Newspaper Editorial Calls for Bold Steps to Increase Students' Math Skills

May 15, 2007

An editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune recently called for "bold steps" to combat the "math is too hard" attitudes of students and parents, even as state lawmakers voted to require Algebra I for all eighth-graders and mandated more math classes generally to earn a high school diploma in 2010.

At the same time, the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress exam showed that, while nearly 50 percent of Minnesota white students were proficient in math, only 9 percent of the state's African-American students and about 14 percent of Hispanic were proficient.

Noting that "narrowing the achievement gap and improving student math skills cannot be an either-or proposition," the newspaper welcomed two positive developments thus far. One is the Project to Uplift Mathematics Proficiency (PUMP), funded by the Achieve!Minneapolis educational foundation, which aims to encourage all students to do well and understand mathematics.

The other is the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiative by the state's education department, which increased funding for international baccalaureate and advanced placement programs and offers grants to improve teacher training.

But there is more to do, according to the paper. "If children are expected to close that learning gap in three years, resources must be poured into improving proficiency—especially for disadvantaged elementary-age kids." Otherwise, the editorial forecast, "far too many Minnesota students will be left behind."

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 8, 2007