Lincoln University
Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas, Dean
School of Social Sciences and Behavioral Studies
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
MOTIVATING URBAN YOUTH
TO STUDY MATHEMATICS,
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND
SCIENCE
By
Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas, Dean
School of Social Sciences and Behavioral Studies
Lincoln University
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Definition of Urban Youth
• Programs which have experienced
success in motivating urban youth
to study Mathematics, Computer
Science, Science and/or
Engineering.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Strategies, Techniques and Methodologies
which work in motivating Urban Youth to
Study Mathematics, Computer Science,
Science, Engineering.
•Names of African Americans who are
mathematicians, scientists. (See Dr. Grant D.
Venerable’s Chapter – HANDOUT)
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Panel consists of:
 Grant D. Venerable, II, Ph.D. and M.S. in
Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago,
BS/BA from UCLA in Chemistry; Vice President of
Academic Affairs at Lincoln University.
 Abdulalim A. Shabazz, Distinguished Professor
of Mathematics, Ph.D. in Mathematics from Cornell
University, MA from MIT and B.A. in 3 years from
Lincoln University.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Milford Greene, Ph.D. in Biology from Weslyan
University in Middletown, Connecticut, MPH from
Harvard and BA in Biology from Morehouse College;
Professor of Biology and Director, Sponsored Programs
and Continuing Education at Lincoln University.
 John O. Chikwem, Associate Professor of Biology
and Dean of the School of Mathematics and Science at
Lincoln University. Ph.D. from Ohio University, Athens
in Microbiology, MS from St. Andrews in Scotland, BA
from AIBMS (Association of the Biomedical Institute of
Biomedical Sciences).
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Conclusion
Questions and Answers/Discussion
Date for subsequent
session/partnership perhaps?
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
It is particularly fitting to share with you
that we are excited about this opportunity,
based on the research and best practices on
how we believe we can and should entice all
youth, particularly urban youth, to master
and study mathematics, any of the sciences,
engineering and/or computer science.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
George Gagnon, Jr., who for the past 15-20 years
has been working with students in urban schools
and coaching their math teachers, who is
presently the Pre-Engineering Director of the
Center for Underrepresented Engineering
students at the University of California, Berkeley,
asks this question, “Why are some students
learning math while others are not?” After a
decade of supporting math education as a teacher
educator, classroom coach and university
researcher, he reports the following observations:
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Many math students were severely wounded
by their early math instruction and don’t
obtain the most basic levels of education
required to become quantitatively literate. He
asserts, “If we don’t do something differently,
yet another generation will be lost.”
• Less than 1/3 of urban students in urban
schools are learning enough math to complete
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering,
Mathematics) majors in college although only
1/3 of these successful students actually enroll
in these majors.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•
Of 659,000 minority high school graduates in
2003, only 26,000 had the requisite preparation in
science and mathematics to qualify for admission
to study engineering or technology at the college
level. (Slaughter, 2005).
•
Only students who learn the way we teach
succeed in Math. Pen and paper manipulation of
algorithms has changed little since the advent of
common schools a century and a half ago.
•
Students who think best through communication
with others now struggle with math instruction,
as do those who think best with their bodies and
feelings since few patterns are taught this way.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•We have put aside math discourse and
math models in favor of textbooks, examples
and practice problems or worksheets.
•Some teachers believe only a few students
are mentally qualified to learn math rather
than expecting most students to learn math
through calculus as 95% of the students in
Japan do!
•We expect that almost 2/3 of our students
will enter non-technical fields that involve
only reading, writing and relating so they
“don’t have to learn much math.”
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• The seduction of consumer marketing,
lottery fantasies, and inattention to and
retirement planning are evidence enough that
a lack of numeracy does matter (Ellis, 2001).
• Schools teach algorithms and properties in
a vacuum of conceptual understanding about
such fundamentals as place value, number
relationships and basic operations,
particularly practical applications in science or
social studies.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Elementary schools have few science classes
and middle schools do not integrate math into
science since making the equations and
calculations is beyond many students’
functional math level.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•A respected veteran eighth grade science
teacher reports that most of his students in an
urban school cannot do the following:
- Easily weigh 5 grams of salt in a paper cup
that weighs 9 grams.
- Calculate how much 50 milliliters of water
weighs if one milliliter weighs one gram.
Given a rule with inches on one side and
centimeters on the other, calculate how many
centimeters are in an inch.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• These examples demonstrate that students lack
conceptual understanding and practical applications
for the operations of addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division.
