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This study assessed whether the links between early maternal employment and children's school readiness have changed over time. Research has examined mothers' labor force participation and its associations with children's well-being. As maternal employment has become more normative, these associations may have changed, particularly among subgroups of families. Data come from two large, longitudinal samples of children born in the U.S. in 1991 (N = 1042) and in 2001 (N = 7850). OLS regression models estimated changes between cohorts in the associations between early maternal employment and children's reading/language skills, math skills, and conduct problems at age 4 and school entry. Despite similar prevalence rates of maternal employment by 9 months between the 1991 and 2001 samples, there were differences in the demographic characteristics of mothers in each employment pattern over the decade. Examining associations between the early maternal employment patterns and children's school readiness, results revealed that full time employment by 9 months in comparison to non-employment shifted to having more positive associations with reading/language skills at age 4 and school entry from 1991 to 2001. However, full time maternal employment by 9 months was associated with children's higher conduct problems at school entry in 1991 and 2001, and by 2001, part time employment had similar repercussions. The results differed by family income. There have been small changes in the associations between early maternal employment and children's school readiness over time. Highlights: Full time employment by 9 months shifted to having more positive links with reading/language skills from 1991 to 2001. Full time maternal employment by 9 months was associated with children's higher conduct problems in 1991 and 2001. Changes in the associations between maternal employment and school readiness differed by family income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship between mathematics difficulties and psychopathology in a large community sample (N = 881) of youth (8–18 years of age) in the United States. The primary aims of the study were to (a) test the associations between mathematics difficulties and specific components of internalizing, externalizing, attention, and social problems; (b) examine potential age and gender differences; and (c) investigate the longitudinal relationship between mathematics and psychopathology using 5-year follow-up data. Results indicated that individuals with mathematics difficulties exhibited elevations in most dimensions of psychopathology, including anxiety, depression, externalizing behaviors, attention problems, and social problems. Furthermore, mathematics impairment was associated with internalizing problems, rule-breaking behaviors, inattention, and social problems even after controlling for comorbid reading difficulties. Results suggested that the associations between mathematics and psychopathology are generally similar in males and females. Finally, preliminary longitudinal evidence suggested that initial mathematics difficulties predicted elevations of conduct disorder, rule-breaking behavior, inattention, hyperactivity, and social problems at follow-up, with several of these associations remaining significant even after controlling for initial reading. In contrast, there was no significant association between initial mathematics ability and internalizing symptoms at follow-up, demonstrating some amelioration of internalizing symptoms over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the relationships between different aspects of mathematics engagement for 285 students in their first year of high school in the United States. Path Analyses were used to trace the relationships between students' self-reported prior motivation and appraisals of control and value of mathematics, perceptions of teacher support and peer support. These variables and observed teacher and peer support as coded from video by researchers, were examined as potentially impacting students' self-reported in-the moment affect and task-level control and value appraisals Our results showed three key contributions. First, significant paths corresponded to relationships predicted by Control Value Theory (CVT) across a particularly robust set of variables and over the course of their first semester in high school. Second, results added further nuance by considering the objects that students' in-the-moment emotions were directed toward, showing distinctions between positive and negative emotions directed at the mathematics task, students' teachers and peers, and selves. Third, results more closely considered the impact of both observed and perceived aspect of support from peers and teachers in the classroom, in both its academic and social forms. Implications are discussed for theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, university-industry collaborations in China and the USA are analyzed in terms of co-authored publications indexed in the Web of Science (WoS). Results show a wide gap between China and the USA: Chinese universities are much less active in collaborations with industry in terms of either publication productivity or collaboration intensity. In selecting local and foreign industrial partners, however, more variation exists among Chinese universities than among US universities. The US system is domestically oriented more than that of China. In the USA, the intensity of university-industry collaboration is determined by research quality, whereas in China this is not the case. In both China and the USA, distance is not critical for the establishment of domestic university-industry collaboration. A high correlation is found between productivity indicators including total publications and university-industry co-authored publications. However, the productivity indicators are less correlated with the intensity of university-industry collaboration. Large research universities with strong ties to domestic industry play critical roles in both national publication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Museum-based mathematics exhibitions are increasingly prominent but under-theorized learning environments. In this study, we analyse the curriculum of United States mathematics exhibitions developed in the early 21st century in terms of their complex suggestions about the nature of mathematics and mathematical sense-making. We apply Rancière's notions of politics and