More math ‘coaches’ won’t
solve our math problems
Here’s another perspective on the Department of Education’s proposal to add 16 new “math coaches” to elementary schools throughout the state: One of the many challenges facing 91直播 educators (specifically in lower elementary) is finding a cohesive way of teaching math to all our diverse population of students.
The recent proposal to add 16 more math coaches to schools throughout 91直播 is a lovely concept, but take a deeper dive into the numerous efforts over recent years to improve math scores in our public schools.
The implication that teachers are not prepared enough to meet the math needs of our students is insulting. More training (often time out of the classroom) is not a good use of educators’ time. The money for new coaching positions can be better spent hiring more staff and lowering the teacher-to-student ratio.
Furthermore, our state does not at this time have a “mandated” math curriculum for all schools. Instead, what has developed is an “individualized” math curriculum “vacuum” in each area complex. (Unlike the mainland states, 91直播 has one school district, divided into local area complexes, which allows some autonomy for schools in choosing curriculum and materials.)
As you can imagine, this creates a whole new set of issues. I’ve worked at schools where different grade levels have different math curriculum. Imagine the confusion of a student transferring to another school, only a few miles away, with an entirely different approach to teaching math.
Another difficulty is the often unrealistic expectations from the Common Core — the guiding principals that teachers are encouraged to adhere to in planning and presenting lessons. While the opportunity to individualize math curriculum at a particular school is appreciated, it should be merely a part of a research-based, state-adopted curriculum that is applicable for all students.
Our “try the newest trend” approach in 91直播 education has been an abysmal failure. It’s time to adopt truly effective teaching strategies and a well-researched math curriculum that offers some consistency for our students.
Again, additional training and mentoring for new math teachers is a great idea on the outside, but the money used for these positions can be put to better use, such as reducing teacher-to-student ratio.
Our students deserve more personal contact time with their educators.
Toni Reynolds
Kailua-Kona
