In the News

Innovative Classroom Design to Improve Student Learning - Jon and HCPSS colleagues have redesigned two mathematics classrooms over the last few years. Following the physical makeover of the classroom, professional learning for staff and students was provided to help increase collaborative learning, creativity, problem solving and communication in the redesigned learning space. The design process used for this project was adapted from Edutopia’s “Remake Your Class: Building a Collaborative Learning Environment” model.

"Fractions Are Numbers Too!" (by Dr. Francis [Skip] Fennell, Beth Kobett, and Jon Wray in NCTM's Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School journal, April 2014, Vol. 19, Issue 8, pp. 486-493). Student understanding of fractions as numbers, a foundational element of fraction sense and a critical prerequisite of work with operations, is explored through real-world connections. Click here to download / read the article.

"Elementary Mathematics Leaders" (by Dr. Francis [Skip] Fennell, Beth Kobett, and Jon Wray in NCTM's Teaching Children Mathematics journal, October 2013, Vol. 20, Issue 3, pp. 172-180). Elementary school mathematics leaders (EMLs) often come to the realization that their position, however titled and determined, although dedicated to addressing the needs in math teaching and learning, also entails and directly involves leadership. Elementary school math specialists / instructional leaders are often, if not typically, selected for such positions on the basis of their performance in the classroom. They have been highly successfull as math teachers. However, selecting EMLs solely on the basis of their classrom success generally produces the "wake-up call" presented in this article, co-written by Dr. Francis (Skip) Fennell, Beth Kobett and Jon Wray. Click here to download / read the article.

Mathematics Coaching: Resources and Tools for Coaches and Leaders, K–12 (Pearson, posted Feb. 8, 2013)

Jon recently collaborated with Jenny Bay-Williams and Maggie McGatha (University of Louisville), and Beth Kobett (Stevenson University) to co-author Mathematics Coaching: Resources and Tools for Coaches and Leaders, K–12. The book is designed to support K-12 mathematics coaches/specialists and teacher leaders as they help shift classroom practice in ways that nurture the development of the CCSS Mathematical Practices. This is his third co-publication released this year. Jon also co-authored: Common Core Mathematics in a PLC at Work™, Grades 3–5 and Common Core Mathematics in a PLC at Work™, Grades K–2 (Solution Tree).

Jon Wray on "Why Teachers Need the Common Core" (Livescribe Education, posted Aug. 22, 2012)

This week, CNN’s Schools of Thought blog featured Jon Wray, board member on the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, on why we need the Common Core Standards. Schools of Thought covers education from a variety of perspectives and often features opinions from educational experts and thought leaders. Wray is also the instructional facilitator for secondary mathematics curricular programs in the Howard County (Maryland) Public School System and a co-founder of the Core Challenge, a program to support teacher collaboration and execution of the Common Core Standards in math. Read more...

"My View: Why We Need the Common Core Standards" (CNN Schools of Thought, posted Aug. 20, 2012)

The United States’ worldwide ranking in mathematics education is a common lament among teachers, parents, students, politicians and just about anybody else who has a stake in our nation’s future. The United States recently ranked 25th out of 34 developing countries in mathematics falling behind countries such as Japan, Germany and France. Ask a hundred people the cause of this situation and you’ll get a hundred different answers. One reason in particular, however, is that we have hundreds – if not thousands - of different ways of teaching our students, and different ideas of what they ought to be taught. As an educator, I would love to tell you that I have the magic formula to teach every single student to succeed. Read more...

Announcement: Jon Wray Elected to NCTM Board of Directors (NCTM, posted Nov. 2011)

Those elected to the Board of Directors will serve three-year terms beginning at the conclusion of the NCTM 2012 Annual Meeting and Exposition in April. The NCTM Board of Directors makes strategic decisions about Council actions, policies, and programs. Read more...

"Local Schools to Study Whether Math -- Topics = Better Instruction" (Washington Post, posted Dec. 5, 2006)

Advocates of new math and old math, back-to-basics math and "fuzzy" math might be shelving their differences to collectively focus on what many consider a more pressing problem: too much math. Maryland math leaders meet today -- and D.C. math educators gather tomorrow -- to discuss Curriculum Focal Points, a new document from the influential National Council of Teachers of Mathematics that could profoundly influence math instruction in the region and nationwide. Read more...