Reflections on Math Reforms in the U.S.: A Cross-National Perspective

Understanding how various aspects of mathematics education work together is necessary if reform efforts are to succeed, Ms. Newton argues. She compares U.S. and Chinese mathematics education to provide perspectives that might further such understanding. She highlights the Chinese emphasis on thinking systematically about teaching, curriculum, and assessments, and describes how these aspects of mathematics education work together as a system. Ms. Newton concludes that changing individual elements of the U.S. system may be ineffective if the rest of the system is not adjusted accordingly. She closes this article with a list of suggestions designed to reform and improve K-12 math education in the U.S.: (1) The K-5 institutional design must free elementary teachers from being generalists; (2) The K-12 institutional design must free both elementary and secondary teachers from spending every second of their time teaching; (3) The K-12 math curriculum must be designed to respect both the disciplinary structure of mathematics and the cognitive development of children; and (4) The accountability system must reflect the purpose of education and be reasonable. (Contains 15 endnotes.)