Postdoctoral Students Train in Mathematical Learning and Instruction

February 22, 2010

The U.S. needs more well-trained education researchers (a) to address questions about the effectiveness of educational programs and policies and (b) to provide an empirical basis for designs of curricula, assessments, instructional approaches, and learning environments. This need is particularly evident in mathematics education. With funding from the Institute of Education Sciences, Mitchell Nathan and colleagues have begun an interdisciplinary training program to help postdoctoral students conduct rigorous research in math education. The program will help them to apply rigorous methods to obtain valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs, and to present findings and make claims supported by these  methods.