ABSTRACT Voices of Reform: An Oral History of the Impact of Mathematics Reform on Texas Public Schools: 1960-2010 Cheri Brown Sizemore, Ed.D. Mentor: James L. Williamson, Ed.D. Since the launch of the Soviet satellite, Sputnik, rocked America‘s confidence as a strong nation, mathematics education reforms have been the focus of much debate in public schools for more than fifty years. Math education received blame through the years for threats to national security, a struggling economy, and a slide in international assessment rankings. Although students are taking more high school math courses now and the number of students enrolling in colleges and universities continues to increase, American students, particularly Texas students for this study, have not shown significant improvement on the state assessments. In the midst of these concerns, ―math wars‖ between the traditionalists and the reformists have been raging, fueled by political and societal struggles over what and how mathematics should be taught. As in all wars, there are casualties; in this case, our youth have suffered. The solution to the problem is finding the middle ground – the balance – between the two approaches to math education. Reform research was brought to life by interviews of many high profile educational leaders, politicians, and reformers who wrote, led, or participated in math reforms in K-12 education between 1960 and 2010. Through the process of oral history methodology, experiential recollections from this select group were archived in Baylor University‘s Institute for Oral History, and significant recommendations were offered to current and future educational leaders for the improvement of mathematics programs in schools and districts across the state. Recommendations include: (1) University level: to increase the number of mathematics education programs; to encourage partnerships between university and public schools; (2) Public schools: to hire teachers with degrees in mathematics education to reduce anxiety levels and to increase confidence in teachers and students, especially at the elementary level; to sustain training and support for teachers, especially for those who work with reform curriculum; (3) Curriculum developers: to balance the math curriculum with traditional and reform methods; (4) Legislators: to review the accountability system to discover better methods to measure student growth. Voices of Reform: An Oral History of the Impact of Mathematics Reform on Texas Public Schools: 1960 - 2010 by Cheri Brown Sizemore, B.S., M.Ed. A Dissertation Approved by the Department of Educational Administration ___________________________________ Robert C. Cloud, Ed.D., Chairperson Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Baylor University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Approved by the Dissertation Committee ___________________________________ James L. Williamson, Ed.D., Chairperson ___________________________________ Robert C. Cloud, Ed.D. ___________________________________ Stephen M. Sloan, Ph.D. ___________________________________ Tony L. Talbert, Ed.D. ___________________________________ Trena L. Wilkerson, Ph.D. Accepted by the Graduate School December 2010 ___________________________________ J. Larry Lyon, Ph.D., Dean Page bearing signatures is kept on file in the Graduate School. Copyright © 2010 by Cheri Brown Sizemore All rights reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. vi Dedication ........................................................................................................................ viii Chapter One .........................................................................................................................1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................3 Purposes of the Study...................................................................................4 Research Questions ......................................................................................5 Significance of the Study .............................................................................5 Delimitations and Limitations ......................................................................6 Definition of Terms......................................................................................6 Organization of the Study ..........................................................................10 Chapter Two.......................................................................................................................11 Review of the Literature ........................................................................................11 Introduction ................................................................................................11 The 1960s: The New Math Movement ......................................................13 The 1970s: Back to the Basics ...................................................................19 The 1980s: A Focus on Problem Solving .................................................21 The 1990s: The Standards-Based Movement ............................................29 The 2000s: No Child Left Behind ..............................................................35 The Next Decade: 2010 .............................................................................42 Chapter Three.....................................................................................................................44 Methodology ..........................................................................................................44 Research Design.....................................................................................................44 Criteria for Selection of Participants......................................................................45 The Research Participants ......................................................................................46 Instrumentation and Data Collection .....................................................................49 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................52 Chapter Four ......................................................................................................................54 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................54 Introduction ............................................................................................................54 Research Question One ..........................................................................................55 Research Question Two .........................................................................................73 Research Question Three .......................................................................................87 iv Research Question Four .........................................................................................92 Research Question Five .......................................................................................101 Research Question Six .........................................................................................107 Research Question Seven .....................................................................................110 Research Question Eight ......................................................................................120 Chapter Five .....................................................................................................................125 Conclusions and Recommendations ....................................................................125 Conclusions ..............................................................................................125 Reflections of the Study ...........................................................................150 Recommendations for Practice ................................................................153 Recommendations for Future Research ...................................................157 Appendices .......................................................................................................................158 Appendix A: .........Introductory Letter .................................................................159 Appendix B: .........General Interview Information ..............................................160 Appendix C: .........Possible Questions for Interview ...........................................162 Appendix D: .........Oral History Deed of Gift Agreement ...................................164 Appendix E: .........Restricted Oral History Deed of Gift Agreement ..................165 Appendix F: .........Institute for Oral History Interview Data Form .....................166 Appendix G: .........Questions for Margaret Spellings ..........................................168 Appendix H: .........Follow Up Letter ....................................................................169 Appendix I: ..........Resume for Dr. Ellen Bell ......................................................170 Appendix J: ..........Resume for Dr. James Blackburn-Lynch ...............................176 Appendix K: .........Resume for Dinah Chancellor ................................................179