Opinions that Count!

Here are some editorials and essays whose messages seem important to us.

• "The US ranks much worse than most of our economic competitors in the mathematics performance of high school students. Many attempts have been made to improve this dismal performance, but none have worked ... Those attempts have all focused on improving basic math skills. In contrast, the emphasis should be elsewhere." - says Keith Devlin. In his opinion - "Mathematics is a way of thinking about problems and issues in the world. Get the thinking right and the skills come largely for free." Read the full article - In Math You Have to Remember, In Other Subjects You Can Think About It. Follow Devlin's monthly column at MAA - Devlin's Angle.

• Earn a Grad Degree and enjoy the 'Master's Bump' on your teaching paychecks. May not be the same in near future. Will it be wise for the schools to change the system and "why would your institution be promoting such a thesis—one contrary to its own best interests?" -  Patricia Wasley & Marguerite Roza write in the Education Week about the pros and cons of this decision. Read the article - The 'Master's Pay Bump': Why Ending It Shouldn't Frighten Ed. Schools
• "Mathematicians, it seems to me, have a special responsibility to be careful in how they speak to the lay public. Everybody knows that even the best knowledge in other fields is subject to revision, but that mathematics is different." - Bill Marsh, the Guest Columnist at Seattle Pi, writes about his views on Mathematiscs Education and related rigidities. Read the article - Guest Columnist: Speaking math to the lay public
• "I got to the last page of the last icon-shattering piece Gerald W. Bracey will ever write, and felt sad and empty. As usual, he had skewered--with great erudition and insight--some of my fondest beliefs about how to improve schools." - writes Jay Mathews in Washington Post. Take a peek at the Last Report from the legendary Gerald Bracey. Read the article - Bracey's last report--trashing our educational assumptions
• "I was going to stop writing about education for a while, because it can be frustrating. But too much is going on." - says Jerry Large, the noted educational expert and staff columnist of Seattle Times. So he writes about the Final Report of Gerald Bracey and presents supporting ideas. Read the article - Red flags on the road to reform
• "We are in the midst of paradox in math education. As more states strive to improve math curricula and raise standardized test scores, more students show up to college unprepared for college-level math." This prompted noted Maryland physicist and author Joseph Ganem to reflect on the causes. Read the article - A Math Paradox: The Widening Gap Between High School and College Math

Check the Archive for more Opinions.