aesthetics to explore what we describe as dissensus present in the texts, images, and multi-sensory exhibits of several major mathematics exhibitions. Our analysis characterizes this dissensus as a paradoxical mix of alternative and familiar mathematical aesthetics. On the one hand, we identify an alternative aesthetic emphasizing everyday ubiquity, sensuality, and informal sense-making. At the same time, we identify a countervailing emphasis on dominant notions of mathematics as esoteric, immaterial, and formal-symbolic. Museum mathematics efforts sometimes describe themselves as expanding how the public views and defines mathematics. A close examination of the exhibitions in this study reveals a complex picture, in which dominant and alternative forms of mathematics are co-present. The analysis suggests that museum-based mathematics researchers and practitioners view their work as containing political and aesthetic dimensions that can disrupt or reify what society counts as mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has examined the associations between perceived inclusivity within informal science learning sites, youth program belonging and perceptions of program career preparation. This study explored relations between these factors at three timepoints (T1 = start of program, T2 = 3 months and T3 = 12 months after start). Participants were a diverse sample of 209 adolescents participating in STEM youth programs within informal science learning sites situated in the United States and United Kingdom (70% females: Mage = 15.27, SDage = 1.60), with 53.1% British and 64.1% non-White. Path analysis revealed that only perceptions of inclusivity for own social identity group (i.e., gender, ethnicity) at T1 were associated with T2 STEM youth program belonging. There was a significant indirect effect of T1 perceptions of inclusivity for one's own social identity groups on T3 perceptions of program career preparation via T2 program belonging. This study highlights that, over time, perceptions of inclusivity around youth's own social identity groups (i.e., gender and ethnicity/culture) are related to a sense of youth program belonging, which in turn is later associated with perceptions of program career preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Entramado is the property of Universidad Libre Seccional Cali and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current U.S. sociopolitical climate has resurfaced long-held ideas associated with public perceptions concerning the Spanish language, Latin@s, and their portrayal in United States society. Amidst this climate, educators face the challenge of creating critical learning spaces for Latin@ bilingual children within multiple boundaries. This case study examines the pedagogical practices of an early childhood teacher who has co-constructed, with her students, a figured world where mathematics is part of everyday activities and children develop agency in their learning. Educational environments where Latin@ children use their resources as assets provide great leverage to counteract negative depictions of Latin@s in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few women major in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at the undergraduate level. Given the drive to attract and retain students in general, and women in STEM in particular, educational institutions need to know what resources and services might help support these students in their work. This study seeks to provide a better understanding of how undergraduate women in STEM use the academic library. The study involved focus groups and interviews with women at a research-intensive university in the United States. Grounded theory principles provided a basis for analysis of the collected conversations. The findings from this study indicate that undergraduate women in STEM depend on the academic library as a quiet place to study where there are few distractions and technology is easily available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the administrative, scoring, and psychometric properties of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Fourth Edition (WIAT-4, NCS Pearson, 2020). The WIAT-4 is one of the more commonly administered broadband measures of academic achievement. The instrument was determined to be well-conceptualized, and generally psychometrically sound. Omissions include factor analyses to determine the instrument's theoretical and scoring structure, and the lack of presentation of item analysis results. Importantly, the Essay Composition subtest is now much easier to score which should serve to increase interest in the WIAT-4 as a viable option for the assessment of academic achievement. Although there are a number of subtests beyond the core battery to administer, users may find that the time and effort required to administer those subtests are worth the effort given the rich detail furnished that is linked to scientific literature regarding the etiology of learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into the experiences of students in mathematics with a marginalized sexual identity has remained largely underexplored, relegating these experiences and individuals to remain invisible. In this study, we leverage Queer Theory to address this gap in research by reporting on the experiences of Queer-spectrum undergraduate students (n = 2,454) enrolled in introductory mathematics courses (Precalculus, Calculus 1, and Calculus 2) across the United States. Drawing on student data (n = 24,327) from the Student Post-Secondary Instructional Practices Survey, we examine reported outcomes of math learning experiences and access to learning environments. Overall, within introductory math courses, sexual identity had a significant relationship with accessing learning environments and mathematical learning experiences. Asexual students were among those that reported higher levels of interactions with peers and instructors, a greater sense of community & participation, positive math affect, and were more likely to access learning environments external to the course yet anticipated receiving a lower course grade when compared to straight students. Bisexual students reported lower levels of interactions with instructors, a diminished sense of community & participation, math engagement, positive math affect, and were less likely to access learning environments compared to straight students. These findings suggest that Queer-spectrum students experience mathematical learning in a