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Grants
Boost Research
$10 million National Science Foundation
grant awarded for MU’s Center for the Study of Mathematics
Curriculum
By Jeff Neu
For years, educators across the country
have attempted to find ways to help the millions of students
who struggle in mathematics. Recent studies indicate U.S. students
fall behind their international peers during the middle school
years and, by graduation, perform worse than most secondary
students tested in 41 nations. The University of Missouri-Columbia
will help find solutions to this problem with a $10 million
grant by the National Science
Foundation (NSF), which will be used to establish the Center
for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum.
“This is the most prestigious
award in the National Science Foundation’s Directorate
of Education and Human Resources,” said Jim Coleman, vice
provost for research at MU. “This award will recognize
MU and its partners as the national leaders in the study of
K-12 mathematics curriculum. It will also continue the recognition
of MU as a national leader in the area of mathematics education.”
Over a five-year period, beginning in January
2004, the center will support doctoral students, curriculum
interns, school, district and/or state curriculum leaders, and
K-12 teachers in four partner school districts. The new center
aims to increase the production of doctoral students in mathematics
education, conduct research focused on mathematics curriculum
and increase teacher knowledge so that more students learn more
mathematics.
Four school districts will serve as sites
for the research, while providing hands-on training of graduate
students. Researchers will study, among other issues, the evolution
and use of mathematics textbooks, the affect textbooks have
on students, and the alignment of state curriculum guidelines
following the No Child Left Behind Act.
The center staff, which will include mathematics
and education faculty and doctoral students, will engage in
scholarly discussions with constituents regarding mathematics
curriculum issues in order to inform public policy. They will
publicize their research findings through a comprehensive website,
national and international curriculum conferences, curriculum
monograph series, and journal entries.
“Textbooks are a staple in
most mathematics classrooms, guiding what students learn and
often how teachers teach,” said Barbara Reys, professor
of mathematics education and director of the center. “The
Center for the Study in Mathematics Curriculum will seek research-based
answers to inform educators and policymakers as they make decisions
about curriculum standards and textbooks.”
“The importance of math and
science education can not be stressed enough in today’s
high-tech job market,” said Sen. Christopher “Kit”
Bond, who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that
funds the grant program. “I am proud of the University
of Missouri-Columbia for receiving this distinguished award
and for their commitment to better preparing our children for
the future.”
Partner institutions include Michigan State
University, Western Michigan University, the University of Chicago
and Horizon Research Inc.
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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