Author Archives: Ling Huang

The Sage from the East: Michael Xu’s Story as a Mirror to America’s Math Education Crisis

Posted on 11/07/2026 by Ling Huang

https://nonpartisaneducation.org/Review/Resources/Michael_Xu_Success_v_America_Math_Ed_Crisis.pdf by Ling Huang Most people only know Jaime Escalante from Stand and Deliver. Few know there was a Chinese immigrant teacher who did something just as extraordinary:For 20 years in the Arizona desert, he took the state’s poorest Indigenous, … Continue reading →

Posted in Curriculum & Instruction, K-12, math, Mathematics, STEM, teachers | Tagged Arizona, Chinese Cultural Revolution, dyslexia, insomnia, Jaime Escalante, math competition, math education, Michael Xu, Stand and Deliver | Leave a comment

New article: Qianruo Shen’s “Integrated Curriculum Reform and its Impact on Science Education — Why is the West Falling Behind East Asia in PISA and TIMSS?”

Posted on 09/12/2024 by Ling Huang

Abstract: This paper investigates why western nations underperform in PISA and TIMSS compared to East Asia and explores the root causes of the decline in science education. By analyzing TIMSS data and comparing the science curricula and teacher qualifications in … Continue reading →

Posted in constructivism, Curriculum & Instruction, Education policy, International Tests, K-12, Mathematics, Qianruo Shen, science, STEM | Tagged academic rigor, content standards, East Asia, education, education policy, PISA, TIMSS | Leave a comment

Stanford Professor Jo Boaler’s Math Revolution and War Against Algebra 2

Posted on 28/10/2020 by Ling Huang

Recently, Stanford GSE professor Jo Boaler, the foremost champion for reform math, has scaled up her campaign to displace algebra 2 with “data science” in American high schools: https://www.salon.com/2020/09/26/teaching-data-science-instead-of-calculus-high-schools-math-debate/?fbclid=IwAR2_EUTcMIrSEK2Y2HffJchGn4EKZ7IQOK4ePvGxttvl407m2Oo8Ut8nj7Q. For decades, Stanford University has lent its prestigious fame to help … Continue reading →

Posted in constructivism, Curriculum & Instruction, K-12, math, Mathematics | 2 Comments

Breaking the Spell of Math Reformists

Posted on 06/10/2020 by Ling Huang

by Ling Huang, Palo Alto, California In “My Childhood Schooling In The Soviet Union Was Better Than My Kids’ In U.S. Public Schools Today,” https://thefederalist.com/2019/08/27/childhood-schooling-in-soviet-union-better-than-u-s-public-schools-today/ Katya Sedgwick wrote, “Math was the dissident’s favorite in the Soviet Union. It was believed that … Continue reading →