Math Achievement

American students’ math achievement nationally has been improving slowly since 2003. But U.S. 15-year-olds fall behind 22 countries on one international test and 12 on another. Math is a frustrating subject for many students and their parents and educators and policymakers agree the U.S. needs to do a better job to remain competitive in an increasingly technical global economy. Poor math skills exacerbate inequities, shut people out of jobs and make it hard for voters to understand complex issues such as the cost of health care and the size of the national debt.

A student completes a math problem at a West Virginia school.

COLUMN: If girls are bad at math, should we blame their mothers?

Economists calculate how sexism at home may be transmitted to daughters

Math Achievement

by  Jill Barshay  – February 11, 2019

COLUMN: Five years after Common Core, a mysterious spike in failure rate among NY high school students

Potential signs of long-lasting problems for low-achieving students

California

by  Jill Barshay  – January 14, 2019

COLUMN: The problem with high-stakes testing and women in STEM

NYC high school entrance exam finds brightest girls do better in STEM classes than on standardized entrance exams

Math Achievement

by  Jill Barshay  – January 7, 2019

Mississippi

The largely poor and rural state of Mississippi suffers from the highest rate of childhood poverty in the country, along with some of the lowest scores on standardized tests. A legacy of racism and segregation are among the roadblocks that keep the children of Mississippi from reaching their full potential.

How Silicon Valley schools are trying to boost lower-income students into high-tech jobs

Internships, contests and engineering coursework give teens from the area’s majority-Latino high schools an entree to STEM careers

California

by Joanne Jacobs  – June 7, 2018

COLUMN: 20 judgments a teacher makes in 1 minute and 28 seconds

A researcher says 'micro moments' in the classroom reveal implicit biases, subtle racism and sexism

Race and Equity

by  Jill Barshay  – May 7, 2018

Students make use of tablets and technology while working in small groups.

COLUMN: Three lessons from rigorous research on education technology

Hope seen in "personalized" software for math

Math Achievement

by  Jill Barshay  – September 25, 2017

U.S. now ranks near the bottom among 35 industrialized nations in math

Math performance of American 15-year-olds declined significantly on international PISA test

Math Achievement

by  Jill Barshay  – December 6, 2016

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COLUMN: Is it better to teach pure math instead of applied math?

OECD study of 64 countries and regions finds significant rich-poor divide on math instruction

Common Core

by  Jill Barshay  – June 27, 2016

COLUMN: Are science lecture classes sexist?

Researchers find women suffer bigger "grade penalties" than men in large science lecture classes

Math Achievement

by  Jill Barshay  – May 2, 2016

COLUMN: Brainy black and Hispanic students might benefit most from ‘honors’ classrooms

Two studies suggest that tracking doesn't always exacerbate inequality

High School Reform

by  Jill Barshay  – March 28, 2016

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