•Teachers teach what they know and teach the way
they were taught. Most elementary math teachers
have little preparation beyond college algebra, a twocredit teacher education course in math methods or
about 24 classroom hours of instruction. Middle
school math teachers frequently have a major in a
field other than math.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•One of the most difficult dilemmas is the use of calculators
for simple computations. The more students can do
without calculators, the better their math skills are. This
scholar encourages students to use place value and number
relationships to ground mental calculations in meaning
rather than procedures.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
 Students are being wounded by current elementary
math teaching. These are not self-inflicted injuries but
rather wounds that result from poor curriculum, poor
instruction and poor assessment in arithmetic.
 Few of those who drop out of school or are incarcerated
have more than rudimentary arithmetic skills and no
understanding of algebra.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
 The math education community must create a health
math learning culture and staunch the wounds.
- Need to heal the math wounds of current elementary
teachers and improve the quality of preparation (Kenschaft,
2005).
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
 Teachers in middle school try to triage these
math wounds. Math schoolteachers sort or triage
students into 3 categories: non-urgent,
emergent/urgent and untreatable.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•In urban middle schools you will find 3 levels of
math classes: college preparatory for students
who are on track, who do their homework;
grade level classes where students take the same
math curriculum but for twice as long, either
over 2 years rather than one in double period
classes; remedial or “academy” classes where
students have a regular class and a second class
to revisit concepts they should have learned
previously.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Effective middle school math teachers report
that most of the wounded students need to
experience some success in mathematics to
begin healing their wounds.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
What Will Heal Math Learners?
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•The National Science Foundation and many
private foundations are putting funds into
secondary math reform rather than math
learning by elementary teachers.
•Elementary Teachers must improve their
understanding of math and study the way
students think and learn.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
HOW?
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Via elementary math coaches, professional
learning communities and commitment to
curriculum reform focused on practical
applications of operations with understanding.
•Steen (2003) observes the lack of progress in
improving math performance as an indicator of
widespread underestimation of the depth of
understanding and intensity of effort required to
teach mathematics effectively. A lack of respect for
the complexity of the problem encourages quick
fixes (smaller classes, higher standards, more tests,
higher teacher salaries) that do not yield greater
disciplinary understanding or pedagogical skill.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Teachers Can Heal Math Wounds Through
Diagnosis and Treatment
•Diagnose the extent and nature of individual
wounds and treating each patient accordingly is
a long term and expensive process but produces
reliable results
•The most effective math teachers know this and
work with students at lunchtime and after school
to improve their understanding of math concepts.
•Curriculum reform must focus on how students
are thinking and learning math.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Programs such as Cognitively Guided Instruction and
Developing Mathematical Ideas have been successfully
engaging elementary math teachers in healing math wounds
and conceptually understanding math for 2 decades or
more.
•Efforts in the East Bay Area around UC Berkeley such as
Diversity in Math Education, Leading for Excellence and
Equity in Math and Science and Pre-engineering
Partnerships. Academic acceleration academies are
demonstrating that secondary teachers can heal math
wounds more effectively than elementary teachers.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
As teachers learn to understand and teach
mathematics conceptually, pre-school
children will learn patterns and counting.
Elementary students will learn place value
and operations; middle school students
will learn algebra and geometry; and high
school students will learn calculus. Then
the majority of students, not only the
privileged few, will succeed in learning
mathematics.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Education Policy Must Include
Numeracy and Well as Literacy.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Education and Legislative policy makers must
realize that the future of our ecology,
technology and economy depend upon a highly
educated workforce that can solve complex
problems, relate with one another and
communicate with colleagues throughout the
world.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Math literacy must be elevated to the
status of language literacy by showing
each other and our children real world
applications and working with adult
learners in math the way we enroll
newcomers in English classes. This
approach would require policies that
make literacy a foundation of learning
the way oral and written communication
are.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Parents and Teachers would be supported to
study math as adult learners.
•We risk losing another generation of urban
youth to the street culture where they fight, injure
and waste each other an enormous psychic,
spiritual, and financial cost to our cities, indeed,
to the whole society. When only upper and
middle class youth have access to high quality
mathematics, we all suffer the consequences.
Math will continue to be the gatekeeper
preventing a majority of public school students
from equal access to an adequate, much less
higher, education.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
 Most 3rd world, developing countries do a more
effective job teaching their youth mathematics than
we in the United States do.
Thus, our job is to heal the wounds of
classroom teachers, parents and students who
think they cannot do Math or Science.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Just who are the urban students we need
and want to attract to the mathematics and
science fields?
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Black, not of Hispanic Origin: A person
having origins in any of the black racial
groups of Africa.
