Improving math instruction in schools that serve the poor

Public alarm concerning how well U.S. schools are performing in mathematics compared to other developed nations is increasing. Reports of inadequate teaching, poor curriculum design, and low performance on standardized test have been fueled by the media. These issues in American mathematics classrooms are far compounded in schools that serve the poorest in America. When comparing mathematical proficiency rates of U.S. schools with other countries, schools with less than 25% free and reduced lunch score competitively with counterparts in other countries. In contrast, schools with rates of free and reduced lunch higher than 50% score dismally in comparison. Conditions such as poorly trained teachers, lack of support, insufficient instructional programs, focus on low level skills, low expectations, overwhelming workloads, poor work conditions all contribute to the inferior level of instruction received by students in these schools. There are, however, schools that serve students of poverty that are beating the odds and performing on par and in some cases better than schools that serve more affluent students. To determine what can be reproduced elsewhere, this thesis take a look what is taking place in these schools: a demanding curriculum, implementation of problem solving, deep understanding and communication of mathematics, continual reworking of curriculum, using varied instructional practices, building relationships, and teacher leadership. For instructional practices to improve, teachers must step up and become leaders in the classroom to impact the environment and school culture. Six principles are discussed that are critical to making the changes necessary to impact student achievement in schools that serve the poor. To assist in the battle to improve instruction and student learning in schools that serve the poor, colleges and universities can play a critical role. This thesis describes the preliminary outcomes of two large-scale LSU projects at high need, high poverty schools in the Greater Baton Rouge area: the Pilot Professional Development Project and the Baker Project. It is hoped that the lessons learned will help others to start similar programs at one of the many schools that serve the poor that in dire need for help from higher education mathematics departments

Successfully Teaching Ethics For Effective Learning

This paper is concerned with identifying keys to successfully teach ethics. The keys are: addressing the relevance challenge; striving to achieve a balance between the active engagement of students with issues and a critical analysis of choices in to be made in real-life situations; attending to or managing the learning process to include learning styles and experiential learning; debriefing experientially-oriented learning activities; and institutionalizing outcomes of ethics education objectives. The paper discusses results of a study that attempted to answer the question “What is required to successfully deliver experientially-oriented ethics educatio

The 2016 Assets and Opportunity Scorecard: The Steep Climb to Economic Opportunity for Vulnerable Families

On Monday, Jan. 25, the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) released comprehensive new data showing America's economic structure no longer offers millions of Americans the hope of attaining financial security.The 2016 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard includes data on everything from household savings to credit scores to homeownership. It paints a stark picture of widening wealth inequality, especially when broken down by race. Of particular note is brand new data on small business and microenterprise ownership. It also includes rankings for all 50 states and the District of Columbia on measures of financial security and state policies to increase economic opportunity.Published annually, the Assets & Opportunity Scorecard offers the most comprehensive look available at Americans' ability to save and build wealth, stay out of poverty and create a more prosperous future

Beagle 2: Seeking the signatures of life on Mars

ESA's Beagle 2 lander will land on Mars to search for signatures of present and past life. A Gas Analysis Package (GAP) with a mass spectrometer, XRF, Mossbauer, stereo cameras, microscope, environmental sensors, rock corer/grinder, and a Mole attachment are on the lander

A New Dental Superalloy System: V. Embrittling Phase Transformations

The σ phase is rich in Ta. When the Ta concentration is less than 14%, σ does not interfere with the slip mechanism; when the Ta concentration is more than 15%, σ interferes with the slip mechanism. The coherent α-Co 3Ta phase forms at Ta concentrations of less than 15%, whereas incoherent γ-Co 2Ta forms only at higher Ta concentrations. The interface between σ and the matrix is an important factor in the failure mechanism.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67929/2/10.1177_00220345740530013301.pd