Everyday Mathematics

Everyday Mathematics is a pre-K and elementary school mathematics curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project (not to be confused with the University of Chicago School of Mathematics). The program, now published by McGraw-Hill Education, has sparked debate.

Everyday Mathematics curriculum was developed by the University of Chicago School Math Project (or UCSMP ) which was founded in 1983.

Work on it started in the summer of 1985. The 1st edition was released in 1998 and the 2nd in 2002. A third edition was released in 2007 and a fourth in 2014-2015.

Below is an outline of the components of EM as they are generally seen throughout the curriculum.

A typical lesson outlined in one of the teacher’s manuals includes three parts

Every day, there are certain things that each EM lesson requires the student to do routinely. These components can be dispersed throughout the day or they can be part of the main math lesson.

Beyond the components already listed, there are supplemental resources to the program. The two most common are games and explorations.

What Works Clearinghouse ( or WWC ) reviewed the evidence in support of the Everyday Mathematics program. Of the 61 pieces of evidence submitted by the publisher, 57 did not meet the WWC minimum standards for scientific evidence, four met evidence standards with reservations, and one of those four showed a statistically significant positive effect. Based on the four studies considered, the WWC gave Everyday Math a rating of "Potentially Positive Effect" with the four studies showing a mean improvement in elementary math achievement (versus unspecified alternative programs) of 6 percentile rank points with a range of -7 to +14 percentile rank points, on a scale from -50 to +50.

After the first edition was released, it became part of a nationwide controversy over reform mathematics. In October 1999, US Department of Education issued a report labeling Everyday Mathematics one of five "promising" new math programs. The perceived endorsement of Everyday Mathematics and a number of other textbooks by an agency of the US government caused such outrage among practicing mathematicians and scientists that a group of them drafted an open letter to then Secretary of Education Richard Riley urging him to withdraw the report. The letter appeared in the November 18, 1999 edition of the Post and was eventually signed by more than 200 prominent mathematicians and scientists including four Nobel Laureates (one of whom, Steven Chu, has since become Secretary of Energy), three Fields Medalists, a National Medal of Science winner from the University of Chicago, and the some chairs of math departments.

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