•Hispanic: A person of Mexican, Puerto
Rican, Cuban, Central or South American
or other Spanish culture or origin,
regardless of race
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the
original peoples of Hawaii; the U.S. Pacific Territories of
Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Marinas; the
U.S. Trust Territory of Palau; the islands of Micronesia and
Melanesia; and the Philippines
•American Indian or Alaskan Native: A person having
origins in any of the original peoples of North America, and
who maintains cultural identification through affiliation or
community recognition. (We are not likely to see Pacific
Islanders and/or American Indians or Alaskan Natives in the
eastern corridor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.)
This is not to exclude whites and others who attend
urban schools.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Too often today, in order to maintain a
positive self-identity, these minority
students must take on an anti-school
identity and resist the assimilationist
demands of the school
(Deyhle, 1992; Ogbu, 1987).
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
As you know, we are more segregated in
our urban schools today in 2006 than we
were pre Brown v. Board of Education,
1954, 1955 and the 1964
Civil Rights Legislation.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Wegman refers to this phenomenon as the
Resegregation Dilemma from which 2/3 of the
students exit these schools reading, writing,
speaking, computing three to six grades below level.
As you know if you can’t read, write, speak,
compute, critically think, you and I will never have
to worry about anyone taking our JOBS.
(See letter I wrote to Marjorie Blaze, Acting Chief of Teacher
Certification for the Pennsylvania Department of Education –
HANDOUT.)
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Over 2/3 of teachers in urban schools are not only
uncertified, they haven’t even studied mathematics.
Thus, we often have the “blind leading the blind.”
It’s no wonder that less than 1.8% of all Ph.D.’s in
the math and sciences do not come from our urban
schools. More significantly is the absence of Urban
Youth with credentials/teacher certification in Math
or the Sciences.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
I have spoken to many students at multiple
colleges and universities who are majoring in
teacher education in Pennsylvania and you can
count on one hand the number of African
American, Latinos who are studying math and
are excited about teaching math or science.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
In fact, a large portion of those students, urban,
suburban or rural who do well in math, a B or
better, do not even consider teaching in our high
schools, middle schools. Those with C averages
in the math and sciences are often those who
end up teaching, often by DEFAULT.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
So what should we do about it?
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
First, we have to give our urban
students a reason to study mathematics
and the sciences.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Many of our urban youth do not know
that Philadelphia born and bred, Charles
Bridges, M.D., Ph.D. from Harvard
University and MIT respectively
performed the open heart surgery on
Senator Spector.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Dr. Bridges was the youngest student
Black, White, Yellow, Red or Brown to
ever get accepted into Harvard’s School of
Medicine. He’s Chief of Cardiac Surgery
at the University of Pennsylvania.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
He’s Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the University of
Pennsylvania. He often laughs at the fact that when
one of his “vanilla” colleagues, a cardiologist,
recommends to one of his patients that he do the
surgery on him/her, he says when he visits the
prospective patient with this “vanilla” colleague,
it is assumed that he is the orderly, not the
recommended cardiologist.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Benjamin Carson, MD from the
University of Chicago, the first
surgeon to successfully separate
Siamese twins joined at the head at
Johns Hopkins University relates a
similar story when he initially met the
parents of the young ladies.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
First he is very young looking like many of
you who are here today, he is African
American and they simply assumed that he
couldn’t be the surgeon to whom these
parents were referred. His book, These Gifted
Hands is one I highly recommend to any
Program you initiate for urban youth on your
campus.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Mentoring and High Expectations with
Support/Resources are Key Factors,
Components to any Program for all
Youth, especially Urban Youth.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Programs that have been successful at
motivating urban youth to pursue the
study of mathematics and science:
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Never forget that we’ve had, as Admiral Richover, father
of the Nuclear Navy, 5 decades of
Old Math
New Math

Math Reform

Math Standards
Math Wars
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
USA has a moral obligation to address the
growing inequity in math learning between
students in communities of wealth and
communities of poverty between suburban and
urban students and between White and Asian
students and students of color.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Whatever the provocation, educators must
change the way we have taught math for two
generations for the majority of learners to
actually learn math and obtain qualitative
literacy!
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
U.S. Department of Education has
funded multiple studies to get more
urban youth into the study of
mathematics and science.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The Dymarski Study, Director and Senior
Fellow at Mathematics Policy Research
Institute.

Performed the study within 120 schools
within 40 school districts under the No Child
Left Behind Act. The software package utilized
in this study was SmartMath.
Result: Proven gains over classroom instruction
for pre-Algebra level mathematics.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Power House Programs in the Study:
Scholastic, Pearson and PLATO

CompuTaught, the creator of SmartMath
and leading developer of computer based real
estate education, has provided documentation
of significant gains over traditional classroom
instruction after using the SmartMath learning
tool in less time than other well known software
packages.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
 Those students who received SmartMath
instruction scored consistently higher on nationally
norm-referenced test, the Stanford 9 and the Iowa Test
of Basic Skills (ITBS), as well as the Georgia Criterion
Referenced Test (CRCT). The results revealed
overwhelming improvement across all the different
measures used, for both 5th and 6th graders, and for
students at varying levels of performance in one of the
toughest schools in Georgia – a rural, high-poverty,
high-minority school with the highest dropout rate in
the State.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.

