La Cañada school board adopts ‘Everyday Mathematics’ curriculum despite parent group’s concerns
La Cañada Unified school board members recently adopted “Everyday Mathematics” curriculum for students in grades K-5, despite protestation from a group of parents claiming it lacks rigor and fails to teach foundational mathematical principles.
The decision came in a special meeting held last Thursday, following a lengthy board workshop in which teachers on the district’s textbook selection committee explained their reasons for supporting adoption of the Common Core math curriculum, at the cost of nearly $175,000.
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“I really truly believe that ‘Everyday Math’ has the rigor that our students in La Cañada deserve,” said Paradise Canyon fourth-grade teacher Mickey Block, who got positive feedback from San Marino Unified and New Jersey educators currently using the program. “I’m feeling very, very secure in my decision.”
Committee members explained that although parents were not involved in the two-year review period, in which six possible options were explored and, in some cases, piloted with students, math teachers and administrators had done due diligence in reaching consensus on the curriculum.
“Everyday Mathematics,” they said, stood out for its emphasis on real-world applications and developing an enthusiasm in students for understanding the underlying principles of math. The curriculum comes with a suite of online tools that lets students build upon classroom lessons with games and further home study topics.
A separate curriculum, “Math in Focus,” was recommended and adopted for sixth-grade students at the request of educators of that grade level but was not the focus of parents’ probing questions.
Anais Wenn, LCUSD’s assistant superintendent of Education Services and overseer of the selection committee, countered parent claims that the committee’s recommendation was rushed and out of sync with the district’s own adoption process.
“This has been a two-year process and we have followed previous protocols that have been used by LCUSD,” Wenn said, adding that even former Supt. Jim Stratton was contacted to ensure consistency with past practices. “I have had plenty of eyes looking at what we’re doing and giving suggestions, and everything we have done has been by the book and to the point.”
But parents, several of them engineers employed by La Cañada’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, expressed dissatisfaction with LCUSD’s not seeking parent input from the start and not doing more research into “Singapore math,” a methodology that emphasizes depth over breadth and is used by some of the top-performing nations. Nearly 20 parents spoke at the workshop and subsequent board meeting.
Sugi Sorensen, a Palm Crest Elementary School parent and Math Olympiad adviser, said he’s noticed a worrisome decline in students’ basic math skills in the past few years since Common Core standards were implemented. Seeking answers as to what the proposed curriculum might have to offer them, he was not impressed.
“Frankly, when I looked at [‘Everyday Mathematics’], I was horrified,” said the JPL engineer, explaining there was not enough practice for students to sufficiently master concepts. “I would suggest the board reject the motion (to adopt) to afford time to find a more likable system.”
Before the workshop, several parents against the adoption of “Everyday Math” held their own informational meeting, featuring a presentation by James Milgram, professor emeritus of mathematics at Stanford University. School board members Dan Jeffries, Ellen Multari and Brent Kuszyk attended that meeting.
Milgram explained he served as a mathematician on the Common Core State Standards Initiative’s validation committee, a group responsible for vetting K-12 standards throughout the United States.
He told parents many of the Common Core math standards were developed by math educators instead of mathematicians and, as such, do not emphasize practice and repetition, core components of establishing computational fluency in students.
“There is every reason and more than sufficient evidence that ‘Everyday Mathematics’ will not improve student outcomes in La Cañada, and if that’s the case, why bother?” Milgram said.
But the teachers and administrators who spoke at the workshop painted a different picture. La Cañada Elementary Principal Emily Blaney said after two years of vetting various programs, teachers needed a comprehensive program and were upset by parents’ opposition to “Everyday Mathematics.”
“I had one teacher who broke down crying,” Blaney told the board. “I’d like to focus on what our teachers are ready for and really need. I think the teachers are ready to adopt.”
Vice President Jeffries, who presided over the meeting in Sagal’s absence, said LCUSD has historically sought parent involvement on everything from the high school paint colors to music programs to replacement of soccer fields.
“One of the things we’ve learned from all this is that we need to be transparent in the way textbooks are selected as well,” he said. “We need to have a process that, from the very beginning, involves the parents, so parents know what’s going on.”
The governing board ultimately voted 4-0 to adopt the “Everyday Mathematics” curriculum for grades K-5, allowing for possible review in the next few years after similar selections have been made for Common Core English and science texts. Board members also supported the creation of a selection oversight committee that would keep open lines of communication between teachers, parents and district officials.
“We have a responsibility to hear what you’re saying and build better structures,” Board Member Kaitzer Puglia said. “We may not agree, but I do want to continue the conversation as we progress.”
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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com
Twitter: @SaraCardine
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