Math Achievement

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Although American students’ math achievement improved slowly between 1990 and 2013 and then plateaued, it fell back sharply during the pandemic. American 15-year-olds rank behind 30 countries and regions on one international test and fourth graders trail 14 countries on another. Math is frustrating for many students, and policymakers agree the U.S. needs to do better in the subject to remain competitive in an increasingly technical global economy. Poor math skills exacerbate inequality, prevent many students from earning high school and college degrees, shut people out of jobs and make it hard for voters to understand complex issues such as the cost of healthcare and the size of the national debt.

Latest story

For teachers who fear math, banishing bad memories can help

Comfort with the subject helps avoid transferring anxiety to students

The Math Problem

This back-to-school-season, the Education Reporting Collaborative, a coalition of eight newsrooms, will be documenting the enormous challenge facing our schools and highlighting examples of progress. The three-year-old Reporting Collaborative includes AL.com, The Associated Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Dallas Morning News, The Hechinger Report, Idaho Education News, The Post and Courier in South Carolina, and The Seattle Times.

‘Data days’ and longer math classes: How one district is improving math scores

How can you help your kids get better at math?

The ‘science of reading’ swept reforms into classrooms nationwide. What about math?

More stories

COLUMN: Can we find the solution to middle school math woes in a virtual world?

Simulations have students solving real world problems as part of the future of math education, even as doubts about ed tech grow

PROOF POINTS: It’s easier and easier to get an A in math

ACT study finds grade inflation is most pronounced in high school math as colleges de-emphasize test scores in admissions

PROOF POINTS: The value of one-size-fits-all math homework

Students show long-term improvements in an ed tech study

Teachers conquering their math anxiety

Early childhood educators can build a strong math foundation for students when they build their own confidence

College students are still struggling with basic math. Professors blame the pandemic 

Colleges say there’s no quick fix. Many are trying to identify gaps sooner, adopting placement tests that delve deeper into math skills, while some are adding summer camps

How can schools dig out from a generation’s worth of lost math progress?

Students aren’t bouncing back from the pandemic as quickly as educators hoped, intensifying worries about how they will fare as they enter high school and college-level math courses

PROOF POINTS: The best way to teach might depend on the subject

Researchers find that math students learn best through individual practice while English students thrive in groups

COLUMN: How can we improve math education in America? Help us count the ways

Our readers flooded us with ideas and questions, and we’re looking into the topics they raised

PROOF POINTS: Do math drills help children learn?

Timed tests might be a more efficient way to memorize multiplication tables, but even advocates caution that there are many pitfalls

PROOF POINTS: Inside the perplexing study that’s inspired colleges to drop remedial math

The switch from algebra to statistics was a big factor in the CUNY experiment’s success

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