At risk 6th grade students who used
SmartMath increased their ITBS scores (Iowa
Test of Basic Skills) a phenomenal 117%.
SmartMath 6th graders scored 31% higher on
ITBS than the students in the control group.
SmartMath 6th grade students achieved a 46-52%
decreased failure rate on the Georgia CRCT
(Georgia Criterion Referenced Test) over the
control groups. Gifted 5th graders who had the
benefit of using SmartMath scored an astounding
4.8 grade levels higher on the Stanford 9 than
students in the control group testing remarkably
at a post-high school grade level.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The Heartland Institute Study entitled, “High Poverty
and High-Minority Schools in California.”
•Direct Instruction vs. Indirect Instruction.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Findings on both studies conducted by PRI (the
Pacific Research Institute) and the Manhattan
Institute Civic Report report that Direct
Instruction/Teacher Centered Methodology works
best for high-poverty, high-performing schools in
California.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Continuation of Findings:
Findings on both studies PRI, the Pacific
Research Institute and the Manhattan Institute
Civic Report indicate that Direct
Instruction/Teacher Centered methodology
works best for high-poverty, high-performing
schools in California.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
How Teachers Teach matters!
The PRI study shows that schools using direct
instruction prove teaching methods and curricula
succeed even when confronted with the
challenges of poverty and deprivation. Lance T.
Isumi, author of PRI report, writes, “The next
step should be to replicate their study in all
underachieving schools.”
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
According to the Pacific Research Institute direct
instruction was the only one of the methodologies
found to improve student achievement in a 1999
American Institutes for Research Study comparing 24
different teaching methodologies. According to the
PRI study, direct instruction also lays a foundation for
success in high school and college.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
A 1996 analysis of 34 separate studies
comparing direct instruction to other teaching
methodologies had similar findings, showing
direct instruction effective in improving student
achievement.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
 Finding: In the 8 high-performing high-poverty
schools, the PRI, Pacific Research Institute, report
indicates that high expectations are the norm. Often
teachers ask me after I’ve talked about the Rosenthal
Effect (High Expectations) ‘How does one have high
expectations when the students are poorly trained and
have no grounded/solid mathematical and/or science
skills? Here are the comments of two principals who
participated in the study:
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Principal Debbie Tate of Payne Elementary
School believes all students can meet standards.
Dr. Norma Baker, principal of Hudnall
Elementary School, is committed to having all students
meet benchmarks even if they need extra help to do so.
She advocates “High Expectations from her students!!
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The general mindset among teachers in the Manhattan
Institute Survey is somewhat different.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Only ¼ of surveyed teachers place the
greatest emphasis on accuracy of students’
answers.
Only a minority of teachers regularly
assigns vocabulary words and written
exercises.
Fewer than ½ of 4th grade teachers
expect students to always spell correctly.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Nearly 60% of 4th grade teachers do
not base final grades on a “single, classwide standard,” but instead base grades on
individual abilities.
70% of 8th grade teachers permit the
use of the calculator.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Jo Boaler’s Study on “How Urban High
Schoolers Get Math”
Briefly, Jo Boaler made the following
observations after working with three schools
in the Bay area in California. The 700
students in the study studied mathematics
from 9th through 12th grade. The National
Science Foundation supported the 5-Year
Project.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Three schools in the study are:
Railside – Urban schools with 77% Latino, AfricanAmerican and Asian Pacific Islanders, initially achieved
at a significantly lower levels than students at the two
upper middle class affluent Bay Area schools. The
other two Bay Area affluent schools’ students had
always, before the intervention at Railside, performed
significantly higher in Math than did Railside students.
The project was funded by the National Science
Foundation.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Results: Within two years, Railside students were
significantly outperforming the students at the other
two schools in tests designed by the study.
By the junior year 54% of Railside students said they
enjoyed math “all or most of the time,” compared to
29% of the students at the other schools.
Furthermore, although white students at Railside
performed at higher levels than Latinos at the start of
freshman year, this disparity disappeared by the end
of the sophomore year.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The study found no gender differences in
performance in any tests the students took at any
level. Female students made up ½ of the advanced
classes at Hilltop, 48% at Griendale and 59% at
Railside.

