site support and whole school participation in mathematics professional development to support interdisciplinary collaboration, ensuring professional developments are consecutive and aligned, and making a commitment to longitudinal goals through sustained and meaningful professional development. Those charged with securing professional development should be careful to avoid one-shot, flash-in-the-pan workshops.
Summary by: Dr. Robert M. Capraro
Submitted on 2007-07-23
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