NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS BACKPEDALS ON  NEW-NEW MATH
Leah Vukmir, Parents Raising Educational Standards in Schools (PRESS)
April 13, 2000

        Eleven years after they issued what is now commonly referred to as the "New-New Math" standards, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is urging teachers to now emphasize the fundamentals of computation, accuracy, and basic math fact memorization skills. [Link to related article from the New York Times which describes the Council's "rethinking" of their original position.] 

        The NCTM has been the subject of criticism from parents and mathematicians nationwide. The announced change in their position comes just four months after a group of 200 mathematicians, physicists and scholars wrote an open letter to Education Secretary Riley urging him to withdraw the federal government's endorsement of 10 NCTM math programs.

        While this is good news to those of us who have been urging our districts and schools to focus on fundamentals, it is a crime that it has taken 11 years for this to occur. An entire cohort of children has been exposed to this destructive educational "philosophy." It is too late for them to be given a second chance. It will also be several years before the Council's recommendations make their way into textbooks. It also remains to be seen just how sincere the NCTM is in their newfound revelations. As you will see in the article below, NCTM officials are not admitting they made a mistake but rather that they were "misunderstood." Sound familiar?

        It is important that we as parents seize this as an opportunity to influence our schools and districts to return to a common sense approach to math education. Copy this article and share it with your friends, principals, and school board members. If your school or district is in the process of evaluating new math texts, this will be helpful in your selection process. There are math series available which do not embrace the harmful NCTM philosophies. (Go to www.mathematicallycorrect.com for more info on textbook reviews.)

        Keep up the pressure!

For more information, visit CER's Math Wars, which provides background and updates on the issue.

Parents Raising Educational Standards in Schools (PRESS), located in Milwaukee, WI, is a grass roots education group made up of hundreds of school board members, parents, educators and civic leaders who are motivated, dedicated, and concerned about their children’s education.

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