Special Report

Math Now: Problem-Solving in a Pandemic

December 2, 2020
Conceptual image of different aspects of teaching math remotely during pandemic.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and iStock/Getty Images
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, teachers have had to adjust their teaching techniques for classes that now sometimes take place online. Among the toughest subjects to do that for? Mathematics. It’s also the subject in which students seem to be losing the most ground.

To keep math learning somewhat on course, teachers are trimming standards, ditching answer-getting tests, and using games and apps to supplement instruction. They’re also finding ways to engage students over screens, including with lessons about how math and social justice intersect. And they’re leaning on parents perhaps more than ever. This special reporting series looks at how COVID-19 has affected achievement, instruction, assessment, and engagement in math.