By 12th grade 41% of all of Railside students
were taking calculus compared with 27% of seniors
at the other two schools.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Keith Devlin, a consulting professor in Mathematics,
said “the results do not surprise him. Good teaching
is just not about teaching the tools, but teaching
students how to use the tools.” “Learning math is
about developing our mental capacity to a point
[that] when faced with a new problem involving
mathematical thinking, we know about how to go
about solving it. You can’t get away from drill, rote
and practice, but then you have to develop the skills
for using the tools well!”
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Boaler’s view, the greatest outcome is that Railside’s teaching
methods are leaving lasting results. Out of 105 seniors
interviewed at the end of the study, all said they wanted to
pursue mathematics in college – compared with 67% of the
students who learned traditional mathematics. Moreover, 39%
of Railside students said they planned a future in mathematics
compared to 5% of those from the other 2 schools. The
mathematics teachers at Railside achieved something important
that many other teachers can learn from – they gave students
from disadvantaged backgrounds a great chance of success in
life and taught them to love mathematics. That’s very
important because there is a critical shortage of people who are
mathematically qualified.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
How Railside, the highly impoverished
Urban School, succeeded?
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.

Students of mixed abilities were placed in
classes together, while the students at Hilltop and
Grandale split students into algebra, remedial
algebra and geometry. Railside placed all students
into heterogeneous algebra classes.
 The teachers used an approach designed at
Stanford called “complex instruction” to insure
that group work succeeded while countering social
and academic status differences.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•The teachers created working environments where
many dimensions of mathematical work were
valued allowing for several different paths to a
solution.
•Students were given several ways to contribute to
problem solving.
•Students were graded for asking good questions,
rephrasing problems, explaining ideas, being
logical, justifying methods and bringing different
perspectives to a problem.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Railside uses block scheduling, developing 90minute long lessons for courses that last a half
school year instead of a full academic year with
hour-long classes.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The Escalante Project (Stand and Deliver)
• Escalante exclaims, “Yes, the barriers
disadvantaged or minority students face
are substantial, but it is the very
possibility of their remaining trapped by
them for an entire lifetime which requires
that such students be urged to succeed in
their academic studies.”
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Current research overwhelmingly
supports a greater use of technology in
the mathematics classroom and the
integration of math with other subjects.
These two measures are expected to
motivate students and to help them see
important linkages between math and the
REAL WORLD.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
MATH R US by Signer and Christie
Signer and Christie evaluated a year-long
project called MATH R US
(Microcomputer Adaptive Testing High
Risk Urban Students) used in an urban
high school that serves an at risk,
predominantly black population with a
high rate of absenteeism.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• In this Program, students were given a
computerized diagnostic test once a week
and spent the other daily class meetings
working on computer-generated practice
sheets. By the end of the year results
indicated:
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Computer assisted instruction increases students’
motivation, self-confidence and self-discipline.
•In this study students engaged in less off-task
behavior (less than 5% of observed computer class
time).
•The students generated intense competition among
themselves to perform well on tests.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•When they completed one with 100% accuracy, a
graphic of a “hamburger” would appear on their
computer screen. This was motivational and the
students competed to see who would get the most
“Hamburgers.”
•When using the computer, the students saw their
teacher as an ally rather than an adversary. They
reported the computer as fairer, easier, and more
likeable than their teachers.  
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•Moreover, the use of computers gives students more
ownership and responsibility over their learning.
•In contrast, students in the control setting typically
listened to a lecture from their math instructor,
helped work sample problems on the board and
then were given worksheets to do individually at
their seats. Student interaction was discouraged,
but the teacher had to monitor socialization and get
the students back on-task.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
On the other hand, student interaction in the
computer group was permissible and was almost
always centered on learning. Student involvement
with the computer included creation of:
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.

Hypermedia Artifacts in Math and Science

HyperCard Stacks created by Algebra Students include
the commutative, associative, and distributive properties as
well as adding polynomials and solving, simplifying and
rearranging formulas algebraically. The students learned to
work together in teams.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Sharon Dugdale’s “The Spreadsheet Project – K-12
Teachers Use of a Spreadsheet for Mathematical
Modeling and Problem Solving.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
 The Spreadsheet – In Sharon Dugdale’s article “K-12
Teachers Use of a Spreadsheet for Mathematical Modeling
and Problem Solving,” she advances the idea that having
students create spreadsheet models to maximize area, to solve
linear equations, to produce both numeric and graphical
solutions for quadratic equations, to provide both graphical
and tabular solutions to distance-rate-time problems that
have travelers leaving different places at different speeds and
meeting somewhere in between, to simulate population
growth, to compute possible paths between two places on a
grid, to compare linear and exponential growth, and to
interpret data from surveys. As with the computer activities
previously described, the use of spreadsheets enables students
to play a more active role in their own learning process and
encourages creativity and autonomy.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
•
When working with under-achieving
students, the models can be adapted to fit
their particular interests.