different manner than their straight peers and in relation to other Queer spectrum identities. Queer-spectrum students with a sexualized identity perceive that mathematics environments are not normative places to be a part of the community, resulting in negative dispositions, reduced interactions, and lower academic success. The impact of sexual identity, although small, contributes to negative indicators of positive mathematical experiences and suggests that the normative discourses in mathematics that are identity neutral, heteronormative, and aligned with binary thinking are differentially impacting Queer-spectrum students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field courses provide transformative learning experiences that support success and improve persistence for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors. But field courses have not increased proportionally with the number of students in the natural sciences. We conducted a scoping review to investigate the factors influencing undergraduate participation in and the outcomes from field courses in the United States. Our search yielded 61 articles, from which we classified the knowledge, affect, behavior, and skill-based outcomes resulting from field course participation. We found consistent reporting on course design but little reporting on demographics, which limits our understanding of who takes field courses. Cost was the most commonly reported barrier to student participation, and knowledge gains were the most commonly reported outcome. This scoping review underscores the need for more rigorous and evidence-based investigations of student outcomes in field courses. Understanding how field courses support or hinder student engagement is necessary to make them more accessible to all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the approaches made by Catholic schools in teaching science education in the U.S. In 1962 the survey by George R. La Noue uncovered many intrusions of the Catholics' view of science and mathematics. The series of science textbooks for Catholic elementary schools by Vincent Edward Smith and the nun, Mary Nicholas such as the "Teacher's Guide," asserted that there should be an ordering of science to the understanding of religious truths. Most of the Catholic teachers made no mention of religion in completing questionnaires or term papers on the evaluation of the new science program.

We study historical correlations and lead-lag relationships between individual stock risk (volatility of daily stock returns) and market risk (volatility of daily returns of a market-representative portfolio) in the US stock market. We consider the cross-correlation functions averaged over all stocks, using 71 stock prices from the Standard & Poor's 500 index for 1994–2013. We focus on the behavior of the cross-correlations at the times of financial crises with significant jumps of market volatility. The observed historical dynamics showed that the dependence between the risks was almost linear during the US stock market downturn of 2002 and after the US housing bubble in 2007, remaining at that level until 2013. Moreover, the averaged cross-correlation function often had an asymmetric shape with respect to zero lag in the periods of high correlation. We develop the analysis by the application of the linear response formalism to study underlying causal relations. The calculated response functions suggest the presence of characteristic regimes near financial crashes, when the volatility of an individual stock follows the market volatility and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyse drawings made by students from the U.S. and Finland when asked to draw their mathematics class. This activity was given to students from 8 classes (n= 131, 9–10 years old) in Finland and 5 classes (n= 94, 8–9 years old) in the U.S. Two separate analyses were conducted: an a priori coding of all drawings and an in-depth analysis of 3 drawings from each country. The coding of drawings focused on students' conceptions about communication and teaching in mathematics. The in-depth analyses captured additional aspects of the class. The results show that the U.S. students have greater self-confidence with respect to knowing/learning mathematics than their Finnish counterparts. In addition, U.S. comments during class were more related to the lesson (teaching), and their teachers gave more feedback. However, little meaningful differences in the overall communication patterns in the Finnish and U.S. classrooms were found. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Citing their students' low levels of empathy, medical educators have scrambled to implement curricula with the hopes of buffering against the corrosive effects of biomedical and clinical experiences in medical school. The assumption undergirding these studies by social scientists and medical educators alike is that immersion in biomedical education and clinical experience erodes students' empathic capacities, and that exposure to humanities and social sciences content will amend these losses. But we do not know if this assumption is correct. In this project, we empirically assess this assumption by utilizing a unique data set constructed from student applicant and survey data from the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). We test whether medical school students (N = 8255) from the United States (U.S.) with different academic backgrounds represented by their college major have different levels of empathy, net of demographic control variables. We report two findings. First, we find that students who majored in humanities or interpretive social sciences disciplines have higher empathy scores than their peers who majored in the positivistic social sciences and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines. Second, we find that the relationship between empathy and time in medical school is more nuanced than we would expect from the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we explored early childhood and elementary preservice teachers' science and mathematics teaching efficacy to elucidate pathways to improve teacher preparation programs. Quantitative survey and open-ended responses data were collected from 180 preservice teachers from four universities in the United States. Multilevel ANCOVA and regression suggested that the number of science and mathematics courses taken by preservice teachers was associated with teaching efficacy beliefs, but not with outcome expectancy. Together