Debates over how to teach math echo the conflicts over reading instruction, and some issues are similar. But unlike math, reading—in its full sense—draws on everything a person has been able to learn.

Few education issues elicit as much resolute support from political and business leaders as the call for higher standards in mathematics. The idea of requiring students to complete more years of ...

The disruptions to children’s schooling over the past two years have caused millions of American parents to come to an unexpected revelation: They are not as good at math as they had hoped. Nothing ...