International Comparison: Math & Science Achievement for US 4th and 8th Grade Students

This report from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences summarizes the performance of U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students on the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), comparing their scores with their peers internationally as well as documenting changes in mathematics and science achievement since 1995. The report also describes additional details about trends in the achievement of students within the United States, by sex, racial/ethnic background, and the poverty level of the schools they attend.

TIMSS is sponsored by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), an international organization of national research institutions and governmental research agencies. The United States participate in all four TIMSS administrations: 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. (IES Newsflash 12/9/2008)

New Joint Commission On Math And Science Education

Carnegie Corporation Of New York And Institute For Advanced Study recently announced the establishment of a Joint Commission On Math And Science Education Commission. The commission's members include Prominent Educators, Business Leaders, Current and Former Governors, and Academics. The group plans to assess the current state of teaching in science and mathematics at colleges and elementary and secondary schools, and to identify and analyze successes and failures.

National Center for Education Research "Best Practice" Guides

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recently published two practice guides in education. These guides are intended to sythesize the best available evidence and expertise on timely topics in education.

The two new guides are:
Encouraging Girls in Math and Science
Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning

Chronicle Reports "Universities fail to reward science and math professors for working with schoolteachers"

You'll need to be on the WSU campus to read the article.

"Science professors receive few professional rewards for joining projects financed by the Math and Science Partnerships program, the federal government's principal effort to improve math and science teaching in elementary and secondary schools, a recent report says. The report calls this "a major roadblock" for the program. "