Organizational strategies that help students break complex word problems into manageable chunks may be the key to solving them, according to a 2025 study.

This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet focused on education. The Hechinger Report is a national nonprofit newsroom that reports on one topic: education.

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.

In Central Falls, R.I., teachers are trying new strategies that move away from focusing on “key words,” the traditional, simplistic approach that often leads younger students astray CENTRAL FALLS, R.I ...

For most students, an upcoming math assignment or test is a source of anxiety. What if we told you that learning math can be as simple as clicking a photograph from your smartphone? Meet Microsoft ...

Many states have laws aimed at improving literacy, but few are putting the same weight behind targeting math instruction. A recent study by NWEA found that middle and elementary school students’ math ...

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 ...