• Since making money is a concern to
most teens, a comparison of two daily
allowance schemes would probably pique
interest in the classroom.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Students would be able to be asked to compare
which option is better: Receiving $10 a day per
month or receiving a penny on the first day of
the month and then each day doubling the
number of pennies earned the previous day. A
spreadsheet model for this problem could
calculate and graph each day’s income and the
running total of each. This could lead to an
interesting analysis of linear and exponential
growth and when each is more profitable.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Findings: The Spreadsheet Activity
significantly improved the urban students
success and love of math.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The Kay Tolliver Mathematics Programs
• Get the students “hooked” to the point
that they anxiously look forward to
coming to and participating in class.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• To present the whole body of
mathematics as a unified subject and to
emphasize relationships between math
and the real world. Tolliver replaced the
textbook in her classes with software
packages.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
EQUALS Project – (Gender Equity Attrition)
Conducted by faculty at the University of
California, Berkeley.
• Grant from U.S. Department of Education
• Better link home and school. Courses for
parents are offered in a school, church, library
or museum, or community center and meet for
6 weeks.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The PUMP Algebra Curriculum. The Pittsburgh
Urban Mathematics Project
  A collaborative effort between teachers in
the public schools and the Anderson Research
Group: To make high school algebra accessible
to all students through the use of situational
curriculum materials and an intelligent
computer based tutoring system. The study
worked to represent real world situations with
equations and then to interpret those equations
with tables and graphs.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Findings: 25% more urban youth
selected high level mathematics classes as
a result of the PUMP Program.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The Interactive Mathematics Program funded by
the National
Science Foundation.
This Interactive Mathematics Program
curriculum consists of four to eight week
units that are each organized around a
central problem or theme.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Dr. Phillip Uri Treisman writes, “The
United States has increasingly failed to
provide mathematics in a way that
“hooks” urban youth.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The Phillip Uri Treisman Study
• Philip Uri Treisman’s Experiment with
20 African American males and 20
Chinese Americans.
• Dr. Treisman spent a minimum of six
hours per day to study each cohort:
African Americans and Chinese.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Over an 18-month period Treisman
accompanied the students to the library,
their dormitory rooms and their homes in
hope that he might see first hand how they
went about learning and doing review
problems that, at least on their first try,
they could not solve.
• Cooperative vs. competitive study habits
• Use of tutors in a productive and creative manner.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Pamela Trotman Reid and Sally Roberts’
Mathematics Problem for Potentially Talented At
Risk Adolescent Girls.
Program is aimed to build mathematical
confidence, skills and conceptual
understanding by integrating mathematics.
Program targeted seventh-grade urban girls
from public and private schools.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.

Qualitative data from the girls indicate that
participants demonstrated greater confidence in their
mathematical ability and increased mathematics
achievement after the program. Qualitative data
confirmed these findings and supported the contention
that multiple factors play a role in fostering girls’
interest in studying mathematics and science. By high
school, girls and minority students, to a much greater
extent than boys and white students, self select out of
higher-level “academic track” mathematics and science
courses such as calculus and chemistry (Clewell,
Anderson and Thorpe, 1992). Gender gaps and ethnic
differences also persist through high school on “high
stakes” tests such as the SAT and statewide achievement
tests.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
 The National Science Foundation issued a report in
2000 that examined participatory changes in these
fields. That year, while females comprised 46% of the
total labor force, only 22.8% of all scientists and
engineers were women. Further, women were
concentrated in the life and social sciences, with females
comprising 63% of all psychologists and 42% of all
biologists, compared with 10% of physicists and
astronomers and 9% of engineers (National Science
Foundation, 2000).
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Intervention Domains
• Role models and university student
mentors.
• Curricular developments
• Linking mathematics’ activities to the
Social Sciences research methods.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Activities for Mathematics for Girls
• Activities for Mathematics for Girls were
held across ten consecutive Saturdays on
the campus of a major research institution.
• Parents were responsible for transporting
girls to the Program site, where they
received snacks and lunch free of charge.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• During the program the participants used a
laptop computer laboratory and toured
several campus sites.
• Each Saturday the Program activities
included mathematics and scientific
reasoning skills, statistical concepts, data
literacy and analysis and the exploration of
math-related careers.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Mentors were responsible for designing and
teaching mini skill-building lessons for their
team of girls based on the results of
mathematics skills pre-tests for their individual
group of girls.
