Alabama is leading the way on math teaching: How states can improve

In Diane Laney's classroom in DeKalb County, Alabama, third graders use counters to model multiplication. Photo: Charity Rachelle/NPR

"Math achievement drives success in academics and life," concludes the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) in the State of the States report. "Yet, even as studentsʼ math outcomes stagnate — or decline — most states havenʼt adopted bold, comprehensive strategies" to "support teacher effectiveness."

NCTQ calls for five policies to improve math instruction:

-- Set math standards for teacher preparation programs.

-- Audit teacher ed programs to ensure they're meeting the standards.

-- Adopt a strong elementary math licensure test and require all elementary candidates to pass it (Only 13 states do this.)

-- Require districts to select high-quality math curricula and support skillful implementation.

-- Provide training and coaching for teachers to sustain effective math instruction. (This is one of Alabama's strengths.)

Alabama is the only state rated "strong" in math policy by NCTQ. It's also the only state that's raising math proficiency on national exams, going from worst in the nation to average in a few years.

The seven states rated "unacceptable" are: Arizona, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and New Hampshire.

Arkansas was praised for setting "clear, detailed math competencies for teacher preparation programs, outlining specific concepts and examples that educators must master. These competencies go beyond content knowledge, emphasizing procedural fluency, conceptual understanding, and effective math pedagogy."

Many teacher-education programs don't spend much time preparing elementary teachers to teach math effectively. And education schools often fall prey to fads.