Back to Basics

Imagine a place where parents and teachers team up, swapping math strategies in a fun, and energizing way. When the Bilingual/Biliterate Instruction for Bilingual Literate Youth (BBILY) Project kicked off, parents were a little unsure until they walked in and felt the buzz of positive energy. It was like they were stepping into a party instead of a workshop. It wasn’t just about learning new math methods; it was about showcasing parents’ mathematical skills and giving them a chance to shine. 

Math workshops at San Miguel Elementary School in Sunnyvale are quietly changing lives and not just for the kids. The BBILY grant that associate professor of education and co-principal investigator on the project Kathy Stoehr is providing bilingual teachers and Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers with additional tools to support their children’s math education. In other words, the project bridges the gap between school and home, creating a space for parents to tackle math together, and grow as a community 

The $3 million BBILY grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Stoehr say it is all about families and schools working together to support children’s math learning. The program aims to provide parents of bilingual children with the opportunity to work with their children’s teachers and see how math is taught in school, while also sharing with each other  the rich mathematics experiences that take place in their homes and communities on a daily basis.

“One main goal of the project is to promote biliteracy in support of mathematics content literacy by engaging with students’ parents and caregivers from dual-language classrooms,” Stoehr says.

In the most recent cohort, parents attended five two-hour workshops conducted in Spanish. These workshops were co-led by Stoehr and two bilingual teachers from the school, and they focused on evidence-based instructional approaches that promote content learning for all. There was also a focus on parental engagement, especially as it relates to Latinx parents’ cultural and linguistic resources as well as their at-home biliteracy and mathematics practices. Finally, the workshops addressed parents’ beliefs and perceptions about the teaching and learning of mathematics literacy in dual-language settings.

“We give parents a chance to see the material their kids are learning and to help their children at home. The goal is to break down the barriers between the school and families so that we can all work together,” says Danielle Gonzalez M.A. ’22, a fifth-grade teacher at San Miguel. Gonzalez, who studied to be a teacher at Santa Clara’s School of Education and Counseling Psychology, was one of the first teacher leaders in the BBILY project. She says the program connects the dots between home and school, equipping parents with the tools they need to engage with their children’s education.

The program has grown significantly since San Miguel student-teacher Kiara Mariscal ’23, M.A. ’25 first got involved. “Now, it’s classrooms full of people. We’ll have up to 30 parents coming in and learning with us.” It’s not just about math, she says. It’s about confidence, understanding, and building stronger relationships between parents and kids.

The real magic happens when parents see what their children are learning and learn how to support it at home, enhancing their children’s learning further. Common Core Math, the method students are taught in U.S. schools as of 2010, is a big departure from the old-school algorithmic method many parents were taught. The new approach breaks things down into smaller, more digestible steps, which is great for kids but can be confusing for parents who remember math as a series of steps to memorize.

For example, in Common Core, math becomes like solving a puzzle, where you break the problem down into smaller, more visual pieces such as using models, number lines, or even drawing it out to really understand why you’re doing each step. The old-school method, on the other hand, is more like following a recipe which is memorizing steps and formulas to get the right answer, without really diving into the “why” behind it.

“We’re teaching parents how to understand how to do it in the way their children are doing it,” says Mariscal. Parents already know how to add or subtract, but learning how their kids learn to add or subtract can avoid frustrating, tear-filled evenings where neither parent nor child understands their homework.

Take the story of one dad who attended the program. He and his daughter had always struggled with math, but after the workshops, Mariscal recalls, “He was basically saying how he loved seeing that spark within her when they started doing the [work together], because not only did it feel like she was understanding, but it allowed them to have that connection.” Math, once dreaded, became fun. 

The teachers in the program use a variety of engaging tasks to showcase that math is fun and accessible for both parents and children. Videos are often used to break down complex concepts, offering visual explanations that make it easier to grasp the new methods. Hands-on math games are also a big hit, turning abstract math problems into interactive challenges that parents and kids can enjoy together. 

The workshops also create community. Parents get to know each other, exchange tips, share stories, and build relationships. For many of the parents who are primarily Spanish speakers, the workshops are a chance to connect with others who share their experiences. “Being able to have a community where they all are like, ‘oh, we all have this common identity of raising bilingual children’… allowed for them to really create those relationships,” says Mariscal.

Another fifth-grade teacher leader at San Miguel, Hector Gonzalez Rodas M.A. ’20, nails it when he says, “At the end of the day, whether you are speaking English, Spanish, or another language altogether, there’s a common language that we all share, and that is just numbers.” It’s like math is the ultimate universal translator. Whether you’re tackling algebra or adding up the grocery bill, math brings us all to the same page, making it the one language we all have in common.