3 Select math textbooks for the right reasons. Deciding which textbook to use is one of the most important professional judgments that math teachers make. But it can be among the most difficult as well. Most math texts for sale in the U.S. are so broad, so repetitive and so focused on terms and computational procedures that they virtually guarantee that many children will fail to grasp the mathematical concepts that would be of most use to them in adult life. Too often math books are selected because they are pretty and meet superficial checklists.
Deeper comparisons require money, time and special expertise.
But now there is a Consumer Reports of math textbooks , and schools should avail themselves of it. Project 2061 has rigorously analyzed the content and instructional quality of more than a dozen middle school math texts. Only four were rated highly. This autumn Project 2061 will also release the results of its analysis of science texts. 4 Eliminate low academic tracks.