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Numeracy Practices and Classroom Imperatives: Chutes and Ladders Travels between Home and School

This conference paper reports on a one year pilot study carried out in an elementary school in Philadelphia, located in a low-income working class African American neighborhood. It discusses a young child carrying his mathematical learning across the settings of home and school and argues that teachers, constrained by the imperatives of the classroom, often miss the knowledge that travels with children to school from their home and community. Nontheless, sharing vignettes, like the one in this paper, that illustrate the potential in the intersection of home and school numeracy practices, hold promise as powerful professional development.