An understanding of mathematics may be considered essential for an educated person today, but many Americans seem almost allergic to math. While there is much discussion about the importance of mathematics to scientific research, engineering, and technological innovation, the performance of American math students on international assessments is below that of math students in many other countries. In a new special report –“Math: What’s the Problem?”– the National Science Foundation (NSF) uses video interviews and online resources to examine the state of math education and discuss the roles of culture, technology, and research on improving math learning and proficiency.

Among the experts interviewed are:

Cora Marrett, NSF assistant director for the Education and Human
Resources (EHR) directorate;

Tony Chan, NSF assistant director for the Mathematical and
Physical Sciences directorate;

Joan Ferrini-Mundy, division director for EHR’s Division of
Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings;

David Bressoud, president of the Mathematical Association of
America;

Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the School of Education,
University of Michigan;

William Schmidt, university distinguished professor of education
and statistics at Michigan State University;

Ken Koedinger, professor of human-computer interaction and
psychology at Carnegie Mellon University; and

Jeremy Roschelle, director of the Center for Technology in
Learning at SRI International.

The report is available at
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/math/.