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Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 15:07:02 -0800 To: Melissa_Chabran@ed.gov From: Kirby Urner <pdx4d@teleport.com> Subject: Memorandum regarding pro-mathematics action Cc: synergetics-l@teleport.com November 17, 1997 Melissa Chabran Planning and Evaluation Service U.S. Department of Education Dear Ms. Chabran -- Thank you for your timely reply to my memorandum of October 23, 1997 to Education Secretary William Riley. As this exchange of views concerns the public at large, I am archiving our correspondence to my website, where my pro-math campaign for 1998 has been redubbed "The Great Math Makeover of 1998" (the idea of "before" and "after" pictures suggests itself here). Since my memo to Secretary Riley, I have fine tuned my model of our campaign to accommodate potential improvements in the curriculum which would obviate any need for civil disobedience or openly confrontational (yet nonviolent) actions. I think the many local leaders of the makeover campaign (which potentially includes many teachers, including of non-math subjects) will need to exercise their best judgement as to what is required, on a case by case basis. I realize that it may not be entirely clear to you, nor to Secretary Riley, why on earth I would consider weaknesses in the mathematics curriculum of sufficient urgency to warrant seeking endorsement from the USA Department of Education for a campaign of any kind, let alone one involving organized teacher-student protest, given the President's own policies and current initiatives in this area. I try to be explicit and focussed around the various related issues and goals at my website, beginning with a campaign home page at: "The Great Math Makeover of 1998" http://www.teleport.com/makeover0.html To be brief, for the purposes of this communication, let me say simply that I find insufficient evidence in current working papers or curriculum planning memoranda accessible to me, through the internet and other channels, to persuade me that the best interests of the USA public are being served when it comes to this very important matter of adequately preparing our young to assume greater responsibility for creating our shared future. In particular, a lot of positive advances in the freedoms and social justice department are on hold because our many educational institutions, recipients of enormous numbers of tax dollars, continue to ignore curriculum material of relevance to K-12 which would almost certainly give our students a more hopeful and attractive vision of the 21st Century (and beyond). This means a lot of bright youngsters are simply not getting the professionally assisted boost they have a right to expect in our democracy. I believe these deficiencies are less a matter of fiscal mismanagement than of misplaced confidance in a system of specialization which has disconnected even the most earnest reform-minded individuals from their innate ability to integrate and derive responsible policies based on analysis of critical information readily available to them in the public domain. Indeed, it is this very inability to steer the curriculum juggernaut away from the grave consequences attendant upon over- specialization which provides the most persuasive proof of the true urgency of our situation. I fear the only solution may be to plan for a period of shipwreck and subsequent floundering about. My makeover campaign may therefore take on more the aspect of a rescue operation, as the inability of our institutions to adequately respond becomes ever more evident to those whom they inadequately serve (myself included). Thank you again for your timely response. I have every hope that, working together, we will be able to make 1998 an essentially positive experience for all concerned. Sincerely, Kirby Urner Curriculum writer 4D Solutions |
Historical note: I sent a followup within minutes correcting the bogus URL for the makeover home page. Synergetics on the
Web |