Mathematics Video

Make Math Instruction Better: 3 Tips on How From Researchers

By Sarah D. Sparks & Jaclyn Borowski — April 25, 2024 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Education Week reporter and data journalist Sarah D. Sparks attended the American Educational Research Association’s annual conference in Philadelphia earlier this month. Here, she shares three of the key takeaways she heard from researchers studying some of the key challenges around math instruction.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Bridging the Math Gap: What’s New in Dyscalculia Identification, Instruction & State Action
Discover the latest dyscalculia research insights, state-level policy trends, and classroom strategies to make math more accessible for all.
Content provided by TouchMath
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Too Many Initiatives, Not Enough Alignment: A Change Management Playbook for Leaders
Learn how leadership teams can increase alignment and evaluate every program, practice, and purchase against a clear strategic plan.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
Building for the Future: Igniting Middle Schoolers’ Interest in Skilled Trades & Future-Ready Skills
Ignite middle schoolers’ interest in skilled trades with hands-on learning and real-world projects that build future-ready skills.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Mathematics Can One Change in Middle School Get More Students to Take Algebra 1 Early?
Automatically enrolling students in advanced courses from day one of middle school could change their math trajectory, a new study finds.
4 min read
Jennifer Williams, center, teaches math at Tasby Middle School in Dallas, Texas, on Sep 15, 2023.
Jennifer Williams, center, teaches math at Tasby Middle School in Dallas, Texas, on Sep 15, 2023. Dallas schools saw more students take Algebra 1 by 8th grade after the district expanded access to advanced math classes earlier in middle school.
Jason Janik/The Dallas Morning News via AP
Mathematics A Third of Students Don't Identify as a 'Math Person.' Can Teachers Change That?
Most students have made up their mind about whether they identify as a math person by the time they’re in middle school, a new study finds.
3 min read
A student works a problem in a second grade math class at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver.
A student works a problem in a second grade math class at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver. Early experiences with math can shape whether a student decides they're a "math person" or not.
Rebecca Slezak/AP
Mathematics Q&A How Language Development Can Boost English Learners' Math Skills
A New York City math and science teacher works to leverage his English-learners' strengths.
5 min read
Illustration of a brain and math equations.
DigitalVision Vectors
Mathematics What Math Learned in School Is Most Important? Adults and Their Managers Don't Agree
Americans don’t always agree about which skills are the most crucial, according to a new survey from Gallup.
5 min read
Elementary math teacher Margie Howells teaches a fifth grade class at Wheeling Country Day School in Wheeling, WV, on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. Howells said that she turned to the science of math after wondering why there weren't as many resources for dyscalculia as there were for dyslexia. Reading the research helped her become more explicit about things that she assumed students understood, like the fact that the horizontal line in a fraction means the same thing as a division sign. "I'm doing a lot more instruction in vocabulary and symbol explanations so that the students have that built-in understanding," said Howells.
Elementary math teacher Margie Howells teaches a 5th grade class at Wheeling Country Day School in Wheeling, W.V., on Sept. 5, 2023. A new survey of U.S. adults finds that they don't agree on the math skills that are most crucial.
Gene J. Puskar/AP