Math anxiety is a barrier to student success, leaving teachers and families wondering how to best support students.
Math anxiety impacts a significant portion of the population, with approximately 93% of adult US-Americans indicating they experience some level of math anxiety. We also know that parents with math anxiety are more likely to have children with math anxiety which can negatively affect students’ performance in math.
We've worked alongside families and teachers to understand this challenge. Here's what we uncovered:
- Caregivers report that math is taught differently than when they were in school, and they don’t have the information or tools to effectively support their children.
- Teachers have picked up on these feelings of frustration and in an effort to not overwhelm families many have decided that less information is better than more information for families.
Simple shifts in communication offer a powerful opportunity.
- This information gap represents a powerful opportunity for teachers and families to work together to improve math outcomes. Focus groups with middle school families revealed that more tips and information about developing essential skills for math success - such as growth mindsets and problem solving strategies - would provide an accessible entry point for supporting their child’s math development.
Strategies for supporting math success (especially middle school!)
Multiply math success with families
Dive into a Q&A with a math curriculum specialist and an expert in family engagement. Explore what you can do to boost the impact of high-quality math instruction with a well-executed learning-focused family communication strategy.
Dive into a Q&A with a math curriculum specialist and an expert in family engagement. Explore what you can do to boost the impact of high-quality math instruction with a well-executed learning-focused family communication strategy.
Strategies to develop growth mindsets
Explore practical strategies and considerations for equipping families to cultivate growth mindsets, especially in math. Elisabeth O’Bryon, co-founder and chief impact officer, shares 5 strategies that teachers can use as they plan for back-to-school.
Explore practical strategies and considerations for equipping families to cultivate growth mindsets, especially in math. Elisabeth O’Bryon, co-founder and chief impact officer, shares 5 strategies that teachers can use as they plan for back-to-school.
Communication should be tightly aligned with classroom instructionWe’ve learned through our work developing FASTalk, an evidence based solution for engaging families in learning, that communication can and should be aligned with what’s happening in the classroom. Our team works alongside experts in math curriculum to develop high-quality content for teachers and families that is tightly aligned with high-quality curriculum. Explore sample math messages that you can incorporate into your communication routine.
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Streamlined school communication with evidence-based family engagement practicesFamily Engagement Lab's family engagement solution, FASTalk, puts high-impact strategies into practice. We partner with schools to ensure families are receiving information and learning activities that are tightly aligned with instruction at least 2x per week, delivered in each family's home language. FASTalk draws on a library of content designed to support grades K-8.
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