An Essay About Mathematics Education

A June 2009 Washington Post article on middle school math elicited the following comment from Professor Katherine K. Merseth. Professor Merseth is Senior Lecturer on Education, and Director, Teacher Education at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.

...As a former math teacher and current faculty member at Harvard University I can attest that accelerating students is doing them no favors; they come to colleges like Harvard with little conceptual understanding of how math works, why it works they way it does, and only can apply memorized formulas. As a result of this fragile understanding of mathematics, students end up retaking content (usually calculus) they they supposedly already "had."

...it is terrible education policy to rush kids through content.

As a follow up on her comment, the Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, MD has obtained an essay from Professor Merseth on Mathematics Education. Thanks to Professor Merseth for providing us with this essay.
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