MATH
Programs that work
What works
in teaching
math
For better outcomes, focus on the classroom, not just the
curriculum, writes Robert Slavin
IF STUDENTS are to reach their full potential,
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Measures had to be fair to all groups (and There were 13 studies of elementary curricula,
they must be able to confi dently compute not, for example, be a test inherent to the and 40 of middle/high school curricula. There
and solve complex math problems. To ensure program); and was very little evidence that it mattered
success in math for all children, educators
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Programs had to be evaluated for at which curriculum was used. None of them
need to know which programs and practices least 12 weeks, and preferably a year showed any strong evidence of effectiveness
are effective. Which textbooks, computer or more. in comparison to the others. Although it might
programs, and professional development
strategies increase math achievement?
There is no evidence that different curricula give
We carried out a review of research on
math programs in both elementary and
different achievement outcomes. Clearly this has enormous
middle/high schools. The aim was to place
implications for teaching and policy
all types of programs on a common scale. In
this way, we hope to provide educators with We considered studies carried out in be suggested that the standardized tests used
meaningful, unbiased information that they all countries, but the results had to be to measure performance would not detect
can use to choose programs and practices. available in English. The majority of studies some of the more sophisticated skills taught
We examined the quantitative evidence on were done in the U.S. In total, nearly 200 by some innovative curricula, there didn’t
math programs to discover how much of a studies met the inclusion criteria for the two seem to be any evidence of this in the studies
scientifi c basis there is for competing claims reviews. They broke down into three broad we looked at.
about their effects. areas – math curricula, computer-assisted
Our review threw some interesting light on instruction (CAI) approaches, and teaching CAI approaches
the kinds of math reforms that are likely to strategies. In elementary schools, technology has
improve the achievement of children in math. typically been used as a supplement to
Math curricula classroom teaching, often used only a few
Studies we included A number of studies measured impact on times a week. These programs can help to
In order to be included in our review, studies achievement for various textbooks and identify children’s strengths and weaknesses
had to meet a number of common-sense curricular innovations. These fell into three and then give them self-instructional
criteria: categories: exercises designed to fi ll in gaps.
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Students participating in a program had
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Innovative strategies that focus on Across the 38 elementary school studies
to be compared to children using ordinary problem-solving, alternative solutions, that qualifi ed for our review, we found that
methods; and conceptual understanding; most studies found positive effects, and
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Students participating in a program had to
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Traditional commercial textbooks; and none signifi cantly favored a control group.
be well-matched to those using ordinary
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A back-to-basics textbook that However, there was not enough high-quality
methods; emphasizes a step-by-step approach. evidence to recommend one program over
4 Better: Evidence-based Education fall 2009
Better(US) Fall09.indb 4 14/10/09 13:04:37
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