The Family Math program, which began in the 1980s, offers schools strategies for developing math nights at school for parents and children. Family Math nights are built around activities that are guided by math standards. Teachers identify the standards for each grade and then design activities parents can do at home with their children. Family Math director Grace Coates said it's important to help parents become more comfortable with mathematics. There's a social acceptance of math phobia.
People think that it's OK to be afraid of math.
Research on Family Math indicates that parents who attend Family Math nights tend to become and stay more involved in their child's school, even if they were not previously very involved. The research also had noted increased parent involvement in other areas besides mathematics, Coates said. The powerful appeal of such efforts can be seen in one anecdote from a Mississippi school district. The threatening weather continued while parents and students learned how to make DNA strands using beads and pipe cleaners. They used vinyl and ceramic tiles to create polygons.