Philosophy

Clayton County Public Schools in alignment with National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and Georgia Performance Standards believes teachers should:
-Select mathematical tasks to engage students' interest and intellect.
-Provide opportunities to deepen students' understanding of mathematics and its applications.
-Orchestrate classroom discourse in ways that promote the investigation and growth of mathematical ideas.
-Help students use technology and other tools to pursue mathematical investigations.
-Help students seek connections to previous and developing knowledge.
-Guide individual, small-group, and whole-class instruction.

Clayton County's curriculum is saturated with these goals and experiences so that they will become commonplace in the lives of our students. Students need to see that mathematics is more than a collection of concepts and skills to be mastered; it includes methods of investigating, reasoning, and communicating. It includes the ability to set up problems with the appropriate operations, the knowledge of a variety of techniques to approach and work on problems, the understanding of the underlying mathematical features of a problem, the ability to work with others on problems, the preparation for open problem situations, and the belief in the utility and value of mathematics.

Believing that every student is capable of learning mathematics, opportunities are provided for all students to strive toward their maximum potential and to increase their confidence in themselves and in their own abilities. Teachers and parents work together in helping students to appreciate mathematics, to grow more proficient mathematically, and to realize that mathematical skills are stepping stones to success. Mathematics instruction must continue to grow to meet the changing demands of our society. Literacy in Mathematics requires understandings and habits of mind that enables citizens to make sense of our world, to think critically and independently, to recognize and weigh alternative explanations, and to deal reasonably with problems that involve numbers, patterns, and logical arguments.

Our goal for students of Clayton County is that they find mathematics exciting; that they learn to apply mathematics in their everyday life instead of just learning theories and facts. We want our students to use the Habits of Mind of problem solving, communicating, reasoning, and connecting that are found in the new Georgia Learning Framework for Mathematics and Science. These Habits of Mind will help our students to be able to understand and apply mathematics for the rest of their lives.