Math Inequality with Doug Clements

Doug Clements discusses math inequality in the United States and China. He highlights the differences in math competency of students from low- and high-income families.

Children from low-income backgrounds don’t only enter school with far less mathematical knowledge, but that gap widens continually.

Doug Clements is a Kennedy Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning. He is a professor, and the Executive Director of the Marsico Institute of Early Learning and Literacy at the University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education. He also helped coauthor the report of President Bush’s National Math Council and the new Curriculum Focal Points for early childhood, produced by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

The Early Math Collaborative, supported by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, held international symposia in 2009 and 2010. The two events brought experts from around the world to share approaches to early mathematics education with teachers, administrators, policy-makers, and other education professionals. The goal was to generate globally-informed ideas and recommendations for improving math instruction in the early childhood classroom. In breakout discussions and plenary sessions, participants brainstormed ideas, identified issues, and recommended actions.