Mission
The mission of the New Jersey Mathematics Coalition, organized in 1991, is to draw together all
sectors of the community -- education, public policy, business and industry, and the public -- in a
sustained multi-faceted statewide effort to improve mathematics education in the state, and to
increase public awareness of the importance of mathematics to the future of New Jersey's
children. Its vision is that all New Jersey students will possess the mathematical skills,
understandings and attitudes that they will need to be successful in their careers and daily lives.
Goals
During its first five years, the Coalition focused much of its energies on advocating, developing,
and gaining widespread support for the mathematics standards adopted by the State Board of
Education in May 1996; and developing and publishing the New Jersey Mathematics Curriculum
Framework, a 688-page guide to implementing the standards, for teachers and administrators.
With the adoption of standards and publication of the framework, the Coalition's focus has
shifted from advocating the standards to promoting their implementation. Our current goals
address the following arenas:
| public outreach: |
|
to promote discussion, understanding, and
support of the mathematics standards among
parents and the general public |
| public policy: |
|
to advocate the adoption and implementation
of public policies which enhance the goal of
success for all students in mathematics. |
| professional development: |
|
to promote high-quality standards-based
professional development activities
throughout the state. |
| curriculum support: |
|
to support district curriculum development
and teacher implementation of the standards. |
| assessment: |
|
to inform educators, policy makers, and the
general public about progress in achieving
our goals in improving mathematics
education in New Jersey |
Major accomplishments
- played a leading role in advocating, developing, and gaining widespread support for the
mathematics standards adopted by the State Board of Education in May
1996;
- developed and published in December 1996 the New Jersey Mathematics Curriculum
Framework, a 688-page guide to both teachers and districts on implementing the standards (in
collaboration with the NJ Department of Education and with funding from the US Department
of Education);
- played a key role in developing the proposal for New Jersey's SSI grant (Statewide Systemic
Initiative for Excellence in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education -- awarded by
the National Science Foundation in 1993) and has continued to participate as an active
partner;
- coordinated Math, Science, and Technology Month each April (as a public outreach
component of NJ SSI), involving parents and children in hands-on activities (over 87,000
parents and children participated in 1996 in MSTM activities at over 450 New Jersey sites);
- published and distributed in 1995 a Parents' Guide entitled Mathematics to Prepare Our
Children for the 21st Century and in 1997 a revised, expanded Parents' Guide entitled Helping
Your Child Reach the New Standards in Mathematics, Science, and Technology based on the
new standards;
- published and distributed a newsletter about NJMC activities and other significant
information three times a year to over 9,000 parents, educators, and community members
statewide; and
- expanded the state's capacity to respond to the need for professional development by training
60 K-4, 5-8, and 9-12 grade teachers to conduct workshops on the math standards (funded by
J&J).
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