with evidence from open-ended responses, we argue that besides science and mathematics content courses, preservice teachers also need pedagogical knowledge, hands-on teaching experiences, specialized training opportunities (e.g., workshops), and teaching-related resources (e.g., curriculum, technology) in order to increase the confidence in their potential impacts on students' science and mathematics learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Implementing research-based teaching practices has been repeatedly cited as an important factor for student success in university mathematics courses. Many research-based practices increase the amount of student–student and/or student–instructor interaction. However, some instructors are hesitant to implement such practices because they anticipate their students reacting negatively to experiencing an interactive classroom. As part of a larger project studying introductory undergraduate mathematics courses in the United States, we investigated students' perceptions of the helpfulness of various classroom characteristics, particularly those that require interaction. Results: From analyzing quantitative student data, we found that students reported interactive classroom characteristics (e.g., group work) as less prevalent than other classroom characteristics (e.g., lecture). Moreover, the students tended to regard characteristics that they reported experiencing often as helpful for their learning. From analyzing qualitative data from student focus groups, we found that students considered several indicators when identifying if a characteristic was helpful for their learning. In particular, students suggested that they can identify a characteristic as helpful for their learning when it supported them in solving assigned problems and understanding why the procedures work, earning good grades, building on their knowledge or applying it in different contexts, and teaching others. Conclusions: The key finding from our work is that students are likely to view classroom characteristics that they experience more often as more helpful for their learning and are less likely to view characteristics that they rarely experience as helpful for their learning. Students view the characteristics that they regularly experience as helping them to solve problems and understand why the procedures work, earn good grades, build on their knowledge or apply it in different contexts, and teach others. We discuss important implications for practice, policy, and research as it relates to both student and instructor buy-in for increasing interactions in class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this paper are to predict life years lost associated with obesity-related diseases (ORDs) for U.S. non-smoking adults, and to examine the relationship between those ORDs and mortality. Data from the National Health Interview Survey, 1997–2000, were used. We employed mixed proportional hazard models to estimate the association between those ORDs and mortality and used simulations to project life years lost associated with the ORDs. We found that obesity-attributable comorbidities are associated with large decreases in life years and increases in mortality rates. The life years lost associated with ORDs is more marked for younger adults than older adults, for blacks than whites, for males than females, and for the more obese than the less obese. Using U.S. non-smoking adults aged 40 to 49 years as an example to illustrate percentage of the life years lost associated with ORDs, we found that the mean life years lost associated with ORDs for U.S. non-smoking black males aged 40 to 49 years with a body mass index above 40 kg/m2 was 5.43 years, which translates to a 7.5% reduction in total life years. White males of the same age range and same degree of obesity lost 5.23 life years on average – a 6.8% reduction in total life years, followed by black females (5.04 years, a 6.5% reduction in life years), and white females (4.7 years, a 5.8% reduction in life years). Overall, ORDs increased chances of dying and lessened life years by 0.2 to 11.7 years depending on gender, race, BMI classification, and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conduct a detailed investigation of correlations between real-time expressions of individuals made across the United States and a wide range of emotional, geographic, demographic, and health characteristics. We do so by combining (1) a massive, geo-tagged data set comprising over 80 million words generated in 2011 on the social network service Twitter and (2) annually-surveyed characteristics of all 50 states and close to 400 urban populations. Among many results, we generate taxonomies of states and cities based on their similarities in word use; estimate the happiness levels of states and cities; correlate highly-resolved demographic characteristics with happiness levels; and connect word choice and message length with urban characteristics such as education levels and obesity rates. Our results show how social media may potentially be used to estimate real-time levels and changes in population-scale measures such as obesity rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyberinfrastructure has become a major defining force for America, because of its economic, social, and national importance. Over the last two decades, scientists within all sectors of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) have witnessed an explosive rise of cyberinfrastructure as a research tool; universities are utilizing this infrastructure and its applications as an integral part of scientific education. The Arkansas Minority Cyberinfrastructure Training, Education Consortium (AMCTEC), is a unique interdisciplinary cyberinfrastructure (CI) educational community within Arkansas to educate a majority minority student population, and faculty in cyberinfrastructure- oriented concepts, theories, practices, and principles within STEM at teaching-oriented Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The project focuses on developing the capacity of these institutions within three core areas as they relate to cyberinfrastructure elearning resources, (1) institutional faculty development (2) tangible cyber-based student activities (3) CI curriculum enhancement. This paper presents some of the strategies that have been successfully deployed by the universities involved in the project to institutionalize a renaissance in STEM education, e-learning at student-focused universities, through