Solving America's Math Problem

Welcome to the Carnegie Learning News, a bi-monthly online publication for teachers, administrators, parents, and students who use our Cognitive Tutor math curricula. This is our way of sharing with the Carnegie Learning community the news, articles, success stories, trends, and challenges in our efforts to help every student to succeed in math.

This month, you will start to see our message, "Solving America's Math Problem", in District Administration and Education Week. We feel very strongly that mastering mathematics in middle and high school is critical to the next generation of working citizens who hope to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.

We are very proud to have been recognized this year by the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) as one of the only curricula that is scientifically proven to have significant, positive effects on student learning. The WWC was established to raise the standard required of educational materials by providing a "best practices" clearinghouse. It is my hope that the U.S. Department of Education will continue setting the bar high when evaluating educational solutions.

In 2006, we will be releasing several new products including Bridge to Algebra, a new algebra readiness Cognitive Tutor curriculum, which will officially launch in the first quarter. Later in the year, you will see other new additions to our portfolio of middle and high school math solutions that we are confident you will find to be highly relevant and exciting.

In choosing Carnegie Learning's curricula, your school has made a clear commitment to helping your students to prepare for the future. We look forward to working together with you to solve our nation's math problem.

We are always available to speak with you personally, and welcome your call or email.

Best regards,

Dennis Ciccone
CEO
Carnegie Learning, Inc.
888-851-7094
dciccone@carnegielearning.com

The Carnegie Learning Champion Site program highlights successful implementations of Carnegie Learning Cognitive Tutor curricula around the country. By agreeing to become a Champion Site, schools will receive incentives such as discounted textbooks, free software upgrades, a spotlight on our K-12 community in exchange for telling their story in a variety of public relations and marketing venues. In each of our newsletters, we will feature one of our Champions - this month we are pleased to feature Dundalk Middle School in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dundalk Middle School, Baltimore, MD

"I love how using the Carnegie program allows my students the independence they need to be successful, yet at the same time, teaches them the math that they will use in real life situations."

"I enjoy pulling the math out at the appropriate times and watching the light bulbs sparkle as the kids make the connections from the specific problem to the general, that is algebra."

If you are interested in finding our more about the Champion program, please contact managerschoolpartnerships@carnegielearning.com for more information.

Delaware Schools Adopt Carnegie Learning Cognitive Tutor® for Vocational Technical Students
Pittsburgh, PA, November 1, 2005

Research-Based Basal Curricula Leader Gains Speed in Supplemental Market

Carnegie Learning announced today that middle and high schools across Delaware have purchased over $140,000 in Carnegie Learning products in the last several months for use as a vocational technical preparation curriculum as well as a secondary basal mathematics curriculum.

Link to press release

Los Angeles Unified School District Partners with Carnegie Learning to Improve Middle and High School Math Achievement
Los Angeles CA, October 4, 2005

Cognitive Tutor® Bridge to Algebra and Algebra I Curricula Adopted as District Continues Commitment to Raise Math Standards

Carnegie Learning announced today that it has been awarded a three-year, multi-million dollar contract by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to provide algebra readiness and Algebra I curricula to more than 25,000 middle and high school students. The LAUSD Board of Education approved the purchase last week and deployments will begin immediately in several schools with remaining implementations scheduled for January 2006.

Link to press release

Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency Expands Carnegie Learning Implementation across Six Iowa Counties
Pittsburgh PA, September 6, 2005

Proven Research-Based Solution Seen to Improve High School Math Scores

Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency (AEA) has purchased Carnegie Learning's Geometry and Integrated Math curricula after realizing compelling results from the earlier implementation of Carnegie Learning's Algebra I course.

Cognitive Tutor Algebra I was implemented in 2003-2004 as part of the Mississippi Bend AEA's three-year project to improve student performance in mathematics, increase the number of students electing upper level mathematics courses, and provide mathematics teachers with on-going professional development in integrating technology in the mathematics classroom.

Link to press release

Carnegie Learning Delivers Back-to-School Edge for Math Students this Fall
Pittsburgh PA, August 25, 2005

Large Metropolitan School Districts Turn to Proven Research-Based Solution to Improve Declining National Math Scores

High school students returning to class in some of America's largest school districts this fall will have a powerful new tool to help boost mathematics performance. Recently released studies of Carnegie Learning's implementations in Moore, Oklahoma; Miami-Dade County; Kent, Washington; Pittsburgh; and Milwaukee demonstrate improvements in standardized test scores, student attitudes towards mathematics, and problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Link to press release

Think and Ask: IBM, ExxonMobil to Boost Math, Science

On 16 September, International Business Machines (IBM) announced that it developed a program for employees to transition from IBM employee to math or science teacher. ExxonMobil Corp., partnered with the Tavis Smiley Foundation to develop a road show in which to boost interest and enthusiasm for math, science, and mathematics especially for minority students.

IBM said the United States faces a "critical shortage" of math and science teachers. It created a pilot program called IBM Transition to Teaching, which will enable 100 employees from the United States to participate. If the program proves successful, IBM says the program will expand.

Carnegie Learning is a provider of comprehensive mathematics curricula for middle school and high school students. "Education and business leaders in the United States have elevated improvements in high school math scores to the top of the national agenda," said Dennis Ciccone, chief executive officer of Carnegie Learning.

Read the Article

The Chattanoogan: Chattem Donating $300,000 to County Schools - Will Go For 3 Algebra Labs, Teacher Grants At UTC
September 2, 2005

Chattem Inc. is donating $300,000 over four years to help the Hamilton County School system "continue its efforts to raise academic achievement levels for all students in Hamilton County," county school officials announced Friday.

