The project takes as its theme the fact that U.S. students are less likely than their international peers to learn complex and conceptually difficult mathematics and thus lag in measures of achievement. This IERI project focuses on scaling an important innovation made possible by the increasing availability of technology in schools--the use of manipulable, graphical representations and simulations to democratize access to advanced mathematics. The project builds on a former Phase I IERI award where the project team developed the methodological approaches and an evidentiary base for scaling up this innovation, and created the partnerships needed to conduct a randomized experiment in schools. The team will now investigate the following questions relating to scale: 1. Can a wide variety of teachers use innovative technology (SimCalc) to create new opportunities for students to learn complex and conceptually difficult mathematics (ratio and proportion are the topics proposed)? 2. Which teaching practices positively affect students' learning with these innovative materials, and can teachers improve student learning by implementing a focused subset of these best practices? 3. Do student gains persist as we reduce the presence of the research team?
