Links to Resources for Parents and Teachers
Listed below are various useful resources for parents and teachers. Users may scroll down to learn more or click on any of the links directly below for quick navigation to the topic of interest.Singapore Math Links
Grants for K-12 Math and Science Teachers
Links to STEM Competitions for Elementary, Middle and High School Students
Links to Math and Science Activities and Resources
MIT OpenCourseWare for High School Teachers and Students
STEM Education Website
What Do Scientists Do?
The American Institutes for Research's U.S. Dept. of Education supported study, entitled "What the United States Can Learn from Singapore's World-Class Mathematics System (and what Singapore can learn from the United States): An Exploratory Study" examines the system that Singapore has developed to teach mathematics, and that makes it the highest-ranking country in student mathematics achievement in the world. The complete report
"Singapore Math Makes a Difference" by Kristen Graham. Philadelphia Inquirer, December 9, 2008. The article discusses Singapore Math and its implementation at FACTS school in Philadelphia.
Business Week, May 28, 2009. "Moving Beyond No Child Left Behind" by Steve LeVine discusses Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's call for systemic change. Kuumba Academy, which is a part of DFSME's pilot program using Singapore Math is cited in the article.
Dr. Jason Frand, of University of California, Los Angeles, maintains a website with explanations, commentary, links to articles, and links to videos of lessons. Reach the website by clicking : http://personal.anderson.ucla.edu/jason.frand/math_enrichment/SingaporeMath.html
The website of the company that originally introduced Singapore Math to the U.S. contains information, articles, announcements of training sessions, materials, etc. Click on: www.singaporemath.com
NPR on Education: Controversial Math Method Infiltrates L.A. Schools. Click here to listen to NPR's Mandelit del Barco's report on Singapore Math. From Thursday, March 13, 2008. (This is an MP3 audio file.)
Superintendent (Ret.) of North Middlesex (Massachusetts) School District Mary Waight's presentation about the implementation of Singapore Math in her district. Given to the National Math Panel in 2006. Complete transcript
Communication between Dr. Waight and Dr. Armbrecht clarifying a point made in the report above.
The 2008 Aspen Institute Report, Singapore as a Model for Teacher Development discusses the approaches taken in Singapore to develop and retain high-quality teachers and how these approaches might be adapted for use in the United States.
The Toshiba America Foundation promotes quality science and mathematics education in U.S. K-12 schools by supporting programs that improve teaching and learning in science and mathematics. The Foundation offers the following two programs: The Program for K-6 Science and Math Education provides grants of up to $1,000 to teachers in public or private schools in order to improve the teacher's science and math teaching units. The application deadline is October 1, annually. The Program for 7-12 Science and Math Education provides small grants of up to $5,000 and large grants of over $5,000 to forward-thinking science and mathematics teachers in order to engage students in positive and challenging learning experiences. Applications for small grants may be submitted throughout the year. Large grant applications must be submitted by August 1 or February 1, annually. Click on the blue link listed above for details on each of the Foundation’s grant programs.
Students in grades 4 through high school can compete in the Annual Math League Contests.
The International Math Olympiad for high school students includes over 80 countries from 5 continents.
The Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling promotes the use of interdisciplinary tools to explore environmental issues. For high school students.
Moody's Mega Math Challenge is an applied mathematics competition open to high school students. Winners can receive scholarships for continuing education. Visit the website to register your high school and for more information. http://m3challenge.siam.org/
The Mandelbrot Competition and Mandelbrot Team Play are two competitions for individuals or teams at the high school level. Greater Testing Concepts offers these two contests.
The National Society of Professional Surveyors has an annual contest for high school students based on the practical application of Triginometry called the Trig-Star Program Contest.
The Mathematics Association of America administers a series of national contests for middle and high school students.
A website run by MathProPress lists websites with information about national, multinational and international competitions.
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, for high school students, showcases independent research.
Intel also runs the Intel Science Talent Search, with a top prize of a $100,000.00 scholarship.
The Siemens Foundation runs the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology for high school students.
The Junior Science and Humanities Symposia Program challenges individual students in grades 9-12 in STEM areas.
High school students interested in biotechnology should check out the Sanofi-Aventis International BioGENEius Challenge.
The Science Olympiad has hosted competitions for middle and high school students for 26 years.
Follow this link to a list containing websites for parents, teachers, and children, as well as a list of museums and other places to visit that are math or science related, all suited for day-trips.
MIT Highlights for High School is a website featuring MIT OpenCourseWare materials that are useful for high school students and teachers. Video demonstrations provide alternate explanations that can be used to build and reinforce key concepts, add to the teacher's fund of knowledge, help students study for AP exams, and guide students to additional homework problems and exam examples. Videos can be shown in the classroom or students can use them on their own.
The Business Round Table and prominent business groups have launched an online advocacy program seeking to make math and science education a national priority. This website provides state-specific information on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, links to key reports, news coverage of the issues, and the results of extensive public opinion research on competitiveness and innovation.
AstraZeneca offers a website called "Seeking New Medicines." The interactive website traces the life cycle of a new medicine, from its development in the laboratory to its delivery to the patient, and explores the different roles research scientists play in developing new medicines. Take a virtual tour of a medicine's complex journey and learn how scientists make important contributions to health care.
