Contact: Debra Humphreys
Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs
202-387-3760 (ext. 422)
Humphreys@aacu.org

AAC&U Challenges America to "do school differently" to Improve Math and Science Achievement for All Students

Mobilization of broad coalition of educators, funders, policymakers, mathematicians, and scientists will transform math and science education

Washington, DC—June 11, 2009—The Board of Directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities announced today its support for the findings and recommendations of The Opportunity Equation: Transforming Mathematics and Science Education for Citizenship and the Global Economy, a new report issued by the Carnegie Corporation of New York—Institute for Advanced Study Commission on Mathematics and Science Education during an event in Washington, D.C. yesterday to mark the beginning of a national mobilization to achieve much higher levels of math and science learning.

In a statement of support endorsed by AAC&U’s board of directors and more than 65 other organizations, educational leaders from across the country agreed that, “the United States must mobilize for excellence in mathematics and science education so that all students—not just a select few, or those fortunate enough to attend certain schools—achieve much higher levels of math and science learning.”

“AAC&U strongly supports this broad-based effort to strengthen all students’ math and science achievement,” said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider.  “The report’s recommendations are highly consistent with those made in AAC&U’s report, College Learning for the New Global Century, issued by the National Leadership Council guiding our Liberal Education and America’s Promise initiative and adopted by AAC&U’s board of directors in 2007.  I am especially pleased to see a strong emphasis on ensuring that all students receive access to those practices proven most effective for developing math and science knowledge and skills—precisely those skills essential for success in a broad array of fields and for knowledgeable citizenship in a complex world.”

The report lays out a practical, coordinated plan, and describes what each constituency can do to raise mathematics and science achievement for all American students:

• Establishing new common standards in mathematics and science that are fewer, clearer and higher, coupled with aligned high-quality assessments.

• Improving teaching and professional learning – supported by better school and system management.

• Redesigning schools and school systems to deliver excellent, equitable math and science learning more effectively.

• Initiating a national mobilization that includes public awareness campaigns, increased public understanding about the links between effective math and science learning and the job market, and a focus on improving outcomes among historically underperforming groups through new benchmarking to evaluate school improvement efforts at all grade levels for all students.

Panelists and participants included:

• Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
• Harold Varmus, President, Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center  and Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology
• Donald L. Carcieri, Governor of Rhode Island
• Vartan Gregorian, President, Carnegie Corporation of New York
• Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers and President, United Federation of Teachers of New York City
• Ellen Futter, President, American Museum of Natural History
• Uri Treisman, Director, Charles A. Dana Center
• Lydia Logan, Executive Director, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for a Competitive Workforce
• Norman Francis, President, Xavier University of Louisiana
• Carina Wong, Deputy Director, Education, U.S. Programs, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Wendy Kopp, Founder, Teach for America
• Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director, Council of Chief State School Officers
• James Hunt, former Governor, North Carolina
• Phillip Griffiths, Chair, Commission on Mathematics and Science Education, mathematician and Past Director, Institute for Advanced Study
• Michele Cahill, Co-Chair, Commission on Mathematics and Science Education, Vice President, National Programs, Carnegie Corporation

“The nation’s capacity to innovate for economic growth and the ability of American workers to thrive in the global economy depend on a broad foundation of math and science learning, as do our hopes for preserving a vibrant democracy and the promise of social mobility for young people that lie at the heart of the American dream,” said Vartan Gregorian, President of The Carnegie Corporation of New York. “We need an educated young citizenry with the capacity to contribute to and gain from the country’s future productivity, understand policy choices, and participate in building a sustainable future.”

“In supporting and advancing this important national agenda, AAC&U looks forward to engaging both the K-12 and higher education communities in efforts to develop frameworks of shared expectations for school learning that are aligned with the changing college curriculum as more and more students make their way from high school to college and transfer in and among institutions on their way to a college degree,” said AAC&U Vice President for Curriculum, Quality and Assessment Terry Rhodes.

AAC&U looks forward to working in partnership with the Carnegie Corporation and educators around the country to advance these recommendations and to improve math and science outcomes as integral components of a twenty-first century liberal education.  AAC&U is committed to continuing its math and science reform efforts:

• through a partnership with Project Kaleidoscope, a widely influential catalyst for STEM reform in higher education;
• through the AAC&U VALUE assessment project which addresses college-level standards for quantitative literacy;
• through ongoing efforts to align curricular goals and standards across high school, two-year, and four-year institutions; and
• through AAC&U’s work on connecting science courses in general education to challenging global problems and research through the Shared Futures initiative.

To learn about these and other AAC&U projects, publications, and resources, see www.aacu.org.

For a copy of the report and its recommendations, see www.OpportunityEquation.org.

AAC&U is the leading national association concerned with the quality, vitality, and public standing of undergraduate liberal education. Its members are committed to extending the advantages of a liberal education to all students, regardless of academic specialization or intended career. Founded in 1915, AAC&U now comprises 1200 member institutions -- including accredited public and private colleges and universities of every type and size.

AAC&U functions as a catalyst and facilitator, forging links among presidents, administrators, and faculty members who are engaged in institutional and curricular planning. Its mission is to reinforce the collective commitment to liberal education at both the national and local levels and to help individual institutions keep the quality of student learning at the core of their work as they evolve to meet new economic and social challenges.