Using literacy strategies to assist parents with Common Core mathematical practices

Parent and family engagement in Common Core State Standards (CCSS) emphasizes meaningful involvement and consultation of parents in supporting their children with necessary mathematics and literacy skills at home. As the mathematical methods taught in schools following the CCSS differ from what parents are used to, parents need support learning new approaches to solving mathematics problems – moving from an algorithm-concentrated method to a concept-oriented process – and helping their children develop necessary mathematics and literacy strategies. This study describes a parental intervention designed by researchers to support parents using literacy strategies to help their fourth-grade (nine- to ten-year-old) children with mathematics homework. The results from the parent interviews indicate that the parental intervention program enabled parents to be aware of their beliefs and attitudes about mathematics, school mathematics, ways to support children’s mathematical work, and knowledge and practice of active involvement to connect literacy and mathematics. This paper discusses the implications for educators in leveraging language and literacy strategies for parents’ involvement in their children’s mathematical thinking and provides recommendations for further research.