Washington has a math problem. From Aberdeen to Walla Walla, students are struggling.

Forty-six percent of 10th-graders failed the math portion of this spring’s Washington Assessment of Student Learning. At the same time, half of our high school graduates who enroll in community college need to take remedial math during their first year.

New standards have been developed, special WASL classes have been scrambled and expert advisory panels have been assembled. WASL scores have brought educators, parents and students face-to-face with reality: It’s time to emphasize math education.

Many Snohomish County school districts are working to define and regiment a cohesive, district-wide approach to math. They’re receiving state support, financial and consultative. And they’re benefiting from cooperative efforts, such as the Washington State Transition Mathematics Project, which involves K-12 educators, college presidents and community college educators.

However, the quest for solutions won’t happen in a superintendent’s or principal’s office. It will begin and end in the classroom.

“I believe in developing unified, calibrated curriculum,” said Edmonds-Woodway High School principal Alan Weiss. “But there won’t be change without quality instruction. You need great teachers who really know math.”

Sixty-seven percent of Edmonds-Woodway 10th-graders passed the math portion of the WASL this spring, better than most. Weiss has spoken with principals facing pass rates of just 39 percent. Still, he calls his school’s math problem “a disgrace.”

Like many area school districts, Edmonds has been developing district-wide math curricula during the past few years. At Edmonds-Woodway, math teachers periodically assign students WASL practice problems.

And starting next fall, state dollars will fund new WASL math classes. Edmonds-Woodway students who haven’t met the WASL standard for math will enroll in two math classes next year – one regular and one devoted to WASL prep. Other districts have brought in math specialists to teach elementary school students.

Some area schools employ integrated, concept-based math curricula, while others opt for a more traditional, drill approach. For years, educators, students and parents have argued about which works better. According to Bill Moore, who sits on the state Board for Community and Technical Colleges, students deserve, and colleges want, students who’ve had a holistic education.

“No curriculum is perfect,” Moore said. “A good teacher fills in the gaps to reach all kinds of learners.”

WASL scores in reading and writing have improved dramatically, thanks in part to high standards and revised curricula. But educational success has and will always hinge on teaching. If Snohomish County’s best math teachers get together on this problem – it can be solved.