More than $1 billion, plus the basic but often overshadowed theme of K-12, plus the influence of the biggest players in K-12 education philanthropy, and what do you get? do you
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hopes the answer will be equal: exponential change in mathematics education.
The foundation plans to cover this theme for 10 years, starting with a four-year investment of $1.1 billion. Goals: More and better trained math teachers, a new arsenal of engaging and effective materials, and a clearer sense of how to teach subjects that many students find dry and intimidating. .
“Math helps students make sense of the world,” Bob Hughes, the foundation’s director of K-12 education, told reporters on an Oct. 17 conference call. “Develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills that can be used later in life.”
Mathematics educators are excited about the investment prospects. But they hope the foundation will take into account the perspective of veteran educators, something many saw as lacking in past Gates initiatives on standards and teacher evaluation. .
“I’m a little dazzled that someone is actually trying to help fund improvements in math education. Knighten is a math education coach in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Foundation’s approach to mathematics is “only to be as good as the people. [Gates] choose for [its] Advisor,” she said. “We have to talk to the people, teachers and organizations that are in this business.” Among them is the National Council of Math Teachers, of which Kniten once served on the board.
Gates has participated in listening sessions with hundreds of educators, professionals, parents and community members over the past year, and Hughes promised to continue these efforts.
“We expect to learn a lot and make the appropriate adjustments as we listen to and work with the many educators who have helped shape and formulate our strategy,” he said. .
Gates will focus on the four most populous states (California, Florida, New York and Texas).
Gates has already spent about 40% of the K-12 budget on improving math education. Some of the funding for this deeper initiative will come from transferring dollars from grants to projects in other subjects, including language arts.
Mathematics performance, a big problem in teacher training
Gates is announcing his move to math just one month after long-term trend data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Nine-year-old students were shown to score an average of 7 points lower in math in 2022 than their pre-pandemic classmates in 2020.
Notably, black students’ performance plummeted, down 13 points from their 2020 levels, compared to 5 points for white students. This widens the gap between the two groups from his 25 points in 2020 to his 33 points in 2022.
Moreover, the long-standing problem of a shortage of math teachers has only been exacerbated by widespread concerns about professional instability, fueled in part by the pandemic.
“There’s a shortage everywhere,” said Robbie Berry, an elementary school math teacher in New Mexico. “I think people are just overwhelmed by the amount of demand for teachers.”
In response to such concerns, Hughes pointed to “alternative staffing structures” that could help build a pipeline of teachers, including teacher residencies.
Technology can be part of the solution
According to Hughes, students are given opportunities to tailor to context specific math skills, practice and progress, collaborate with peers on math problems, and explain to each other how they learn. They need digital tools that can give them the opportunity to You may have taken different routes to arrive at the correct solution to your particular problem.
We get a glimpse of the kind of tools Gates might have in mind. Zearn is a digital math program that works to help students quickly get the background they need to master grade-level content. Its CEO and founder joined Hughes on a call with reporters to promote the foundation’s support for her nonprofit.
Zearn shows some promising results. A recent report found that students using this program struggled less with grade-level math skills than their peers whose schools opted for math remediation..
(Both Zearn and TNTP, the nonprofit organization that conducted the report, received grants from the Gates Foundation. Editorial Projects in Education, publisher of Education Week, receives ongoing support from the Foundation. Media The organization retains sole editorial control over its articles.)
Can Gates gain the upper hand in the math wars?
Gates appeared open to helping schools expand their offerings of advanced mathematics beyond their traditional peaks.Even if you don’t plan on majoring in math or pursuing a STEM profession.
Recently, however, there has been a move to attract more students to courses such as statistics and data science. This may be better suited to their potential career or major, and can also build advanced math skills.
Calculus “continues to be an important pathway, especially for young people pursuing careers in physics, engineering and advanced STEM,” says Hughes.
He said the systems of Harvard, Stanford, and the University of California have all expressed support for other options. No. I want more students to learn more mathematics by exposing them to things like statistics and data science.”
Gates, however, appears to be trying to remain neutral on some of the biggest debates in recent math education. Or a more traditional teaching method that emphasizes procedures and algorithms.A hot debate about these approaches is currently taking place in California.which is about to revise its math guidelines.
“We are working on a holistic approach to mathematics that enables young people to understand both procedures and concepts and apply them to real-world problems,” says the Foundation. “We are serious about making math learning interesting and exciting for children. I’m serious about learning the basic skills I need to be successful.”
Gates is also agnostic about how fast advanced math students accelerate. For example, should they be given the chance to take Algebra 1 in middle school? This is another topic causing controversy in the Golden State.
“The research base is different. I would like to support those who believe. [Algebra 1] Eighth or ninth grade is appropriate,” Hughes said when asked about the debate. “I want young people to take mathematics at the level that best suits them, at the highest level of active participation.”
John Starr, an educational psychologist who specializes in mathematics education and a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said Gates has an opportunity to make a big impact, but the foundation says it avoids divisive issues. I wondered how the decision would unfold.
“They have the ability to make a difference with that kind of investment,” he said. Starr, one of the experts Gates consulted about the plan, said that, in his view, the foundation was primarily focused on equity and said, “In this area, We are trying to stay out of the weeds regarding other discussions.” As for teaching mathematics, for a while.”
“On the one hand, it might be admirable that they are trying to stay on top of the fight and keep an open mind,” he said. On the other hand, however, he is concerned that it may be “a mistake not learned from the mistakes of the past, the beginning of a mistake”.
‘There is no silver bullet’
This is not Gates’ first big foray into mathematics. The foundation was a major funder of the Common Core initiative, which identified what students need to know and be able to do in both math and language.
The standard started in 2009 and was adopted by all but four states by the end of 2011. Some states have reversed their decision to adopt the standard, while others have rebranded and abandoned more than half of the tests designed to measure proficiency in the standard.
Parents and educators criticized the foundation for failing to reach out to teachers and school leaders sufficiently to obtain their views on implementation. Gates’ other major initiative unfolded around the same time, with similar criticisms of the Foundation’s efforts to tie teacher evaluations based on test scores to salaries and promotions. rice field.
The $1.1 billion spending over four years rivals the Foundation’s previous Marquee K-12 Initiative. Gates spent $1.6 billion on small schools and early college high schools, and $1 billion on teacher effectiveness.
Ultimately, Knighten is excited to see what this ambitious endeavor will bring. However, she already knows that it doesn’t solve all the problems of mathematics education.
“I understand that no matter what they do, no matter how much money they bring, they can’t bring a silver bullet,” she said. “Because it doesn’t exist.”
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