Synthesis of IES-Funded Research on Mathematics: 2002–2013

Proficiency in mathematics is critical to academic, economic, and life success. Greater mathematics knowledge is related to college completion, higher earnings, and better health decisions (Adelman 2006). However, international and national assessment data indicate that U.S. mathematics education is not as effective as it needs to be (Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA]), Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To address this national need to improve mathematics education, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) funded almost 200 grants on mathematics learning and teaching between 2002 and 2013 through its National Center for Education Research (NCER) and National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER). These projects have focused on developing and evaluating instructional strategies and materials for improving mathematics learning, and approaches to teacher professional development. For this document, the authors synthesized peer-reviewed publications that were products of IES-funded research projects that focused on mathematics teaching and learning for students in kindergarten through high school. This executive 
summary highlights the primary findings.