Everyday Math has not Panned out in Salem
Everyday Math has not panned out in Salem.
Years ago Salem adopted Everyday Math as the standard curriculum in our elementary schools. Since then test scores have been flat.
There is a problem with this. Expecting Everyday Math to improve mathematics instruction per se does not hold up to scrutiny. Even in large-scale research on curricula such as the Clackmannanshire study and Project Follow-through there were large variations in the data. Some curricula are better than others. Curricula matter particularly the depth of the curricula. But they are not as strong an influence on education outcomes as teacher quality and probably strongly influenced by how frequently the students are tested and quizzed.
But some schools do much better than others even with Everyday Math. One solution many employ is to use the best teachers in math to teach math even in the lowest grades. Teachers can switch off classes when it comes to math and only the best teachers in math would be teaching it. Many schools south of the border that use Singapore Math employ this strategy as have for many years a number of the best charter schools. And it works.
Raising teacher quality in math by putting the best math teachers teaching all elementary students has made a difference elsewhere. Perhaps it can is Salem as well.
Don Duston
11:23 pm on Thursday, February 21, 2013
How can you determine which one's are the BEST teachers? With the unions---it ain't gonna happen.
Tom Linehan
8:01 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
@Don Duston, that is only partially true from what I understand. I believe the union agreed to a watered down version that is better than a Ouija board. I believe they know who the better math teachers are if they want to. The question, as usual, is more one of having the political courage.
Riley Reid
9:28 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
After your performance last night at the candidate's forum, you shouldn't be criticizing anyone! Who gave you lessons in public speaking, Mayor Menino ?
You and Duston really need to back off on our teachers. There are plenty of things in place to evaluate them and the school department doesn't need your help
B. SHANER
3:25 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
Riley Reid, You said it, AMEN! Why does Tom Linehan keep thinking he is the authority on education? I believe he said last night his degree was in computers.
salem mom
12:01 pm on Monday, February 25, 2013
All Mr. Linehan is saying in this post is that not all teachers are created equally. Our school department absolutely does not believe or act on this. One of the premises of a union is that it makes seniority more important that quality. I think it is a huge win that the unions are allowing the quality measure to be introduced. However if we as citizens do not push that issue then it will fall by the wayside again. We need to hold our school department (and specifically Mr. Delahanty) responsible for reporting out on how that meaurement is working. And i don't mean with names, i mean in generalities (is he using it, what is his documentation/tools in place to complete the measurement).
Let's have a discussion, not attack someone's public speaking skills. Move back to the topic and stay away from the personal critiques.
As a professional mathematition and parent whose child was taught under everyday math, I can tell you that that particular curriculum was horrendous, but i agree that a great teacher could overcome that, it is the average and sub par teachers who would leave the children with only the curriculum. Just through normal distributions we would expect there to be 10-20% of excellent teachers, 70% of average teachers and 10-20% of sub par teachers.
Tom Linehan
7:36 pm on Monday, February 25, 2013
@Salem Mom
On one thing I did not make my self clear. I was adamantly opposes to Everyday Math when it was originally proposed and was told in no uncertain terms that it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I was assured that math measurable would skyrocket. One of the thinks I stressed at the time was that it would really hurt High School Students.
The purpose of this post was to suggest a way of improving math outcomes that are used elsewhere successfully.
Most of the data on teacher quality shows that far and away the biggest gains come from replacing the bottom 10% or less with at least average teachers. What I was asking them to consider is to shift teachers good in math to just teaching math. Regardless of the curriculum used doing so should help.
On the issue of ad hominem statements, I prefer to let them speak for themselves. People have a right to say what they want and have their statements stand or their merits. Unlike others I welcome comments.