Measurement comprises an important set of concepts that are fundamental for students to competently navigate and work with objects and structures within their physical environment. Despite their importance, these concepts are difficult for students to grasp, as evidenced by low performance on measurement items on the National Assessment of…

We examined the use of an engineering learning cycle (ELC) model and in a course for K-8 inservice teachers for two purposes. First, we were interested in how the ELC would support teachers' science, mathematics, and engineering content knowledge. We were also interested in their confidence in their ability to adapt content for teaching using the…

School reform efforts are reflected in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and increasingly impact potential for differentiation of instruction, which is critical in effectively educating students with varying achievement and learning needs. Although CCSS were developed to establish a ubiquitous foundation of educational expectations by grade…

A decade ago, states across the nation adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in an effort to raise the academic bar for their students. This has provoked countless political battles since then--including an especially intense one in Florida. That fight culminated in Governor Ron DeSantis vowing to eliminate and replace the Common Core,…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSSI 2010) for Mathematical Practice have relevance even for those not in CCSS states because they describe the habits of mind that mathematicians--professionals as well as proficient school-age learners--use when doing mathematics. They provide a language to discuss aspects of mathematical practice that are of…

Using the method of educational criticism and connoisseurship, this study examined third grade teachers' pedagogical choices made to prepare their students for high stakes testing under the Common Core Standards. Three teachers in three different suburban school settings within a large district in one of the states of the Rocky Mountain West…

Mathematical modeling has taken on increasing curricular importance in the past decade due in no small measure to the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSSM) identifying modeling as one of the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP 4, CCSSI 2010, p. 7). Although researchers have worked on mathematical modeling (Lesh and Doerr 2003;…

Financial skills, like mathematical ones, must be built on a firm foundation. Whether one is putting money in a piggy bank or a 401(k), and purchasing a toy car or a real one, everyone needs the understanding of financial issues and math skills necessary for making sound decisions. The elementary classroom is the perfect place to introduce…

This study investigated how eleven secondary mathematics teachers used curriculum resources to plan and enact lessons that support the participation of emergent bilingual (EB) students in mathematical practices in their linguistically diverse classrooms. EB students classified as English Learners often experience mathematics as a set of…

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010) outlines ambitious goals for fraction learning, starting in third grade, that include the use of the number line model. Understanding and constructing fractions on a number line are particularly complex tasks. The current work of the authors centers on ways to successfully…

The authors recently conducted a randomized controlled trial that showed a significant impact of teachers' lesson study, supported by mathematical resources, on both teachers' and students' understanding of fractions. The research and mathematical resources are described in the second part of this article. First the authors examine some of the…

In 2001, Kilpatrick, Swafford, and Findell proposed a new way to look at what it means for students to be mathematically proficient. They described mathematical proficiency as comprising five intertwined strands: procedural fluency, conceptual understanding, adaptive reasoning, strategic competence, and productive disposition. The vision is that…

Sustaining engagement with a mathematics task is not a novel suggestion for effective mathematics teaching. "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" (2000) specified that "students need to know that a challenging problem will take some time and that perseverance is an important aspect of the problem-solving process and of…

Mathematical modeling, a practice standard in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) (CCSSI 2010), is a process by which students develop and use mathematics as a tool to make sense of the world around them. Students investigate a real-world situation by asking mathematical questions; along the way, they need to decide how to use…

Concerns with the teaching and learning of mathematics have been ongoing (Chard, Baker, Clarke, Jungjohann, Davis, & Smolkowski, 2008; Hill & Ball, 2004; Thames & Ball, 2013). An extensive review of the literature shows that many mathematics reforms have been implemented with the intention of improving the teaching and learning of…