Re: [MATHEDCC] Endless bad press

Vern Kays (vkays@RICHLAND.CC.IL.US)
Tue, 07 Oct 1997 11:47:19 -0500

>>
>>I don't know if you have these where you are............ But, in So Calif, we
>>have some small billboards (on bus stops) that have a picture of a giant
>>clenched fist (ala "Black Power" of the 60's). Tattood (sp?) on the fingers
>>is M-A-T-H. The sign reads "MATH POWER - Get it!!" There is a phone number
>>on the sign that I've been meaning to call. Anyone else have these?

An other note, last night on c-span. A group of republicans were attacting
the standards and national testing for k-12. The misimpression they were
giving was that k-12 is not going to teach basic skills and the being able
to think mathematically was only doing the +,-, X and / stuff. Clearly,
they are missing the point of standards and the discussion of what is
important for all students to know mathematically. I am not sure that doing
an algorithm with out understanding is any better than doing the key
strokes of a calculator without understanding. It just takes longer to get
to a potentially "bad" conclusion.

Clearly they do not think the TIMS (SP) document was not in their horizen.
I hope we all respond to such mis information.

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