This study examined the impact of a Family Math Night on preservice teachers' perceptions of low-income parents and their engagement in their children's education. Participants were enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course; one section served as the treatment group. Participants were required to aid in the planning and implementation of a Family Math Night held at a school serving a predominantly African American, high-poverty community. Results of a pre-and post-survey analysis indicate that the treatment group had more positive perceptions of parental involvement overall. These results were not sustained 1 year later, suggesting important implications for mathematics teacher educators. Keywords elementary school, parent participation, parental involvement, poverty, preservice teachers, teacher education Urban Education 47 (6) 4. Learning at home: Supporting families to learn strategies to help children at home; 5. Decision making: Involving families in decisions about school programs that will impact children's learning; and 6. Collaborating with the community: Working with the community to create mutually beneficial resources (Epstein, 2001;Epstein et al., 2002).This article explores PSTs' perceptions of parental involvement in reference to the role of communication (Type 2) and methods to help parents learn how to help their children at home (Type 4). Specifically, the Family Math Night intervention that the PSTs engaged in allowed them the opportunity to open the lines of communication with parents and to support parents to learn specific mathematics strategies and activities that they could then practice with their children at home.This typological description of parental involvement (Epstein, 2001;Epstein et al., 2002) is based on extensive research in the area. This work further suggests that parental involvement is correlated with student performance (Scott Stein & Thorkildsen, 1999). In exploring this correlation Epstein and colleagues found that parents in higher-income settings are more involved in their children's education than low-income parents. Findings such as these may support preconceptions of parental involvement held by teachers. However, as indicated by Epstein and others, schools and teachers play an important role in family involvement. It is important for schools to consider the population of students (and parents) they serve when designing opportunities for parental involvement. It may be the structure of the interactions, rather than a lack of desire on the part of parents in lowincome settings, that prevent parents from becoming involved in their children's education.Perhaps because the connections between parental involvement and student performance are so strong, teachers often point to the lack of parental involvement by low-income, minority parents as a key factor in poor student performance and the achievement gap between low-income, minority students and their higher-income peers. Walker (2007) cites literature that it is common for teachers to perceive that the a...

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This chapter focuses on the design and use of interactive simulations as a powerful tool for learning mathematics. Since 2002, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder (http://phet.colorado.edu) has been developing and studying the use of interactive simulations in teaching and learning STEM. While the project’s initial work focused on science learning, the project now includes a significant effort in mathematics learning. In this chapter, the authors describe the PhET project, including theoretical perspective, design goals, and research-based simulation design principles. They demonstrate how these design principles are applied to simulations, describe how they support achievement of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM), and provide supporting evidence from individual student interviews. Finally, the authors discuss various approaches to using these simulations in class and provide guidance on leveraging their capabilities to support knowledge construction in mathematics in a uniquely engaging and effective way.

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Mathematics teaching that provides opportunities for play embodies many of the Mathematics Teaching Practices described in Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All (NCTM 2014). PhET interactive simulations (or sims), developed by the PhET Project at the University of Colorado Boulder (http://phet.colorado.edu), are freely available virtual tools that promote play and exploration in mathematics and science topics for K-16 students.