the sharing of resources and expertise to transform STEM education and research by injecting in cyberinfrastructure resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After two decades of work, many in the SoTL community are pondering the future of the SoTL movement. Will it sustain its influence? Will it continue to attract new participants? What role should the disciplines play? From the perspective of mathematics, this paper examines efforts by the Carnegie Academy and individuals within the mathematical community to build disciplinary support for the scholarship of teaching and learning. The authors, both mathematicians and Carnegie scholars, restrict their observations to the efforts undertaken in the United States during the last decade and examine the situation in mathematics in greater depth than has heretofore appeared. They shed light on particular complications they have observed for SoTL in their discipline and offer suggestions for improving the situation within mathematics. Practitioners in other disciplines, or those involved with SoTL at a "meta-level" may find their observations applicable in other venues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the findings of a qualitative investigation about four elementary preservice teachers' experiences learning to teach social studies in the No Child Left Behind era. The participants' internship took place in an elementary school which devoted the majority of the day to literacy and mathematics instruction. Because previous interns in the school had limited or no opportunity to teach social studies, the four participants were required to complete an Interdisciplinary Teaching Assignment to ensure that they were able to teach and reflect upon teaching social studies at least one time during the semester. Findings indicated the interns found the experience meaningful and rewarding because of their students' enthusiasm toward the content and instructional approaches. After meeting the requirements of the assignment, the participants found ways to borrow time from the hours dedicated to literacy and mathematics instruction in order to address social studies topics and themes. The paper concludes with a discussion of teacher educators' roles in preserving social studies education in American. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brief experimental analysis (BEA) can be used to specify intervention characteristics that produce positive learning gains for individual students. A key challenge to the use of BEA for intervention planning is the identification of performance indicators (including topography of the skill, measurement characteristics, and decision criteria) that meaningfully relate to longer term success in the learning environment. This study investigates the utility of various curriculum-based assessment and measurement estimates of mathematics performance for predicting functional outcomes (i.e., retention of learned skills over time and faster learning of related content in the future). All children in grades 2–5 at the participating school participated in protocol-based computational fluency-building intervention 4 days per week for an entire school year. Specific criteria were applied each week to systematically increase intervention difficulty classwide according to a pre-established sequence of computational skill objectives. Three measurements were routinely obtained. Each week children completed a timed probe of the skill for which intervention was currently occurring and a timed probe of previously mastered skills from the sequence of computational skill objectives. Each month, all children completed a timed probe of mathematics skills representing computational skills that students were expected to master by year’s end at each grade level. At all grade levels, learning a skill that appeared early in the hierarchy or sequence of skills related positively to learning of future related and more complex computational skills. Fluency criteria were specified that predicted retention of the skill over several months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate sea ice concentrations (SICs) from the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-EOS (AMSR-E), we observed sea ice with the 6-m-resolution panchromatic electronic optical camera (EOC) sensor onboard the Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite-1 (KOMPSAT-1). A total of 68 cloud-free EOC images were obtained across the Antarctic continental edges from September to November 2005. Sea ice types in the EOC images were classified into white ice (W), gray ice (G), and dark-gray ice (D) and then compared with SSM/I and AMSR-E SICs. Spatiotemporal standard deviation of passive microwave SIC proved useful in selecting temporally stable and spatially homogeneous SICs to overcome the diurnal variation of sea ice in the analysis of data from multiple satellites. In the Antarctic spring, the EOC SIC of W + G showed the best fit to SSM/I SIC calculated by the NASA Team (NT) algorithm (mean difference of -2.3% and rmse of 3.2%), whereas that of W + G + D showed the best fit to AMSR-E SIC calculated by the NT2 algorithm (mean difference of 0.3% and rmse of 1.4%). It is concluded that the SSM/I NT algorithm responds to young ice in addition to the ice types A and B, whereas the AMSR-E NT2 algorithm detects ice type C and thin ice as well. The 4.7% difference of SICs between AMSR-E and SSM/I was attributed to the enhanced detection of ice type C (2.1%) and thin ice (2.6%) of the AMSR-E NT2 algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Baumann (American Philosophical Quarterly 42: 71–79, 2005) I argued that reflections on a variation of the Monty Hall problem throws a very general skeptical light on the idea of single-case probabilities. Levy (Synthese, forthcoming, 2007) puts forward some interesting objections which I answer here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the Flatland project of geometry students in the U.S. Accordingly, Flatland is a mathematical novel written in the 1800s by Edwin A. Abbott. It offers a story of a two dimensional world where women are straight lines, and men are polygons with various numbers of sides depending on their social status. In the novel women are really line segments, not lines. However, this mathematical precision was ignored on the novel. Moreover, the paper quoted some of the initial paragraphs of the novel, and examines the ideas that the student groups develop as they share their ideas about the novel.

