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University of Wyoming

SMTC Offers Report Summary Service (RSS)

What the RSS is

The Report Summary Service (RSS) is a low-to-no-pain way for anyone interested in mathematics education to get a sense of the purpose and contents of key reports on mathematics (and, sometimes, science) education.  RSS reports are selected and summarized by Bob Kansky (robk@tribcsp.com) of the Science & Mathematics Teaching Center at the University of Wyoming.  The summaries are archived in a database hosted by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics.  To access the summaries, go to: http://ncsmonline.org/OtherResources/rss.html

What the RSS does and doesn't do

The Report Summary Service:

  • reduces lengthy reports (some of 250+ pages) to at most four pages (usually two);
  • presents the gist of the full reports in a standard, but flexible, format;
  • provides an overview of each report's structure, conclusions, and recommendations;
  • identifies and briefly describes each report's publisher;
  • provides a web address from which the full report can be downloaded or purchased; and
  • is free.

The service does not evaluate a report's methodology, conclusions, or recommendations. However, a summary may include cross-references to supporting or conflicting reports. Occasionally, a summary will pull together information from several reports that address a common issue.

A partial list of titles from the RSS

To get a sense of what the RSS offers, here's a reverse-order listing of the report summaries that had been posted prior to 18 May 2006. New summaries are added at a rate of about two per week.

RSS #21.a: Mathematics & Science Teachers: Understanding Supply & Demand
RSS #20.d: Teachers of Mathematics and Science: A Shrinking U.S. Resource
RSS #20.c: Teachers of Mathematics and Science: A Shrinking U.S. Resource
RSS #20.b: NYC Study: Certification & Teaching Effectiveness
RSS #20.a: Profile of American Teachers (2005)
RSS #19.b: Tapping America's Potential: Education for Innovation
RSS #19.a: Research on Eight Questions on Teacher Preparation
RSS #18: In Pursuit of Quality Teaching - Key Policies
RSS #17.5: Dropout Epidemic: Consequences, Causes, & Cures

To read these and other summaries, click here.