Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 12:21:46 PM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Teachers Need Help as Math Gets Tougher

Posted Dec 26, 07 6:55 AM CST in US 

(Newser) – Having long lagged behind other nations, the United States is finally kicking up the level of mathematics instruction in public schools. But as algebra becomes a subject for middle schoolers, and basics are introduced to elementary students, It's turning out to be as much a challenge for the teachers as their kids, the Washington Post reports.

A recent international exam confirmed that, just like their pupils, American teachers are at the back of the pack in math proficiency. "Many of them had trouble with math themselves," says a UVA professor who advises elementary educators. For teachers of the youngest students, words often come more easily than numbers, and many are having to teach themselves the basics of algebra once again. 

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • DC Schools Give Kids Money to Improve Grades

    Oct 22, 08 6:45 PM CDT
    DC Schools Give Kids Money to Improve Grades Schools in Washington, DC, hope to expand children's minds by filling their wallets. Students who get good grades, attend class, and behave earn points that will net them paychecks of up to $1,500 each year, NPR reports. "Every child has a switch, and it's our job as educators to find it," said one principal of the "Capital Gains" program, the brainchild of a Harvard economist.
    More »

  • US Culture Stifles Girls' Math Skills

    Oct 10, 08 4:02 PM CDT
    US Culture Stifles Girls' Math Skills The women who have won the world's most elite math competitions come disproportionately from small countries with computation-friendly cultures, such as Bulgaria and Romania, a new study finds. The reason the US lags isn't related to talent, but rather to culture. Americans don't value math enough to put kids on track for high potential, reports the Boston Globe.
    More »

  • Science Smackdowns Aid Search for 'Bill Gates 2.0'

    May 19, 08 5:57 PM CDT
    Science Smackdowns Aid Search for 'Bill Gates 2.0' With the days when the space program inspired American students to embrace science and math a distant memory, the US is counting on competition among schoolkids to return the country as a whole to a leading role, the Christian Science Monitor reports. High-level science fairs and math bowls are potential tools "to make science and math cool," says a National Science Foundation official. More »

  • Two Trains Leave a Station Going 30mph...

    Apr 25, 08 12:54 PM CDT
    Two Trains Leave a Station Going 30mph... All those sacks of different-colored marbles and word problems about pizza slices may not actually teach kids effectively, Reuters reports. Though meant to offer a real-world grounding, story problems just add extra distractions, a new study says, suggesting that students might be better off learning abstract concepts than figuring out which speeding train will reach the station first. More »

  • UK Teachers Blame Parents for Bratty Kids

    Mar 22, 08 3:50 PM CDT
    UK Teachers Blame Parents for Bratty Kids UK teachers complain that classrooms are getting tougher to control because kids throw more tantrums—and parents are to blame, the Daily Telegraph reports. A Cambridge University study says that parents are letting children indulge in video games, junk food, and TV. "Teachers described highly permissive parents who admitted to indulging their children, often for the sake of peace or simply because they had run out of alternative incentives or sanctions," the report said. More »

Asian students have long outpaced their American counterparts in math education.   ((c) tony cassidy)
As the level of mathematics grows more difficult for older students, elementary school teachers are struggling to teach their children the rudiments.   ((c) Brittany G)
As the level of mathematics grows more difficult for older students, elementary school teachers are struggling to teach their children the rudiments.   ((c) striatic)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

education • mathematics • elementary school


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »