Subject: Response to Steve Wilson re NSF Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2004 13:56:42 -0700 (MST) From: David Pengelley To: Don Davis CC: David Pengelley I would like to say something about Steve's appeal that we all contact our Congressional representatives to support Bush's move to "move control of the Math and Science Partnership Grants from the Education and Human Resources (EHR) division of the National Science Foundation to the U.S. Department of Education". Let me state that my main point is simply to suggest that each of us really read up on all this to inform ourselves, including all the suggested reading Steve provided, before taking action. I admit that I am very unknowledgeable about all this, and that Steve probably knows more than I do about the specific matters on which he asks us to take action. However, I have been involved a lot in NSF-funded educational initiatives over many years, and I simply urge us each to read, learn, and make up our own minds, for two reasons. One is that it is quite possible for we mathematicians to disagree about these things. I have had several spirited discussions with Steve on these matters, and I believe that down deep we have a lot of fundamental agreement, but it doesn't necessarily mean we all agree on what should be done in the real world of education and government. My second reason is that the NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), from which the Partnerships program to which Steve refers seems to be funded (in collaboration with other Directorates and agencies), also includes many other programs. For instance, the Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) is part of EHR. The DUE funds all the innovation and curriculum development in mathematics at the undergraduate level. I have personally been involved in quite a number of DUE grants, from the original calculus reform grants to current grants incorporating student learning directly from primary historical source material in mathematics. While I'm only mostly familiar with a few projects, this Division funds many very worthwhile things for undergraduate education. I hope that Steve saying "Those of us mounting this criticism are directing our fire only at the one directorate, Education and Human Resources (EHR), that has been out of control with its unrelenting support of damaging educational fads" doesn't intend to include the DUE as well! We must be very careful not to paint with a wide brush stroke in any criticism. So in summary, I urge everyone to learn firsthand about the issues Steve raises; I will try to. (I will admit, though, that I am deeply suspicious of anything and everything proposed by Bush and his rightwing cronies like the American Enterprise Institute, to which Steve refers; but I'll try to keep an open mind and go read.) Best, David Pengelley David Pengelley (davidp@nmsu.edu) Mathematics, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003 USA Tel: 505-646-3901=dept., 505-646-2723=my office; Fax: 505-646-1064 http://math.nmsu.edu/~davidp