ANNOUNCEMENT: REPORT RELEASE
Why is this important now? The California Department of Education's Instructional Quality Commission is scheduled to release a second draft of its Math Framework in November. The first version of this document assigned a very narrow role to families in supporting student learning, and omitted decades of research on the connection of family engagement to student achievement. We believe the new Math Framework must incorporate a much broader and deeper inclusion of families in student math learning. This report offers a few alternatives to achieve that goal.

About this Report
PON and our partners took on a math research and discovery project which included an intensive literature review; identifying organizations in California and across the nation that work with families on math and scanning their websites; and identifying emerging content experts in family math for interviews. This report is the product of our learnings from research and collaboration with these partners. Different sections of the document were drafted and modified by practitioners and researchers of family engagement and/or math.

The report is organized into two sections: family engagement and family math. Each of these sections includes highlights of key themes in the research and provides recommendations and resources for educators to learn about and integrate culturally responsive family engagement into their teaching or administrative practice.
Key Takeaways:

  • To improve inclusion of families in math learning, educators must update their family engagement knowledge and practices to align with major shifts in this field that have been influenced by research and legislation. 

  • Families can and should play a key role in closing math and other achievement gaps. They can help educators increase the cultural relevancy in lesson plans - if they are included and engaged, but too often, they are overlooked. Families can impact early math learning; help establish growth mindsets and influence attitudes toward math; secure out-of-school activities to supplement math learning; advocate for children with school academic counselors for appropriate class placement as they transition to middle and high school; and improve or increase children’s interest, academic persistence and success, test outcomes, and career choices.

  • Family math is an emerging field with great potential to impact student outcomes. To realize this potential, school districts must prioritize building the capacity of school staff's and families' so both are equipped to effectively play their respective roles when helping children learn math.

  • Three essential steps to meaningfully engage families include: 1) acknowledge and embrace all families' funds of knowledge and culture; 2) include their experiences in lesson plans; and 3) codesign family math strategies with parents to help families fulfill their roles across the PK-12 continuum.

"Black and Brown students have been the lowest achievers in math for the past four decades in California, not because of their ability to learn but due to persistent inequitable conditions in schools. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated this failure. We must change this trajectory and make sure African American and Latino parents and guardians are supported and meaningfully engaged with the schools so they can fulfill their roles and help their children excel in math! The question is, are administrators, teachers, board members, and policymakers willing to make them equal partners?" 
-Yolande Beckles, The Knowledge Shop
"Family-teacher relationships are key to improving student academic outcomes. When I was a teacher, I received training to effectively teach the math curriculum but did not receive training to prepare me to build partnerships with families, even though I wanted to do so. Districts and schools must create ongoing opportunities for teachers to strengthen their skills, knowledge and confidence so they can build strong home-school partnerships."

-Teneh Weller, High Expectations
"Given the renewed focus on the "whole child," which requires a shift to relationship-centered education, greater family engagement, the expansion of transitional kindergarten for all four-year-olds, and the influx of federal dollars, California now has the opportunity to take a bold step forward to be more inclusive of families to fully support all students, especially those from low-income families." - Araceli Simeón, Parent Organization Network
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We appreciate the partnership and leadership of our contributing partners: Teneh Weller of High Expectations; Michael Batie, Ph. D., of STEM54; Yolande Beckles of The Knowledge Shop LA; and Araceli Sandoval-Gonzalez of ASG Strategy Consulting.

Also, we want to acknowledge editing contributions from Susie Beltran Grimm, doctoral student at Pepperdine University; Dr. Marta Civil, University of Arizona; Kelly James, Education First; Dr. Rosa RiVera Furumoto, Parent Pioneers/Padres Pioneros; Paul Robak; and members of the Parent Organization Network.

Lastly, we want to thank B. Alyssa Trofort for providing photos depicting the work of STEM 54 and The Knowledge Shop with African American families. Padres Pioneros/Parent Pioneers provided photos of their work with Latinx families.

Funding for this publication was provided by the Sobrato Family Foundation, The California Endowment, and The Education Trust-West.