Abstract: This paper presents a graphical procedure for analyzing a trisector – a mechanism used for trisecting an arbitrary acute angle. The trisector employed was a working model designed and built for this purpose. The procedure, when applied to the mechanism at the 60° angle, which has been proven to be not trisectable as well as the 45° angle for benchmarking (since this angle is known to be trisectable), produced results that compared remarkably in both precision and accuracy. For example, in both cases, the trisection angles found were 20.00000°, and 15.00000°, respectively, as determined by The Geometer’s Sketch Pad software. Considering the degree of accuracy of these results (i.e. five decimal places) and the fact that it represents the highest level of precision attainable by the software, it is felt that the achievement is noteworthy, notwithstanding the theoretical proofs of Wantzel, Dudley, and others [Underwood Dudley, A Budget of Trisections, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1987; Clarence E. Hall, The equilateral triangle, Engineering Design Graphics Journal 57 (2) (1993); Howard Eves, An Introduction to The History of Mathematics, sixth ed., Saunders College Publishing, Fort Worth, 1990; Henrich Tietze, Famous Problems of Mathematics, Graylock Press, New York, 1965]. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel technique of functional Feynman-Kac equations is developed for the probability distribution of the limit lognormal multifractal process introduced by Mandelbrot [in Statistical Models and Turbulence, M. Rosenblatt and C. Van Atta, eds., Springer, New York (1972)] and constructed explicitly by Bacry, Delour, and Muzy [ Phys. Rev. E 64:026103 (2001)]. The distribution of the process is known to be determined by the complicated stochastic dependence structure of its increments (SDSI). It is shown that the SDSI has two separate layers of complexity that can be captured in a precise way by a pair of functional Feynman-Kac equations for the Laplace transform. Exact solutions are obtained as power series expansions in the intermittency parameter using a novel intermittency differentiation rule. The expansion of the moments gives a new representation of the Selberg integral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reform movement embracing charter schools is based largely on the promise that these autonomous schools will out-perform public schools plagued by bureaucratic administration-an expectation reflected in the federal NCLB law. However, the many state-based reports have been mixed, and previous national studies have suffered from serious methodological shortcomings. In a multi-dimensional analysis of a large and comprehensive dataset, we found charter elementary schools performing at a level beneath those of non-charter public schools, even after accounting for differences in student demographics and school location. In view of this and previous studies, the best current estimate of the performance of charter schools is that any academic advantage is negligible, isolated, or even negative relative to achievement in non-charter public schools. Implications regarding the premise of the federal law are considered. doi:10.1300/J467v01n03_07 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article features the conference "Renaissance Banff: Mathematics, Music, Art, Culture" that was held on July 30 to August 3, 2005. The conference was the first interdisciplinary conference on mathematics and the arts to be held at the famed Banff Centre and brought a diverse group of about 200 participants from the United States, Canada, and abroad. Several activities are detailed.

