A key part—though surely not the only part—of early-grades math is ensuring students get the basic arithmetic functions down and, beyond that, making sure they’re able to swiftly and automatically ...

All those long multiplication tables. Timed tests and “mad minutes” of worksheet problem-solving. Fluency drills. Somehow, getting kids to know their basic math facts continues to be at the heart of ...

For some, it's the last real taste of innocence, and the first real taste of life.