In this issue:
	Welcome! News: PREP workshop MAC3 SIGMAA QL Book Review: The Middle Path in Math Instruction Interview: The QR Program at Wellesley Spreadsheets for Numeracy

Welcome to the second issue of the National Numeracy Network Newsletter. It has been an unusually warm fall here in New England, at least up until yesterday when the rain forgot to melt before hitting the ground. Forgetfulness prevails, as some of the trees forgot to change color before dropping their leaves. The local beavers, forgetful of their neighbors, built record dams that raised the water level in the town pond to the point of swamping the little man-made beaches on either side. My little town, now politically divided between beach lovers and beaver appreciators, debated the fairness and legality of various measures. The State of New Hampshire was required to decide, once and for all, the correct height of the water level in the pond—a numeracy problem if ever there was one.

Which brings us to the NNN.

The Network experienced a year of growth since its bylaws were voted in June 2004. We now have legal status as a nonprofit organization (thanks to a lot of hard work by Rebecca Hartzler). We held our first annual meeting as an organization (thanks to the efforts of David Bressoud to combine our modest event with a week-long workshop at Macalester). We greatly increased our board, which now represents a much broader range of disciplines. Board member Kim Rheinlander stepped down, although she continues to edit this newsletter. We hope that, as we expand our board to include as many disciplines as possible, our concept of “numeracy” will also expand to include the needs of as many students as possible.

We are pleased to report that the National Science Foundation has awarded NNN a grant through the Mathematical Association of America for the purpose of organizing the 2007 annual meeting. We are hoping to hold the 2007 meeting in close conjunction with a meeting of the American Sociological Association, with the intention of putting a special focus on numeracy in the social sciences. The location of the 2006 meeting is yet to be decided. If you have ideas for locations, speakers or sessions for 2006, please get in touch with any board member.

Groundwork is beginning for a new e-journal to be published through the University of South Florida for NNN. This open-source journal will publish both peer reviewed articles and departmental columns on all aspects of QL.

At every meeting we hold, our membership grows. There is a clear need for a cross-disciplinary organization that addresses the specific quantitative needs of all students. Membership in the NNN is inexpensive and extremely important for continuing the work of the organization. Your institution should belong to the National Numeracy Network.

This past June, Macalester College was host to an MAA PREP (Professional Enhancement Program) workshop on “Creating and Strengthening Interdisciplinary Programs in Quantitative Literacy“, June 14–18, followed by the first annual meeting the National Numeracy Network, June 18–19. Forty-one people participated. The emphasis was on learning how those in other disciplines and at other institutions are approaching quantitative literacy. Among the disciplines that were represented were Business Administration, Chemistry, Communication Studies, Computer Science, Economics, Education, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Philosophy, and Sociology. Carla Howery of the American Sociological Association was among the speakers. Downloads of talks by Jack Bookman, Caren Diefenderfer, Bernie Madison, Judy Moran, Milo Schield, Stephen Sweet, and Len Vacher are available at

The first annual national meeting of the National Numeracy Network featured a welcome from the president, Bernie Madison, and talks by Milo Schield and Marc Isaacson of Augsburg College, Len Vacher of the University of South Florida, Corinne Taylor of Wellesley College, Scott Bierman and Neil Lutsky of Carleton College, and Bill Frey, Director of the Social Science Data Analysis Network at the University of Michigan.

In May 2005, the American Mathematical Association for Two Year Colleges (AMATYC) received a grant from the National Science Foundation to support the Mathematics Across the Community College Curriculum (MAC³) project. This national dissemination project encourages faculty of all disciplines to integrate mathematics and quantitative reasoning into their courses. MAC³ builds upon the successful four-year NSF funded Mathematics Across the Curriculum Project from Edmonds CC in Washington State led by Deann Leoni and Rebecca Hartzler. AMATYC is a partner on this grant with Edmonds CC, Seattle Central CC, and Miami Dade College. Most of the project activities for 2005 have been funded by a one-year Department of Education grant through Edmonds CC. All future activities will be funded by the NSF grant.

MAC³ supports and expands AMATYC’s existing commitment to quantitative literacy and creates a national dialogue on integrating mathematics into all disciplines at two-year colleges. The core of the MAC³ project is curriculum development institutes, where faculty work in interdisciplinary teams to create classroom-ready materials. Faculty from any two-year college, any discipline, and any program - liberal arts, college-prep, and vocational/technical - are encouraged to participate.

After the first three years AMATYC will sustain the project through a strand of Traveling Workshops aimed at continuing the work of supporting faculty and schools in integrating mathematics across the curriculum.

This past August marked the first MAC³ Summer Institute. Forty-six participants attended from Washington, Florida, Mississippi, Delaware, Minnesota, Tennessee and Iowa.

The next MAC³ institute is set for August 1-4, 2006 in Washington State. See the MAC³ website for resources and details about upcoming events: http://www.mac3.amatyc.org or contact the project manager at mac3@amatyc.org.

January 14 2006 Brief: SIGMAA QL will host a contributed paper session with its annual business meeting, and then a reception afterwards on Saturday at the Joint Mathematics Meeting.

The paper session will run from 1 pm until 4 pm. The annual business meeting and then a reception will be held after the paper session.

SIGMAA QL is the Special Interest Group of the MAA which focuses on Quantitative Literacy (QL). SIGMAA QL aims to provide a structure within the mathematics community to identify the prerequisite mathematical skills for quantitative literacy (QL) and find innovative ways of developing and implementing QL curricula. We also intend to assist colleagues in other disciplines to infuse appropriate QL experiences into their courses and hope to stimulate the general national dialogue concerning QL.

For more details and news see:

In a time of sharp contrasts —- red states, blue states; Yankees, Red Sox; and traditional, reform -— Shuhna An is a voice for the middle ground in mathematics teaching...

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In each issue of the NNNNews, we plan to highlight a QL program or center through an interview with the director. Our first interview is with Corri Taylor at Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Wellesley College established its Quantitative Reasoning Program to ensure that students would be equipped with the quantitative skills needed to explore any academic major, to pursue any career, and to address the wide array of quantitative problems that arise in everyday life...

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Our Website says that we are a “network of individuals, institutions and corporations united by a common goal of quantitative literacy for all citizens.” Further, our Website says that we “envision a society in which all citizens possessthe power and habit of mind to search out quantitative information, critique it, reflect upon it, and apply it in their public, personal and professional lives.” What does such a society look like? Presumably we members of NNN think that our present society does not match that description now, and so we want to help it move to that new condition. How will we know when we get there?

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