GREENVILLE, Ala. — Toward the end of a math lesson on a sunny Friday in October, fourth-grade teacher D’Atra Howard and math instructional coach LaVeda Gray ducked out of the classroom to huddle.

Experts agree: Elementary teachers need to have a strong foundation in math. But teacher-preparation programs don’t always dedicate much time to elementary math coursework. That’s starting to change, ...

When it comes to math, students are struggling. The recent national assessment underscored that by revealing that 24 percent of fourth graders are still performing below basic math skills, also ...