The Adult Numeracy Practitioners Network

Mission Statement and Background

We are a community dedicated to quality mathematics instruction at the adult level. We support each other, we encourage collaboration and leadership, and we influence policy and practice in adult math instruction.

- Draft Mission Statement (March 22, 1994)

The Adult Numeracy Network (ANN), formerly the Adult Numeracy Practitioners Network, was formed by adult education practitioners at the first national Conference on Adult Mathematical Literacy held in Arlington, Virginia, in March 1994. They had joined researchers, program administrators, government officials and others to discuss the status of adult numeracy education and to determine future directions. The conference was co-sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), the National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL), and the Office of Vocational and Adult Education of the U.S. Dept. of Education. Forming the Network was a voluntary committment by the teachers to continue the work of the conference at the grass-roots level where teachers and students meet. The Network adopted a constitution and by-laws in April 1995 at its first annual meeting in Cambridge, MA. In July 1997, the ANPN board voted to change the name of the Network to the Adult Numeracy Network. In April 1998, the ANN became an affiliate-at-large of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

 Since its founding, the ANN has:
 

• conducted nine annual meetings as professional development conferences in conjunction with the annual NCTM national meetings (1995 - 2003) and numeracy strands at three national adult education conferences in conjunction with COABE (Commission on Adult Basic Education) 2000-2003;
• co-sponsored the Adults Learning Maths international researchers conference (ALM-7) held in Boston, MA in 2000;
• published a quarterly newsletter, The Math Practitioner ;
• sponsored an electronic forum, The Numeracy List (Numeracy@world.std.com);
• obtained funding to enable adult ed math teachers, learners, and other stakeholders to participate in a national planning project for system reform;
• drafted A Framework for Adult Numeracy Standards: The Mathematical Skills and Abilities Adults Need to be Equipped for the Future
• submitted a policy statement on numeracy to the National Literacy Summit Initiative

A summary of the proceedings of the Conference on Adult Mathematical Literacy can be found here.

For one practitioner's viewpoint of the first national Conference, read Math Literacy: An Applied Skill by Ann George, a teacher from Michigan.