The ability to integrate technology into instruction is among the characteristics of a competent mathematics teacher. Research indicates that the vast majority of teachers in Turkey believe the use of computers in education is important, but have limited knowledge and experience on how to use technology in their instruction. This paper describes the T-Math project (http://www.t-math.org), which adapted the InterMath (http://intermath.coe.uga.edu) knowledge base for mathematics teachers in the United States and developed relevant resources for professional development of Turkish mathematics teachers to guide them in constructing useful strategies for their students while developing as expert mathematics teachers. Examples of mathematical investigations adopted and developed in the T-Math project arc presented as well as the anticipated challenges and subsequent strategies for integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Economics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Alignment has taken on increased importance given the current high-stakes nature of assessment. To make well-informed decisions about student learning on the basis of test results, assessment items need to be well aligned with standards. Project 2061 of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has developed a procedure for analyzing the content and quality of assessment items. The authors of this study used this alignment procedure to closely examine 2 mathematics assessment items. Student work on these 2 items was analyzed to determine whether the conclusions reached through the use of the alignment procedure could be validated. It was found that the Project 2061 alignment procedure was effective in providing a tool for in-depth analysis of the mathematical content of the item and a set of standards and in identifying 1 particular content standard that was most closely aligned with the standard. Through analyzing student work samples and student interviews, it was also found that students' thinking may not correspond to the standard identified as best aligned with the learning goals of the item. This finding highlights the potential usefulness of analyzing student work to clarify any additional deficiencies of an assessment item not revealed by an alignment procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey of centers in the United States that are engaged in engineering, science or mathematics education was conducted to help understand current practices. The survey addressed sources of funding, types of pre-college outreach activities, activities related to improvement of teaching in higher education, and methods of promoting collaboration between faculty. Also collected were recommendations, based on the experience of the survey respondent, which would help others develop a successful center. Response to the study was high, with 173 of 271 returned. This paper discusses the results and suggests a set of best practices for engineering education centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical issue related to the use of simulation environments in school-based learning is the relationship between the use of these environments and the structure of traditional curricula. Teachers are often caught in the bind of attempting to address significantly raised standards for what all students should know, yet receiving very little support to innovate in their use of simulations in their approaches to teaching. Particularly challenging for practitioners and school-based re- searchers alike is the expectation that students should first master "the basics" before engaging innovation related to learning advanced content such as calculus. This paper summarizes years of work related to the early learning of the mathematics of change. The goal is to resolve this tension by suggesting that advanced mathematics, embodied in an accessible simulation environment, helps situate and deepen students' understanding of the basics as they typically are encountered in the traditional mathematics curriculum. Selected episodes transcribed from work in economically challenged schools in the United States are used to illustrate the practical potential of this reconsideration of the relationships between basic and advanced topics. The delta-blocks approach to the mathematics of change, making use of widely available forms of technology and the Math Worlds simulation software, is introduced and illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper proposes one potential explanation for 100 years of rising population mean IQ in the United States associated with historical changes in access to schooling and educational practice. A neurodevelopmental-schooling hypothesis is forwarded based on evidence of growth in the population''s access to schooling early in the last century and the increasing cognitive demands of mathematical curricula from mid-century onward. The fact that these educational changes have been widespread, affect individuals early in the lifespan, and are uncorrelated with genetic propensity for IQ makes them particularly well suited to produce large environmentally driven gains in intelligence between generations in the face of high heritability for intelligence. Future directions for research that would test the neurodevelopment-schooling hypothesis are described. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Statistical literacy is key in this heavily polarized information age for an informed and critical citizenry to make sense of arguments in the media and society. The responsibility of developing statistical literacy is often left to the K-12 mathematics curriculum. In this article, we discuss our investigation of K-8 students' current opportunities to learn statistics created by state mathematics standards. We analyze the standards for alignment to the Guidelines for the Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE II) PreK-12 report and summarize the conceptual themes that emerged. We found that while states provide K-8 students opportunities to analyze and interpret data, they do not offer many opportunities for students to engage in formulating questions and collecting/considering data. We discuss the implications of the findings for policy makers and researchers and provide recommendations for policy makers and standards writers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Across the world, mathematical expressions are represented very differently in braille. The aim of this study was (1) to gain an overall insight in mathematical braille notations and (2) to investigate how mathematical braille notations support braille readers in reading and comprehending mathematical expressions. Method: Twenty teachers from sixteen countries (thirteen European Union, EU, and three non-EU) were asked to transform 21 mathematical expressions and equations into the mathematical braille notation currently used by their braille readers. Three mathematical expressions were selected, and the transformed expressions in the different braille notations were