Parents, educators rally against Alberta's "New Math"

I came across this news article, originally published this past April, that tells the story of over 200 parents who protested in response to changes in Alberta's math curriculum.

The new math curriculum focuses on "discovery-based" learning in the classroom.  The parents argued that students are already having difficulty demonstrating core math skills, and that removing even more focus on developing these skills is a bad idea.

There were a few things about this story that struck me as interesting.  For starters, it is great to see a large group of parents that are so passionate about education.  There was a large public gathering where people made signs and marched, as well as a petition that currently has over 13,000 signatures.

(Picture taken directly from the news article)

This story is also an example of the need for transparency between the schools and the parents.  One of the signs in the picture read "Where's the proof?".  In my opinion, in order to justify making such a significant change to the math curriculum, sufficient research should be gathered, interpreted, and made available.  This research should focus on proving that students are somehow better off focusing less on fundamental math skills and more on application questions.  From the information presented in this article alone, it's clear that either an insufficient amount of research was conducted, or the findings have not been passed on to concerned parents.

Personally, I've noticed in Ontario schools that basic math skills are lacking.  I would love to see changes to the curriculum that renews focus on developing important math skills that students will need throughout their education.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/parents-educators-rally-against-alberta-s-new-math-1.2608360