Students often struggle to connect math with the real world. Word problems—a combination of words, numbers, and mathematical operations—can be a perfect vehicle to take abstract numbers off the page.

Segue Institute for Learning teacher Cassandra Santiago introduces a lesson on word problems to her first graders one spring afternoon. Credit: Phillip Keith for The Hechinger Report The Hechinger ...

Helping students see how what they are learning in school is relevant to their lives, hopes, and dreams enhances motivation. It can also be challenging to teachers who are tasked with covering a lot ...