Everyday Math

[Anonymous]

Can someone help me to understand why, after tons of experts say that Everyday Math is useless, we continue to use it in our schools? Even U of. Chicago who created it says it's not the best.

[Anonymous]

Fairfax invested a whole lot of money in that curriculum and change is expensive.

[Anonymous]

But the private schools could change. And what's more expensive, all the money that's spent at score and Kumon to help these kids?

[Anonymous]

PP here: We're in a school using Investigations. It is certainly better than EDM, but of the same philosophy. Frankly, I think the weakest link in the curriculum is the interaction between teachers and parents. The teachers are completely incapable of explaining the theory of what they are doing, or providing the tools we need to help our children with the sometimes odd homework. To be blunt, I suspect it is because some of the elementary school teachers aren't good enough at math to handle that conversation. (It takes a better mathematician to understand the teaching of mathematics, and to understand the purpose of a problem than it takes to actually do the problem...). That is my frustration.

(And, despite all the talk about "algorithms not promoting understanding," my son seems to be doing plenty of them - I think this reflects his teacher's limitations, and not my son's mathematical ability.)

[Anonymous]

That's the point about EDM. The curriculum is not set up for elementary school teachers. Other curricula are set up for teachers that have little understanding of math. I am astounded that as I go to interviews at some prestigious private schools, they proudly say that they are using EDM.
We are wasting these kids' time with this stuff. I thought that the jury was no longer out on this.

[Anonymous]

I too have visited many private schools that tout the use of Everyday Math and, not knowing any better, thought it was the most progressive/successful approach. Interesting to read this post. Are there any independent schools you know which don't use the method which I might look into? I am very interested in strong math and science programs as I look into schools for next year.

[Anonymous]

Agreed -- my first-choice independent school in NW DC uses EDM, has a whole web page touting that fact.

This is enough to be a deal-breaker for us! which is a shame bc we otherwise love this school.

So DC private school parents: do any of your schools not use EDM?

[Anonymous]

I only found one school in Potomac that doesn't use it (other than Montessori). That was Fourth Presbyterian.

[Anonymous]

This issue is related to the "fuzzy" math problem. I mentioned it in another posting. Look at nychold.com they address EDM and progressive approaches to math. The most frustrating thing is that kids spend oodles of time on the homework and still don't get it.
I plan to just teach my child math with another curriculum. If the teacher wants to complain about her not getting her homework done, so be it. I know that she's learning if I teach her.

[Anonymous]

a really good teacher can teach math well with the EDM curriculum so i wouldn't write off the school entirely because of that. i agree with the criticisms of EDM...not my first choice curriculum (and I am an education researcher so i've read all about it and work with a group that has developed a very different kind of math curriculum)...but i really think alot of instruction comes down to the teacher and his or her grasp of basic math concepts.

[Anonymous]

PP: forgot to add that even if a school uses a better curriculum than EDM, it still depends on how well the teacher teaches the math.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:a really good teacher can teach math well with the EDM curriculum so i wouldn't write off the school entirely because of that. i agree with the criticisms of EDM...not my first choice curriculum (and I am an education researcher so i've read all about it and work with a group that has developed a very different kind of math curriculum)...but i really think alot of instruction comes down to the teacher and his or her grasp of basic math concepts.

Could you let us in on that different math curriculum? Also, the system should be fool proof. That is, teachers with little training ought to be able to use simpler curricula, and parents should be able to help their kids at home.

[Anonymous]

I'm also confused - I too thought that b/c everyone touts using EDM as a positive, that it was considered a good program. Also confusing - are you saying this a program that is developed for teachers w/little math experience? At $25k+ per year tuition, I would expect the teachers to be more than sufficient in math...

[Anonymous]

I get the sense that the DC area is the least progressive in the country when it comes to academic change. I would not be surprised if some publishers sweeten up the deal to continue certain curricula. What I don't understand is why the ridiculous EDM is still in our schools with aaaallll of the negative press. Why have the folks in Texas, California, and NY caught on an we haven't???
I still think about th poor kids suffering through this.

[Anonymous]

To OP,

Our son's school is using EDM. It was introduced this year. What you say concerns me deeply. Can you provide some links to any online resources where this issue is duscussed, where would I find the research on this subject?

I did a quick search, but there seems to be a sea of information, so any help would be appreciated.