Partnering With Parents in Elementary School Math : A Guide for Teachers and Leaders

How to build productive relationships in math education 

I wasn’t taught this way. I can’t help my child! These are common refrains from parents and guardians, who are often overwhelmed, confused, and frustrated about how to best support their children with what they see as the "new math." Partnering With Parents in Elementary School Math provides educators with long overdue guidance on how to communicate with families about their children’s learning. Readers will find guidance on how to:
  
· Understand what fuels parents’ anxieties and concerns
· Set parents’ expectations about their children’s math instruction and homework
· Communicate clearly and productively about students’ mathematical progress, strengths, and needs 
· Run informative and fun family events 
· Coach parents to portray a productive disposition at home
 

How to build productive relationships in math education 

I wasn’t taught this way. I can’t help my child! These are common refrains from today’s parents and guardians, who are often overwhelmed, confused, worried, and frustrated about how to best support their children with what they see as the "new math." The problem has been compounded by the shift to more distance learning in response to a global pandemic. Partnering With Parents in Elementary School Math provides educators with long overdue guidance on how to productively partner and communicate with families about their children’s mathematics learning. It includes reproducible surveys, letters, and planning documents that can be used to improve the home-school relationship, which in turn helps students, parents, teachers, and education leaders alike. Readers will find guidance on how to:
  
· Understand and empathize with what fuels parents’ anxieties and concerns
· Align as a school and set parents’ expectations about what math instruction their children will experience and how it will help them
· Communicate clearly and productively with parents about their students’ progress, strengths, and needs in math 
· Run informative and fun family events 
· support homework 
· Coach parents to portray a productive disposition about math in front of their children

Educators, families, and students are best served when proactive, productive, and healthy relationships have been developed with each other and with the realities of today′s math education. This guide shows how these relationships can be built.