Old Math, New Math: Parents' Experiences with Standards-Based Reform

Abstract

We focus on how African American parents in a low-income neighborhood experience, interpret, and respond to current reform efforts as implemented in their children's school. As part of a larger project on parent–child numeracy connections in an elementary school, we interviewed 10 parents and held 2 focus group meetings, during which parents shared their experiences with mathematics as students themselves and as parents of children using a Standards-based curriculum. Even though parents saw themselves as critical players in their children's learning, we found that the implementation of reform-oriented curriculum tended to disempower parents with respect to school mathematics. Parents had little understanding of the reform-based approaches, and thus limited access to the discourse of reform. Our findings call for examination of the effect that reforms have on parents, particularly when the current educational climate calls for increased parent participation and involvement. If an 8 year old can do it, I know I can do it. I was like—wait a minute, he's the kid and I'm the parent, and he knows and I don't know. ... He had got upset one day and said, "Mom, you're going to make me get a bad grade. That's not right. That's not right. That's wrong." —Shanice, mother of three