Lehigh University:

	Asha Jitendra

When the rest of the world looks at the United States, it sees a generation of students struggling to compete in mathematics.

Such a view is fueled by recent studies that show American students are performing well below their international peers in math and science. And while those closer to home may argue that gap is narrowing, there is still little doubt that wholesale changes in curriculum and instruction are necessary.

It’s a daunting task, but one that offers some interesting possibilities.

“A lot of the problem is tied to the fact that the United States lacks a standardized national mathematics curriculum,” explains Asha Jitendra, a professor of special education with Lehigh’s College of Education. “We have a chance to change the way we approach math education so that all of our students—especially those with special needs—can really experience success.”

It’s a message Jitendra recently took with her to Arizona, where she recently addressed the nation’s governors and their policy staffs. The officials—all members of the influential National Governors Association—convene every year at its Middle Grades Literacy Forum, a workshop organized by the association’s Center for Best Practices.

Being invited to speak to the group is an honor Jitendra didn’t take lightly. If changes in math literacy are to happen, officials at the state level will need to lead that charge.

“That’s why venues like these are so important,” said Sally White, dean of the College of Education. “Mathematics literacy needs to be addressed at both the national and state level—but it’s the states that need to eventually assume control and implement the right kind of curriculum.”

Jitendra agrees. “Educational policy should be driven by sound research—which, in this case, includes practices designed specifically for children with high needs,” she said, adding that children with disabilities, or those facing language barriers, have a tendency to fall through the cracks.

Making strides

It’s a concern Jitendra knows all too well. As a leading special education researcher in the field of math literacy and comprehension, she’s had the chance to work directly with children who have learning disabilities with which to contend.

“We’re making the right strides, but it will take some time. Inevitably, it will be up to the states to work more closely with teachers to design effective instruction for a range of diverse learners,” she explained.

It’s a message that state leaders and policy makers are finally starting to grasp. Jitendra challenged others at the workshop to increase the amount of school-based instruction, to teach to the “big ideas,” and to involve parents in their children’s learning.

Her presentation to the National Governors Association followed on the heels of another high-profile achievement earlier this fall, when Jitendra was awarded a Mathematics and Science Research Grant by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), a research arm of the U.S. Department of Education.

Jitendra is the principal investigator (PI) and Jon Star, assistant professor at Michigan State University, is her co-PI on the three-year study. The grant was just one of six awarded by IES this year.

Together, Jitendra and Star will work with seventh-grade teachers and students at Shawnee Middle School in Easton, Pa. to promote students’ understanding of mathematical word problems using schema-based instruction (SBI). SBI allows researchers to more fully understand how students conceptualize and process knowledge.

“A lot of factors determine how students process information, and math problems provide an interesting insight into how students make sense of words and numbers,” she explained.

“Did they read the problem? Do they understand what is actually being asked? Did they organize the information and represent it using a diagram?” she asks. “We’re looking to get a better understanding of math literacy that will, hopefully, enable all levels of students to become higher performers.”

--Thomas Yencho

Posted on Tuesday, November 28, 2006