Research and Development

Our research and development efforts draw upon three essential elements:

• Funding support from research and grant-making organizations.
• The rich body of literature regarding the learning process and math education.
• Field research including classroom testing of materials and case studies of student performance.

Each of these sources help us shape our offerings as well as evaluate the impact of our efforts on student learning.

Funding

Over the years MLC research and development efforts have benefited from the support of organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Departments of Education and Energy, and the Murdock Charitable Trust.

NSF made a major commitment to MLC over a decade ago. Their investment contributed to the development of a host of materials including Opening Eyes, Visual Mathematics, Math and the Mind's Eye, and the initial versions of Bridges in Mathematics.

Literature

The approaches to teaching and learning employed by MLC are grounded in research. In addition to the research supporting the content and process standards outlined in Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000) our authors incorporate both academic and field studies in their development process.

Field Research

Our colleagues in schools and districts across the country are invaluable to our research and development process. We field test our materials with practicing teachers and incorporate their feedback directly into the final versions. We also engage teachers, curriculum specialists, and math educators at all levels in reviewing our materials prior to publication.

On an ongoing basis we solicit feedback from those using our materials including gathering data on student achievement.