This is a great book. Ms. Boaler gives us much to think about regarding Math teaching, learning, and the balance that needs to be struck. I do not think that all she has presented is workable in the classrooms but much is. The information certainly should be considered by teachers, parents, and educational administrators.

As a middle school math teacher, I enjoyed reading about the research that Jo did. It validates much of what I've been doing over the years and gave me tons of new ideas to try.
A must read for any math teacher or parent of a math student!

We all agree that in a global economy, mathematical skill is of increasing importance. So what would be the characteristics of an ideal math education program?

How about:
1. Students perform well on standardized tests

2. Students come to appreciate math rather than hide under the bed at the mention of the word.

3. Students of mixed abilities come to respect each other's strengths and work together on solutions

4. Students readily apply their problem solving skills to problems outside the classroom

Wishful thinking? Jo Boaler's research says otherwise. Children are born with an appreciation of math. It is not necessary to create an interest, merely to keep from doing what traditional teaching methods do - turning the students away from math. Students enjoy being challenged and being told the explanations behind the formulas. If they do what they enjoy and understand it, then it should come as no surprise that they will perform better.

If you have any interest in either mathematics or education, I urge you to read this book. We owe it to our children to reform the way we teach math.

No need to repeat the reviews above; I agree with them all. As a university professor of mathematics education who has grave concerns about the state of mathematics education in the US, I was thrilled to see this book. "What's Math..." covers a lot of ground, painting the math-education landscape, exposing the ugliness of the Math Wars, offering pictures of promising teaching practices, and suggesting ways educators and parents can take action. Yet Dr. Boaler does this all in one short book that is easy and entertaining to read and highly accessible to educators and non-educators alike. I believe two key audiences for this book are parents and school administrators, who both have considerable power over how and what mathematics is taught in schools and who could benefit from the big-picture view this book provides. My sincere hope is that this book finds its way to both audiences.

I feel this book needs to be in the hands of every educator and administrator who is looking for ways to improve math instruction. This book has opened my eyes in a very common sense approach about where our math instruction energy needs to be focused. I am an educator and a homeschooling parent. I needed some answers this year about how to reach the families I help who homeschool, my administration (who is looking for math instruction answers for struggling students), and my daughter who in the area of math doesn't seem to have the ability to remember math from year to year, it just doesn't stick.

This book contains not only a philosophy about math instruction which gave me the base of why one should approach math this way, but it also gives you the tools you need to initiate this type of teaching within your home or school. Ms. Boaler gives you lessons to get you started, titles of books to continue your pursuit, and the passion to invigorate your quest.

I am a homeschooling mom, who has a daughter that struggles in math instruction and a son who flourishes in math. We began the year in math and there were tears and crying, "I can't do it!" and I am looking at her thinking, we did this last year - why aren't these concepts sticking. Ms. Boaler gave me a common sense answer and a rejuvination by reminding me, it isn't just the curriculum you use, although that is vitally important, but the teacher is paramount. I needed that.

I believe if you or your child is struggling with math instruction in the school or in the home, this book can give you the tools you need to turn your students around.

I agree with the reviewers above...this is a page-turner! I highly recommend this book to anyone who has been searching for the ways and means to help our children truly learn mathematics. I am a middle school math educator in the process of expanding my problem-centered mathematics classroom and I found Dr. Jo Boaler's book extremely valuable. It includes thorough explanations, based on years of research, of the value of problem-centered instruction and instructional concepts to help ALL children learn mathematics. Portions of the book are written for educators and other portions for parents but I found the entire book useful for me as an educator. I will be implementing many of her ideas in my own classroom. If you are interested in how our children truly learn mathematics and how you can help them understand math more deeply I encourage to add this book to your collection.

This book, believe it or not, is a page-turner! As someone who works with children, I read with fascination Dr. Boaler's description of exactly what I have seen among my students, my own children, and even my friends: how math in school has alienated so many of us from its true nature and its usefulness in the real world. The first half of the book identifies problems and why they are urgent, and the last half shows some things we we can do about it. It also has a lot of references so that when I talk to parents I have some back-up. I am so glad I read it and think it is a must-read for parents and teachers.