qualitatively compared at braille and mathematical structure level. Results: The results illustrated that most mathematical braille notations use mathematical structures that either support braille readers in getting an overview of an expression—for example, by announcing the start and end of a fraction—or facilitate communication between braille readers and people who can see. Discussion: The method of comparing transformed expressions at structure level can be extended to other types of mathematical expressions and other mathematical braille notations. Agreement on the structure of different mathematical expressions can be a first step towards a universal mathematical braille notation. Implications for Practitioners: Mathematics teachers should be aware of and use the strengths of the mathematical braille notation and try to compensate for weaknesses of the notation in the support of braille readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with disabilities have been historically marginalised and consistently underrepresented at all levels of education. In the U.S., the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in the 1970s changed the landscape for primary and secondary education, increasing access for many students. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, and since that time students with disabilities have entered postsecondary institutions at greater rates. While in 2001, only about 5% of college students identified as having a disability, more recent estimates put the proportion of undergraduate students with disabilities at approximately 11%. Despite this growth, only 5% of post-baccalaureate students report having a disability relative to undergraduate students. This raises the question of how accessible graduate and professional education is for students with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let (M,0T″) be a compact strongly pseudo convex CR structure with dimRM=2n-1. Then, in [Michigan Math. J. 50 (2002) 517–549], the construction of the versal family of CR structures is settled. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a canonical Kaehler metric for the parameter space of this versal family if the CR structure admits a normal vector field and a non-vanishing CR n-form with the condition H1(M,OM)=0 and where Z1 is introduced in [Compositio Math. 85 (1993) 57–85]. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper offers for discussion and critique a conceptual framework that applies a situative perspective on learning to the study of learning to teach mathematics. From this perspective, such learning occurs in many different situations -- mathematics and teacher preparation courses, pre-service field experiences, and schools of employment. By participating over time in these varied contexts, mathematics teachers refine their conceptions about their craft -- the big ideas of mathematics, mathematics-specific pedagogy, and sense of self as a mathematics teacher. This framework guides a research project that traces the learning trajectories of teachers from two reform-based teacher preparation programs into their early teaching careers. We provide two examples from this research to illustrate how this framework has helped us understand the process of learning to teach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that in spite of some superficial similarities the current mathematics reform in the US based on constructivist principles differs substantially from mathematical education based on Vygotskian cultural-historical theory (V.V. Davydov's mathematics program), and to illustrate the manner in which Davydov's program virtually obliterates the conceptual-procedural division that has fueled the current "math wars". Both constructivism and Davydov's approach emphasize the active character of students' acquisition of mathematical concepts. Constructivists, however, begin the instructional process from the children's pre-existent concepts while Vygotskians reorient it toward acquisition of what vygotsky defined as "scientific" rather than "spontaneous, everyday" concepts. A three-year study of the implementation of Davydov's elementary mathematics program in a school setting in the US found that the American children overcame the initial challenges of the program, consistently resolved computational errors conceptually, and finally demonstrated the ability to solve high school level mathematics problems. The curriculum appeared to foster the development of theoretical thinking, an explicit goal of Davydov's program, which constitutes its major value and educational significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on views of the author, who is the winner of 2003 Olin Palladium Award, on conducting research in the digital era. At the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia the author met Srinivasan Subramanian, called Srini for short, who has been his good friend ever since. When there was an equation to solve Srini would look at it, think a minute, and write down the solution. He was the mathematical wizard for students. They spend time for nearly three years, learned a lot from each other, wrote a few papers together, and consoled each other when the going got rough.

The article focuses on the educational project called Interdisciplinary Lively Application Project (ILAP). The project is related to the health insurance problem in the United States. The project is apt for a mathematics course which involve students majoring in fine arts and the humanities. The ILAP involves less computations with the help of a graphing calculator or a computer with a spreadsheet, computer algebra system, and statistical package. It demands fulfillment of certain requirements by the students. Each of the requirement gives different information on health insurance including requirement 2 which provides a breakdown of 1999 health insurance coverage state for persons living below the poverty level. Requirement 3 wants the students to write a two-to-three-page paper on the observations of the Internet site and examining other Census Bureau data concerning poverty.

When the US Bureau of Economic Analysis adopted chain-type quantity indexes in 1996, real gross domestic product (GDP) and its components, when measured in units of the currency of a particular reference year, were no longer additive. We discuss some of the problems with the additive, fixed-weighted aggregates these estimates replaced, as well as problems that arise when users treat the new "chained dollar" aggregates as if they were additive. Using properties of the Fisher index formula, we describe new tools for economic analysis that traditionally relied on the additivity of fixed- weighted GDP aggregates. We also describe some tools that have been developed for the compilation and review of chain-type estimates. Finally, we discuss Claude Hillinger's proposed methods for creating an additive set of real aggregates and present empirical results that lead us to be skeptical about their usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]