Students at Risk in Mathematics: Implications for Elementary Schools.

Students at Risk in Mathematics: Implications for Elementary Schools. Our students are doing poorly at math. They have been for years. The problem starts in elementary schools. What can we do? This article has a few ideas.



From the site:



Two groups of students in schools are learning substantially less mathematics than they should. They are entering the work-force unable to use mathematics effectively, and probably account for a significant amount of the reason national assessment scores in mathematics do not show much improvement.



The first group consists of the "typical or usual" potential school dropout and underachiever. The second group of students, the group we term "nominal mathematics students," stay in high school and may even go on to college, but their mathematics education is not adequate to allow them maximum educational and life choices. Both of these groups, the potential dropout and the nominal mathematics student, are at risk of not developing adequate mathematical knowledge and skills and contributing less than what they might to their own lives and to society.



What can the elementary school staff do to address the problems of these at-risk students? This digest and the publication on which it is based were developed to help schools and teachers know some of the problems the students have, what the elementary school staff can do, and what elementary classroom teachers can do. Most of the recommended actions will help not only these students, but also others.