• A typical day began at 9:00 a.m. and concluded
at 2:30 p.m. and incorporated both whole
group and teamwork.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• The course of study for the 10-week
session reflected the vision for school
mathematics articulated in the Principles
and Standards for School Mathematics
(National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, 2000) for data analysis,
communication, and representation for
grades 6-8.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• The Program established a collaborative
environment through the use of small
groups and single sex participants.
• The 7th grade girls and mentors worked
in research teams that comprised two
university students and three to four
seventh graders.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Teams worked together to complete a research
project investigating a topic of interest.
• The project included designing a survey,
collecting data, and using descriptive and
inferential statistical techniques.
• The Program organizers also brought senior
level researchers and female scientists to talk
with girls and provide role models and
introduction to career options.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
RESULTS
• Mathematical confidence and skills were
significantly increased from pre-test to
post-test.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Their scores on the mathematical skill measure
increased almost 4 points. In addition to the
significant increase across participants, data
disaggregated by groups (low, medium, high)
provide evidence that girls at every level
demonstrated gains during the Program. More
than 50% of the girls achieved a score that was
above the maximum pretest score for that
group.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Results
• No change in educational goals and
career aspirations. The failure to find an
increase in aspiration is due to a ceiling
effect caused by high–re-test scores.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• The girls’ journals report also indicate
that the commitment to education and
career goals expressed by participants
included further study of mathematics.
• One girl wrote: I’m not sure what I
really want to be, but I know I really
want to do something that involves Math
and Science.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Parents reported not only that the
Program increased their daughters’
perception of their mathematical abilities
and confidence in Math and Science, but
they also believe the Go-Girl experience
translated into their daughters’ ongoing
academic prowess.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Journal responses support expectations
that the mentoring relationship
contributed to increased mathematics
confidence and competence for the girls.
The participants identified both the
instrumental (specific skill building) and
the relational (social, emotional) mentoring
aspects of the Program.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• They identified their mentors as friends.
Mentors provided social support, advice
about school, friendship, preparation for
college and careers – also provided
emotional support.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Journal responses also indicate that participants were
overwhelmingly positive about the small collaborative grouplearning environment, with 67 of the 745 (90.5%) participants
characterizing it as beneficial.
•
•
•
•
Perceived benefits of the Program.
Fosters equal participation.
Encourages the sharing of opinions.
Encourages the sharing of opinions.
Mathematical confidence and skills were significantly
increased from pre-test to post-test.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
The Morgan-Potsdam
Model/The Potsdam Miracle
This is a name given to a method of teaching mathematics
developed by Dr. Clarence F. Stephens at Morgan State
University and refined at the State University of NY College at
Potsdam. Dr. Uri Treisman of the University of California at
Berkeley independently discovered a few of Dr. Stephens’
techniques in what is referred to as the Group Method. Dr.
Stephens earned his B.S. from Johnson C. Smith, MA, Ph.D.
from the University of Michigan.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• From 1947-62 he discovered and
developed the keys to his method. Math
Education at its Best: The Potsdam
Model (MEAIB) by Dilip Datta.
• Dr. Stephens’ model included establishing
the most favorable conditions he could
for students to learn and teachers to each.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• He developed a method for developing the
mathematical potential of students at Potsdam
which worked well for Morgan and in NSF
Summer Institutes for Secondary Teachers of
Math.
• Formed a team of teachers/faculty members to
work with him to teach freshmen and
sophomores and the first year of graduate study
mathematics, “How to Read Mathematics
Literature with Understanding and to Become
Independent Learners.”
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Faculty selected for the team had to have
a warm relationship with the students,
strong loyalty to the Department and the
College.
• The team was informally formed by the
way courses were assigned without telling
faculty they were members of the team.
• Solid students served as tutors.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• SUNY Potsdam in 1985 had 4000 students. In 1985 the
college graduated 184 mathematics majors, the 3rd
largest number of any institution in the United States.
This represented a quarter of the degrees given by
SUNY Potsdam that year and over 40% of the
institution’s honor students were math majors.
• The Potsdam Miracle was accomplished by raising
standards and providing a supportive environment.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
STRATEGIES, TECHNIQUES,
METHODOLOGIES WHICH MOTIVATE, BASED
ON THE DATA, URBAN YOUTH TO PURSUE A
CAREER FIELD WHICH REQUIRES THE
STUDY OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE
BEYOND THE RUDIMENTARY LEVELS
INCLUDE:
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• A solid mentoring program. Math students
with other students, faculty, community folks
who have competence in math and/or science,
love it and love young people.
• Link the study of mathematics and science to
the students’ everyday lives. Do not present
math and science classes devoid of the students’
everyday lives.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Get excellent teachers to teach math and
science. Math and science teachers in K-12 and
the College level should share their success and
not so successful stories about their math
instruction.
