Our little school uses Everyday Math. My son is only in kindergarten, but he's coming home saying things like, "if there are three people, how many hands do they have?" And odd questions like that. He likes it, and it's holding his interest to the extent he tests out these concepts at home. So on one hand I'm glad the interest is there.

On the other hand, I do know that the math teacher in the upper grades supplements the curriculum with more traditional concepts like drill and kill on the multiplication tables, etc. Which is good. I don't think you can escape the need to learn significant parts of math by rote.

The kids score 1-2 grades higher on standardized tests, but I have no idea how that compares to public schools.

It's definitely something I will be keeping my eye on, and supplement as necessary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I found a school that I love except for the fact they use Everyday math. The school only goes up to 3rd. Would you tolerate EM since it's just for the early years? I'm looking for a reason to downplay this problem since I thought the school was great in all other respects. Am I fooling myself?

You could have had that in public school, op. My guess is the curriculum is the same.

I'll never forget how angry a friend was when she found out that Burgundy Farms uses the same exact curriculum for math and several other subjects as did the Alexandria City Schools she was fleeing.

For chrissakes, do you have to turn every thread into a vehicle for you to argue that public schools are equivalent to private schools?!? If you want to have that discussion (again!), then please start your own thread.

Anonymous wrote:I found a school that I love except for the fact they use Everyday math. The school only goes up to 3rd. Would you tolerate EM since it's just for the early years? I'm looking for a reason to downplay this problem since I thought the school was great in all other respects. Am I fooling myself?

You could have had that in public school, op. My guess is the curriculum is the same.

I'll never forget how angry a friend was when she found out that Burgundy Farms uses the same exact curriculum for math and several other subjects as did the Alexandria City Schools she was fleeing.

DC uses EDM at school and he really enjoys it. However, they also use a program called XtraMath for math facts (great for automaticity) and IXL for more straight problem solving.
I think as long as the school doesn't stick solely to EDM, but uses it as just one part of the math teaching tools, it's a really neat program.

DC is a 4th grader and recently transferred into a school that uses EDM. Despite my concerns based on everything I read about EDM here, the transition has been pretty painless and he is FAR more excited about math now, flying through homework that seems pretty rigorous. I was a skeptic of EDM, initially, but have been very pleasantly surprised. I can't help but wonder if the "automaticity" he got in his previous math curriculum gave him the solid foundation he needed to now apply critical thinking skills. From my layperson's perspective, EDM seems to be much more about analytical/critical thinking than rote memorization. EDM seems to be serving him well now but I can't help but wonder if it would be a very different scenario had he not had the more traditional approach in K-3.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They all got sucked in to EDM but agree with pp, they cobble something together to enhance it. Too many gaps.

Newbie to Everyday Math here - can you elaborate on the gaps? I'm guessing they aren't evident in the earlier years, but I would be concerned that there will be something missing later on.

Well, IMO one thing that falls through cracks in automaticity. At least for my DD, EDM never focused on speed drilling math facts. As a result, she still has to stop and think about multiplication tables. THis has slowed her down a bit when doing Algebra and higher math now.

Anonymous wrote:They all got sucked in to EDM but agree with pp, they cobble something together to enhance it. Too many gaps.

Newbie to Everyday Math here - can you elaborate on the gaps? I'm guessing they aren't evident in the earlier years, but I would be concerned that there will be something missing later on.

They all got sucked in to EDM but agree with pp, they cobble something together to enhance it. Too many gaps.

Do they really use EDM, or do they use some mix of things they put together to enhance EDM?

I didn't expect to like it but my DD in K LOVES it. Talks about math concepts and how they apply to every day life quite a bit. I think for early grades (at least) it's no big deal and may foster an enjoyment of math. Remember, there is probably some reason the school chose it.

My child's school uses Everyday Math. She just started it this year (in 2nd grade), and she went from tolerating math to REALLY enjoying it. It seems to click with her and she wants to talk about math and solve problems all the time.

I honestly was a little skeptical, especially after reading earlier threads here, but if things continue as they are and she continues to be excited about math and excited to learn more, then that's all I could ask for.

My child is in a school that uses Everyday Math. Its quite simple to understand and learn, though not traditional in its approach, it still gets the job done. My child is in 5th grade and seems to be fine. He's in a K-8 school. I thought we'd hate EDM, but its fine.

OP.Thanks for the input. One data point but nevertheless reassuring.

My kids were both in Everyday Math (in public) through 2nd grade. It was ridiculous and ridiculously easy, but they are both elsewhere and working 1 and 2 grade levels ahead in math now, so they're no worse for the wear.

I found a school that I love except for the fact they use Everyday math. The school only goes up to 3rd. Would you tolerate EM since it's just for the early years? I'm looking for a reason to downplay this problem since I thought the school was great in all other respects. Am I fooling myself?