NEW YORK, April 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- While not exactly the stuff of great Presidential debate, mathematics is playing a huge role in this year's election campaign. With the delegate count for the Democratic nomination making daily headlines, Pearson Education is celebrating April's "Math Awareness Month" and this year's "Math and Voting" theme by shining a light on the importance of understanding core math principles - a key finding in the report issued by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel last month.
Math Awareness Month is sponsored by the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics, which selected "Math and Voting" as the theme for 2008. Mathematics Awareness Month, held each year in April, was created to increase public understanding of and appreciation for mathematics.
"We all certainly need to be able to do the math to follow the Presidential primaries and delegate voting," said Cathie Dillender, Pearson's Director of Marketing for K-12 Mathematics. "Anyone tracking the process needs grounding in multiplication, fractions, and problem solving skills -- the foundation for higher level math."
"The 'Math and Voting' theme raises challenging questions like: Does your vote really matter? Or what if you hadn't voted at all? Would that have changed the result of the election? What is the probability that your vote could be decisive?" Dillender added, "The focus on 'Math and Voting' is a practical and relevant initiative to draw students' attention to the importance of mathematics in their daily lives."
Professor Nathan Ritchey, PhD., author of math textbooks for Pearson and Chairman of the Math and Statistics Department at Youngstown State University, Ohio, said that mathematics is at the center of our very existence and is the language that is used to understand the world.
"Virtually all of the research in recent years confirms that for our students to compete in the global 21st century economy, they must improve significantly their understanding of mathematical concepts and skills," said Dr. Ritchey. "And perhaps nowhere is mathematics so vital and immediate than in the current presidential race," he added.
Dr. Ritchey, who recently presented a paper on the mathematics of the Electoral College at the Midwest Political Science Association, said that an understanding of math is critical to understanding the Electoral College and its connection to the popular vote. "Without a good understanding of the process, the average voter could be quite distraught over a situation where a person wins the presidential election without having won the popular vote," he said. "This has occurred three times in history."
Pearson has also developed a Pearson 2008 Election Kit for teachers, parents and students, to help them navigate the complex Presidential election process. It is available at http://www.phschool.com/sales_support/marketing_websites/election_kit/index.html.
For more information on Math Awareness Month, go to http://www.mathaware.org/ About Pearson
Pearson is the global leader in educational publishing, assessment, information and services, helping people of all ages to learn at their own pace, in their own way. The company is home to such renowned publishing brands as Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, PowerSchool, Addison Wesley, Allyn & Bacon, Longman and many others. Pearson's comprehensive offerings help to inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.
