Math314

Terrance wanted better for his students. So he was eager to join Math314, WashU’s innovative program to boost math instruction and student achievement.

Rigorous early childhood math education is vital for students’ future academic and lifelong success, yet many preschool children lack opportunities to engage in math learning.

Photo: Dasia Franczyk, a first and second grade looping teacher at MRH Early Childhood Center, was among 21 area educators presenting STEM DI work at ISP’s Improvement Showcase held May 18, 2023 at Washington University in St. Louis. Creating environments that invite all students to engage confidently with ambitious mathematical learning is an aim best […]

What things do you need to open up a restaurant? That depends on who you ask. If you’re consulting a room full of three-year-olds, you might be surprised to learn that menus, dishes, even food, are not top of mind. Dawn Pulsipher, a longtime studio teacher at Julia Goldstein Early Childhood Education Center (JG) recently […]

It’s fair to say that Bryant Baker’s relationship with math has evolved.  In high school and college, he resisted advanced math classes and found himself turned off by teachers with an old school mentality. In short, he didn’t like math. Today, he’s teaching it (along with science) to sixth graders at Bernard Middle School and […]

Photo: Co-authors Briana Trager, a former STEM coordinator from the Mehlville School District (left) and ISP Associate Director Rachel Ruggirello An ISP-led collaboration with three St. Louis area school districts aimed at improving math outcomes for all students is featured in Success Stories from Catalyzing Change, a new book published by the National Council of […]

Mistakes are easy to make, and often hard to accept, but sixth grader Valeria Rodriguez is getting more comfortable knowing she’s not always going to have the right answer. “When I was younger, making mistakes made me a little anxious because I thought I did something wrong,” says Valeria. “But now I know that if […]

There are no worksheets in Rachel Thomas’ sixth grade math class at Ritenour Middle School. They don’t memorize formulas, either. Even more impressive is the way students rally around one another as they tackle the latest high-level math problem that Thomas has thrown their way. They’re in this together. “The focus on high-level tasks has […]

For some reason, the 40 fourth graders that Kristen Buescher co-teaches this year at Parkwood Elementary School are finding cows hilarious. “Their collective obsession with cows has bonded the group, so we’re going with it,” Buescher muses. “We really try to build opportunities that bond students to one another and to us. Laughing while you’re […]

Even when their play is mud-pie messy, preschool children are learning skills they need for socializing, language, and math. “Young learners are capable of higher-level thinking, and much like adults, they appreciate authentic work,” says Corrie Hamilton, a teacher at Julia Goldstein Early Childhood Education Center (JGECEC) in University City, where plans are underway for […]