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, ...

The future elementary school teachers that Mark Montgomery works with at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, share a common fear: Most of them are “extremely anxious” about math.

One of my first vivid memories of math is of timed tests. I still remember how visceral my panic felt–sweaty palms, heart pounding–as I scrambled to recall facts before the clock ran out. You might ...