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Federal Report Finds Research On Math Programs LackingScientific research on the effectiveness of middle school math programs is extremely lacking, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Education. The report, "Curriculum-Based Interventions for Increasing K-12 Math Achievement-Middle School," found that only five programs tested had research backgrounds thorough enough to meet federal standards. Of those, only two were able to provide evidence of their effectiveness compared with other programs. The implications of such findings have caused mixed reactions among education experts. While supporters of the evidence-based education model set in motion by the Bush administration see the results as a wake-up call for educational publishers--in particular those that produce math-focused programs--others feel this may indicate that federal research standards may be too ambitious. “The realities of schools are so complex that doing the kind of studies we thought we needed may simply not be practical,” said Cathy Seeley, in a November 24 article in Education Week. Seeley is president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, a professional group based in Reston, Va. “You can’t control all the variables in schools like you can in a medical setting.”
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"Math
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