• Model excellent, creative, innovative teaching
methodologies.
• Use varied classroom instructional techniques
commensurate with the content you’re
teaching.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• The Math, Science, Computer Science
faculty should regularly discuss what is
happening in the Science and
Mathematics, Computer Science Methods
Courses taught by the Education
Department.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Give Pre and Post tests in all math and science
classes. Know what your students know and do
not know.
• Use the results to modify the University’s
math and science curricula. “If you
always do what you’ve always done,
you’ll always get what you’ve always
gotten.”
• Develop a curriculum that meets the
needs of underachieving math and
science students.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Engage parents whenever, wherever possible in
the involvement of their children in math and
science classes.
• Work on getting grants for parents to
attend classes that will raise their level of
mathematical skills.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Make tutoring available to students around the clock
and offer points for students who participate in
tutoring programs. Get feedback from tutor on
attitude, skill level, attendance and performance of
students.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Start exposing students to math and
science in kindergarten and all
subsequent years.
• Relate the study of math and science to
the study of the social sciences and the
humanities.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Provide support for both the cognitive and
affective domains to the students.
• Teachers must demonstrate warmth for their
students. You are “on their case” because you
want them to do well.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Teachers, of course, must be knowledgeable
about the environment, culture from which
their students come. Teachers should be
available for students during irregular
hours. (Graduate students, peer tutors, etc.)
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Creation of a working, fun classroom
environment.
• Greet the students when they enter, leave
the classroom.
• Ask them about their career objectives,
goals and then ask how they plan to
achieve them.
• Challenge them to focus on what one
must do to achieve his/her goal.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Enthusiasm from the Teacher about
Math and Science.
• Drilling of basic mathematical concepts
paired with discussion.
• Offer general and selective positive
reinforcement.
• Use choral responding.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Make use of the pattern drill in the
beginning, middle and end of class.
• Students will maintain a journal on how
they feel about instruction, concepts, etc.
• Encourage divergent and convergent
questioning.
• Scheduling of classes is a PRIORITY.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
ATTENTION!!
Math Gap Grows for
Minorities/Urban Youth
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• The difference in math scores between
white and black seventh graders grew
from 17.9 to 31.3 percentage points
during that 8-year period.
• Latino students from 17.3 to 29.3
percentage points. (Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• American Indians from 17.1 to 23.8
percentage points. Overall, just one
quarter of minority 7th graders statewide
passed the math section of this year’s
WASL (Washington Assessment of
Student Learning). (State of
Washington)
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• The Math gap has increased over the past
eight years for all minority groups on the
fourth, seventh and 10th grade WASL
with the exception of Asian students and
a negligible gain among sophomores of
American Indian descent.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• The gap between black and white
teenagers increased from 35.9 to 44.2
percentage points over the past 8 years
and jumped from 32.7 to 47.7 percentage
points between black and white 7th
graders between 1998 and 2005.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Contributors to the Gap Between
Indigent Minority Students and Middle
Class Students
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• A 2001 Education trust survey found that
63% of high school classes in Washington
State were taught by teachers who
majored in the subjects they were
teaching, but the number dropped to
52% in schools with high numbers of
children living in poverty.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• David Marshab, an Associate Professor at
Seattle University, said the highly sequential
nature of math, which requires mastering new
skills each step of the way, makes it easy to fall
behind children’s differing levels of education.
When they start school, their varying rates of
development, the support they get at home and
the quality of the teachers, he said, all combine
to push some children along while others fall
behind.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Seismic shift in teaching strategies that today’s
math standards require.
• Chronic under funding Washington spends
87% of the national average of per-pupil
funding, putting the state 44th in the nation,
although Washington ranks 6th nationally in
terms of education funding raised at the same
level versus federal funding and local levies.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• The Reading First initiative, part of the
No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 has
allocated more than $3 billion nationally
to provide research-based professional
development for teachers with the aim of
improved reading instruction in K-3rd
grade. Results showed significant
improvement. The racial gap closed at 51
schools that participated in a pilot.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• No comparable math initiative.
• No standardized curriculum.
• Absence of appropriate professional
development opportunities for classroom
math teachers at various stages of their
careers.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
• Absence of intensive training and coaching
required for effective math instruction.
• Need for Powerful Teaching – “You give a kid
two years with a very powerful teacher, and
that will mitigate against any family condition.”
“You give kids two years of poor teaching and
it puts them at risk for the rest of their schoolaged life! (So says Stephen Fink, Executive
Director of the University of Washington’s
Center for Education Leadership.
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
CONCLUSION
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.
Where Do We Go From Here?
We Have the Power!
Copyright 2006 by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas. May not be reprinted unless
permission is given by Dr. Judith A.W. Thomas.