Request for feedback from USMA listserver subscribers, to the National Math Advisory Panel (NMAP):Dear Don,
If you haven’t already provided feedback to NMAP, the report of the Panel is our latest opportunity to have the need for improved metric education identified in a high visibility document.
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The National Math Advisory Panel is holding its third meeting on 13-14 September. Again, they have invited interested person to submit their comments by email or letter, or to make an appointment to address the Panel. USMA hopes that Listserver members will flood them with letters stressing the importance of improved metric system education. The deadline for submitting letters is 1 September.
The National Math Advisory Panel (NMAP) has been established by President Bush by Executive Order 13398. The purpose of this Panel is to foster greater knowledge of and improved performance in mathematics among American students, in order to keep America competitive, support American talent and creativity, encourage innovation throughout the American economy. . . . "
See www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/ <http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/mathpanel/> . Under "Third Meeting," click on Federal Register Notice for information about how to send your comments or for making a presentation to the Panel on 14 September. Note that written comments must be received by 1 September.
On the USMA Web site you can read more about the Panel at http://lamar.colostate.edu/~hillger/nmap.html.
I have just had a look at the transcript of first meeting of the National Math Advisory Panel. I searched through the 170 page report looking for the word 'metric'. It appeared on two occasions. I have highlighted the two appearances below:
Page 72
NSF has taken a lead role in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education in building an inventory of mathematics and science education programs in the Federal Government and developing appropriate metrics for evaluating the effectiveness of these programs.
Page 98
MR. GEARY: In response to the question what do we know about the mechanisms underlying complex problem solving, I think we have data on psychometric tests that kind of look at global performance that kind of sums performance across a number of items and then the predictors of that, but we don't have the type of what are the kids doing at this particular trial to solve this type of problem for algebra and more complex skills that we do on number counting, arithmetic for example. And that's something we do need and we do need to know the relationship between what's going on with the problem solving during algebra as related to earlier --
The metric system did not look like it was in the forefront of the committee's collective minds at the first meeting and the word metric does not appear in the agenda for the next meeting.
Clearly, USMA members will need to do a lot to raise the profile of the metric system in the minds of the committee members.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216
Geelong, Australia
61 3 5241 2008
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.metricationmatters.com
