On Evaluating Curricular Effectiveness
By Committee for a Review of the Evaluation Data on the Effectiveness of NSF-Supported and Commercially Generated Mathematics Curriculum Materials, National Research Council
* Publisher: National Academies Press
* Number Of Pages: 288
* Publication Date: 2004-10-11
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0309092426
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780309092425
This book reviews the evaluation research literature that has accumulated around 19 K 12 mathematics curricula and breaks new ground in framing an ambitious and rigorous approach to curriculum evaluation that has relevance beyond mathematics. The committee that produced this book consisted of mathematicians, mathematics educators, and methodologists who began with the following charge:
* Evaluate the quality of the evaluations of the thirteen National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported and six commercially generated mathematics curriculum materials;
* Determine whether the available data are sufficient for evaluating the efficacy of these materials, and if not;
* Develop recommendations about the design of a project that could result in the generation of more reliable and valid data for evaluating such materials.
The committee collected, reviewed, and classified almost 700 studies, solicited expert testimony during two workshops, developed an evaluation framework, established dimensions/criteria for three methodologies (content analyses, comparative studies, and case studies), drew conclusions on the corpus of studies, and made recommendations for future research.
Summary: Very useful for its purpose
Rating: 5
This is not a book most people will enjoy or appreciate. However, if you are interested in why we cannot seem to find our way out of the morass of poor math curricula in the United States or are an academic studying how we teach math, this book is essential. The chapters are occasionally a little bit dry, but for an academic work, it's top notch.
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