A new study of results from the Brazilian national assessment supports the notion that reform teaching improves all students’ mathematics performance regardless of socioeconomic status. The study examined the extent to which reform teaching narrowed the achievement gap between students in schools with low average socioeconomic status (SES) and students in schools with high average SES. The study also reported on whether reform teaching reduced the equity gap that divides students within the same school but who are of different socioeconomic status.
Creso Franco, Paola Sztajn, and Maria Isabel Ramalho Ortigão conducted the study and reported their findings in the “Journal for Research in Mathematics Education” 2007, volume 38, issue 4, published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. A summary of the research is online at www.nctm.org/researchsummaryv38i4.aspx. This is the first in a series of research summaries that will be posted.
The authors looked at research from two earlier studies that appeared to offer contradictory results. On the one hand, an analysis of between-school results suggested that reform teaching is associated with higher average achievement. On the other hand, analysis of another study suggested that reform teaching contributes to greater within-school inequity.
The new study accounts for this apparent contradiction by concluding that although reform teaching raises all students’ achievement levels and thus can narrow the gap between schools, it is often the case that schools with higher SES students provide reform teaching whereas schools with low SES students provide traditional teaching. Because reform teaching is associated with an overall higher school average achievement, implementing reform teaching can be particularly beneficial to those students who are less likely to receive it.
To account for the greater within-school inequity, the authors concluded that reform teaching is good for low SES students but has been more beneficial for their high SES peers.
Reform of school mathematics has been an important topic for the mathematics education research community for many years. Many documents highlight the need for teachers to take into account the role of social issues as well as up-to-date knowledge on how students learn. Studies in England and the United States have sparked interest among Brazilian researchers about whether reform teaching is appropriate for all students or whether it favors students from certain backgrounds.
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) was founded in 1920 and is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education association. With more than 100,000 members and 230 Affiliates, NCTM is the world’s largest organization dedicated to improving mathematics education in prekindergarten through grade 12. The Council’s “Principles and Standards for School Mathematics” includes guidelines for excellence in mathematics education. Its “Curriculum Focal Points for Prekindergarten through Grade 8 Mathematics,” released in 2006, identifies the most important mathematical topics for each grade level. NCTM is dedicated to ongoing dialogue and constructive discussion with all stakeholders about what is best for our nation’s students.
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