A committee has released its final report on ways to improve math education for American students. President Bush created the National Mathematics Advisory Panel two years ago.
The panel examined thousands of reports, along with survey results from more than seven hundred algebra teachers. Yet the report, released last month, is short on detailed advice. It says existing research does not show just what knowledge or skills are needed for effective math teaching. The solution? More research.
The report does say basic math skills must be taught completely in the early years of school. Children should be able to add and subtract in the third grade. By the end of fifth grade, they should be able to multiply and divide. Teachers should avoid revisiting skills year after year. And, the experts say, it is wrong to think children are "too young" or "not ready" to learn certain content at certain ages.
The report says a major goal for kindergarten through eighth grade should be understanding fractions. These skills are needed for algebra. Yet, the report says, at the present time they seem to be severely underdeveloped in American students.
热门搜索：voa special english,voa慢速英语,voa news,voa英语,voa听力,voa standard english,voa在线,voa下载以上内容由视频学习网(126英语听力网)提供，本片地址：http://www.vod126.com/voaspecial/4579/index.html
