This study examined parents’ and teachers’ perspectives about the barriers and pathways to the development of home–school mathematics partnerships and how to move from barriers to pathways. We draw on data from two research projects across two sites in the USA (West and Southwest). Both projects brought mothers and teachers together to do and talk about mathematics. The theoretical framework that informed the design of the projects and the data analysis is based on concepts from funds of knowledge theory and parents as intellectual resources. The participants across the two projects were 31 mothers of Mexican origin and 30 teachers of different backgrounds. Data sources included interviews, reflections, and focus groups. Identified barriers included a lack of opportunities for meaningful communication between parents and teachers, lack of connections to parents’ mathematical knowledge in the classroom, top-down curriculum mandates, and a school-centric approach to parental engagement. Opportunities for mothers and teachers to interact and exchange experiences provided pathways to counter these barriers by underscoring the salience of confianza and the recognition of parents as intellectual resources. The broader power structures that prevail within schools in minoritized communities shape both barriers and pathways to equitable collaborations, particularly in mathematics education. Challenging historical patterns of exclusion and fostering reciprocal relationships requires an understanding of what mothers and teachers identify as critical to building confianza and engaging parents as intellectual resources. This understanding can inform the creation of home–school partnerships and a more equitable mathematics education.
Civil, M., Salazar, F., Turner, E., Quintos, B., & Stoehr, K. J. (2025). “We have a lot in common”: mothers’ and teachers’ perspectives on barriers and pathways to mathematical partnerships. Educational Studies in Mathematics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-025-10412-1