Subject: education Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 10:16:16 -0500 (EST) From: "W. Stephen Wilson" To: dmd1@lehigh.edu Fellow topologists, I know that this is a research listserve but you have all helped out in the past with my issues and questions about mathematics K-12 education. I have been asked to contact you about the following. For those of you who have kids you may have come into contact with some of the NSF funded "reform" math education programs which neglect little things like arithmetic, have algebra questions that just want to know which button you push on the calculator to solve the question, and, of course, the geometry courses with no axioms or proofs. The subsection of the NSF, EHR, which funds these programs, is protected from regime change and so the only approach to stopping them is the one suggested below, just don't fund them. At any rate, I just wanted to make this information available to you all in case any of you would like to help out, especially those of you who find yourselves having to teach your own kid math at home because of these programs. Sincerely, Steve W. Stephen Wilson (410) 516-7413 Department of Mathematics FAX (410) 516-5549 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 21218 wsw@math.jhu.edu http://www.math.jhu.edu/~wsw/ Help Stop NSF Funding of Damaging K-12 Math Programs The proposed Bush administration budget for 2005 includes a provision 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. This would be a very positive change. Through the massive funding of unproven trendy approaches and content deficient math programs, the NSF has done, and continues to do, tremendous damage to K-12 mathematics education in the U.S. Background information about this is given at the end of this letter. Unfortunately, members of a key congressional committee, the House Science Committee, are opposed to this development. The chair of that committee, Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, criticized this proposal in a February 2 press release as follows: "...while we are still reviewing the specific budgets of individual agencies, some glaringly bad decisions already stand out. Primary among them is the proposal to move the Math and Science Partnerships from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to the Department of Education. We will fight that decision tooth-and-nail." --House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY)--February 2, 2004 For the full text of Chairman Boehlert's press statement, go to: http://www.house.gov/science/press/108/108-181.htm It is critically important to contact members of the House Science Committee to express your support of the proposal to move funds out of the EHR directorate of the NSF. Here are some points you might wish to make in your phone calls, faxes, and emails (postal letters might not be accepted at this time): 1) The NSF's blatant bias in favor of radical, unproven approaches to mathematics content, teaching, and standards has set back, rather than improved the state of mathematics education in our nation. 2) Distinguish this criticism of NSF's role in math education from NSF's role in supporting fundamental scientific research. 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." 3) Moving money from the NSF EHR to the US Department of Education will in no way demean mathematics education. On the contrary, it will lead to more effective federal support for state directed research based reforms to support student achivement. Members of the House Science Committee may be contacted by email from: Science@mail.house.gov Here is more contact information for the House Science Committee: 2320 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-6371 - phone (202) 226-0113 - fax Please also contact the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. You can send an email message to members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation from their web site at: http://commerce.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm In addition, it would be helpful to contact Congressional leadership, Tom Delay and J. Dennis Hastert. and your representatives. Go to: https://ssl.capwiz.com/congressorg/dbq/officials/directory/directory.dbq?com mand=congdir> Background information on the negative impact that the NSF has had on K-12 mathematics education: What's at Stake in the K-12 Standards Wars: A Primer for Education Policy Makers, Sandra Stotsky (editor), Peter Lang Press, c 2000 Chapter 13: National Science Foundation Systemic Initiatives: How a small amount of federal money promotes ill-designed mathematics and science programs in K-12 and undermines local control of education by Mike McKeown, David Klein, and Chris Patterson http://www.csun.edu/%7Evcmth00m/chap13.pdf R. James Milgram's Congressional testimony http://www.house.gov/ed_workforce/hearings/106th/ecyf/fuzzymath2200/milgram. htm Susan Sarhady's Congressional Testimony http://www.house.gov/ed_workforce/hearings/106th/ecyf/fuzzymath2200/sarhady. htm A Brief History of American K-12 Mathematics Education in the 20th Century, by David Klein. To read a presentation given to the American Enterprise Institute on the NSF's role in K-12 mathematics education, click http://www.csun.edu/%7Evcmth00m/aei.htm Mathematically Correct http://www.mathematicallycorrect.com/ NYC HOLD New York City Honest Open Logical Debate on Mathematics Education Reform http://www.nychold.com