Monday, July 03, 2006
Carnegie Out in Pittsburgh?
The Math Wars are roiling the Pittsburgh public schools. The progressive math curricula Connected Math and Everyday Math are out; a customized math curricula created by Kaplan K-12 is in. Rumor has it that Carnegie Learning’s computer-based Algebra program is also out, which is a shame, given that it was created at Carnegie Mellon, and tested in the Pittsburgh public schools. Still, it’s hard to argue with the statistics: almost 62% of 11th graders in Pittsburgh failed to achieve proficiency on standardized exams. It speaks poorly of Carnegie’s efficacy (see the posting on the Transferability Problem, below), and is an ugly harbinger of Carnegie’s efforts in Los Angeles. My suggestion: continue to make the product simpler to use, and more flexible with a variety of curricula. And check your arrogance at the door and tackle the Transferability Problem in earnest.