The system will use the donation to purchase Cognitive Algebra I Tutor labs for three middle schools and fund a new tuition reimbursement program for teachers wanting to earn a doctorate in Learning and Leadership at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga (UTC).

Read the Article

King County Journal: Summer camp helps teens overcome math phobia
August 25, 2005

"Kids are doing more math," [Mr. Leslie] said... "As a classroom teacher, you go, 'Yee-hawww'... "Students also learn there can be more than one correct answer to a story problem, an important factor in WASL tests. As long as you explain yourself," she said, "Different answers are correct."

Read the Article

THE Journal: Enhancing Curriculum and Instruction through Technology
July 2005

Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency 9 (AEA 9) noticed two specific problems common to virtually all of its 21 K-12 districts: There was a significant drop in the state's math test scores for eighth-grade students and there was a large, teacher-identified need and interest in using technology more effectively in the classroom. Then, 17 of the 21 districts chose to participate in the implementation of a technology-rich, research-based, National Science Foundation (NSF)-designated "exemplary" mathematics program- Cognitive Tutor Algebra I-to address the problems.

Read the Article

Nature: Educational Research - Big plans for Little Brains
June 2005

Experts in neuroscience, computing and education are coming together in a massive effort to put the way in which children are taught on a sounder scientific footing. Trisha Gura profiles this ambitious - some might say foolhardy - initiative.

Read the Article

Fall 2005 Challenge News:

We recently wrapped up the Carnegie Learning Challenge for Fall 2005. This free trial of our complete Cognitive Tutor software was implemented by 70 schools for 30 days and allowed teachers, administrators, and students to evaluate our Algebra I, II, Geometry and Integrated Math curricula software.

If you know of a school who would be interested in evaluating our software for the first time, we will offer a similar Challenge program in the spring of 2006. Please contact Ashley Tippen, Challenge Coordinator, at 888-851-7094 x107 or by e-mail at atippen@carnegielearning.com

Association of Educational Service Agencies
Savannah, GA
November 30 - December 3, 2005

Missouri Council Teachers of Math
Columbia, MO
December 2 - December 3, 2005

California Mathematics Council-North
Asilomar, CA
December 2 - December 4, 2005

Educational Technology Leadership Conference
Roanoke, VA
December 5 - December 7, 2005

Florida Department of Education K-12 Continuous Improvement Conference
Lake Buena Vista, FL
December 12 - 16, 2005

For additional event listings visit our Events page

Congratulations to Dr. Steve Ritter, Senior VP of Research and Development at Carnegie Learning, for his appointment to SIIA (Software & Information Industry Association) Education Division Board of Directors. SIIA's Education Division participates, shapes and supports the education industry by providing leadership, advocacy and critical marketing information to promote the success of education technology and content providers. Steve is one of 12 representatives newly appointed to the SIIA Education Board.

Education Technology Information Center (ETIC)
Carnegie Learning has created profiles for our Algebra I & II and Geometry products. Visit today to submit your personal experiences with Carnegie Learning curricula.
Click Here to Visit ETIC

New Education Blogs

The Hadley Factor
Bill Hadley is a 28-year veteran Pittsburgh Public School mathematics teacher and a founder of Carnegie Learning, Inc. Through The Hadley Factor Web blog, Bill shares his thoughts and perspectives on research, issues and challenges in the teaching and learning of middle school and high school mathematics.

So Students Are Not Prepared Mathematically To Be Successful In College?
A recent article, Coming Soon To A classroom Near You, reports that two-thirds of high school seniors in 2004 expected to get a bachelor's degree and 35% expected to get a graduate or professional degree. However, less than two-thirds of these seniors had mastered intermediate mathematics concepts as 12th graders. Somehow this seems to be a surprise to some people. It has been well established that less than half of our students are graduating with three years of secondary mathematics and even among this group many only have a very superficial understanding of the math that they were taught. As usual, it is easy to complain about the problem but much more difficult to fix it. High school math teachers, is this a surprise to you? Watch for the next post on National Education Assessment Results.

Read more at: http://hadleyfactor.blogspot.com

The Cognitive Blogger
Dr. Steve Ritter, Senior Cognitive Scientist at Carnegie Learning, and a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Carnegie Mellon University, has spent 15 years applying artificial intelligence and principles of how people learn to mathematics education. As the Cognitive Blogger, Steve provides commentary on the state of education and educational technology.

Catching Up To Singapore
Tom Friedman's one of the smartest guys out there, on a lot of topics. And he's exactly right about Singapore.

Singapore reminds me of a smart tech like Apple. If you haven't heard, Apple killed their most successful product because they thought they could do better.

Singapore's doing the same thing. They're tops in the TIMSS results, but they know they'll get beat, if they don't try to improve. They're not afraid to change what they're doing, if they see a better way. And they're always working on a better way.

The embarrassing US performance in these international comparisons is not because we're getting worse in math. In fact, NAEP results show small improvements over time. Its just that much of the rest of the world has improved much more rapidly.

Read more at: http://www.cognitiveblogger.blogspot.com

Look for these curricula and service enhancements in 2006:

• Carnegie Learning Bridge to Algebra product launch
• Carnegie Learning's introduction of our new software interface and text look and feel in our complete suite of curricula.
• Enhanced K-12 Community delivering more information, greater value, and an enhanced user community
• SchoolCare Updates

For more information on Carnegie Learning's curricula or services, please contact us at info@carnegielearning.com