Students often struggle to connect math with the real world. Word problems—a combination of words, numbers, and mathematical operations—can be a perfect vehicle to take abstract numbers off the page.

Four simple strategies—beginning with an image, previewing vocabulary, omitting the numbers, and offering number sets—can have a big impact on learning.

Claire Madden, a math education specialist for Milwaukee schools, shows teachers different methods of subtracting two-digit numbers. Credit: Abby J. McFarland for The Hechinger Report The Hechinger ...

As math gaps continue to widen in many grades, educators face an uphill battle to help students regain ground in the subject. Following historic math declines on the Nation’s Report Card in 2022, a ...