How We Solve America's
Math Crisis
Math achievement across the United States is in crisis, with too many students leaving school without the essential math skills they need to thrive in adulthood. The good news is that this problem is solvable, and the solutions are clear. We already know what works to improve math learning.
K12 Coalition has partnered with Bellwether to provide states, districts, and schools with evidence-based practices that have been proven to rapidly improve student performance.
Low math achievement in school has a lifetime of consequences.
Less than a third of U.S. students are proficient in math, with even fewer among students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities. (Source: NAEP 2022)
Math proficiency shapes futures. It determines who gains access to advanced coursework, who graduates ready for college, and who steps into high-growth careers.
26%
26% of 8th graders are proficient in math.
(Source: NAEP 2022)
43
43 states saw scores decline
between 2019 and 2022.
(Source: Nation’s Report Card)
28th
The U.S. ranks 28th out of 37
nations in math literacy.
(Source: National Review)
“Students are struggling because of the quality of education and the quality of instruction. We have just ignored all of the research. It is clear that the reason things are not working comes down to a structure that doesn’t have the key support elements for teachers.”
Steve Leinwand, Principal Research Analyst and Mathematic Expert,
American Institutes for Research
We know what works. Now let's implement it with fidelity.
Research points the way: when schools cultivate math identity, strengthen conceptual understanding, and build coherent learning progressions, students grow in confidence and mastery.
To transform math outcomes, we must ensure these best practices are implemented system-wide with fidelity, so that every learner can succeed in math.
K12 Coalition helps districts bring the three pillars of high-quality math instruction to life in classrooms nationwide through:
- Professional learning that develops confident, capable math educators.
- Evidence-based practices that are embedded, supported, and sustained across classrooms.
- Systems alignment that ensures every element—curriculum, coaching, and professional development—advances the same vision of excellent math teaching.
Ready to see what this looks like in practice?
Let’s dig deeper into the three pillars of high-quality math instruction
to learn how each drives stronger, more equitable math learning.
Three Pillars of
High-Quality Math Instruction
At the heart of effective math instruction is math identity — the belief, held by both students and educators, that everyone can do math. Building math identity means creating classrooms where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities, effort is valued over speed, and reasoning is celebrated as much as right answers.
What Students Need
- A growth mindset that frames struggle as essential to learning
- Flexible thinking, allowing multiple solution paths
- Collaborative learning with rich mathematical dialogue
Essential Practices
- Encourage self-reflection on problem-solving strategies
- Normalize mistakes as learning opportunities
- Reduce math anxiety by focusing on reasoning, not speed
- Promote discourse through open-ended, real-world problem-solving
EXAMPLE
When students believe math ability is fixed — that some people are simply” good at math” and others aren’t — they often stop trying when they struggle. But when classrooms emphasize that mistakes are part of learning and that effort grows understanding, students begin to see themselves as capable mathematicians.
K12 Coalition has helped schools nationwide cultivate math identity by empowering leaders and teachers to build cultures of confidence, belonging, and growth mindset in every classroom.
High-quality math instruction strikes a balance between conceptual understanding (knowing why math works) and procedural fluency (knowing how to apply it efficiently). These two strands develop together: conceptual understanding gives meaning to procedures, and fluency frees cognitive space for deeper reasoning.
What Students Need
- Understanding the “why” behind procedures
- Developing automaticity through purposeful practice
- Applying learning flexibly to new problems and contexts
Essential Practices
- Encourage math talk and reasoning through questioning
- Use open-ended tasks with multiple solution paths
- Apply explicit instructional strategies with real-time feedback
- Use visuals to connect concrete and abstract ideas
EXAMPLE
Carrying the 1″ highlights this balance. Students can learn the procedure, but without understanding why, the steps seem arbitrary. Conceptual understanding helps students see that the “1” being carried represents regrouping tens into the next place value — not a trick, but logical reasoning.
Through K12 Coalition’s professional learning and coaching, districts have strengthened teacher expertise—helping educators connect the “why” and the “how” of math and create deeper, more engaging learning experiences.
Mathematics learning builds logically and cumulatively — each concept connects to the next. Effective instruction follows intentional learning progressions, ensuring students deepen understanding over time and avoid learning gaps that compound across grades.
What Students Need
- Intentional sequencing connecting to prior knowledge
- Instruction aligned to standards with clear scope and sequence
- Ongoing formative assessment to identify and close gaps
- Vertical collaboration among teachers across grades
Essential Practices
- Understand developmental trajectory of key concepts
- Teach curricula-aligned standards with fidelity
- Use data-informed instruction to adjust teaching
- Collaborate across grades for connected learning
EXAMPLE
The sequence through which students learn fractions demonstrates this. From dividing a pizza into halves, to comparing fractions, to adding with unlike denominators, to rational expressions in algebra — each step builds on the last. Without logical progression, gaps make mastering later concepts difficult.
K12 Coalition partners with school systems to align curriculum, coaching, and data practices, ensuring students experience connected, coherent math instruction that builds mastery year over year.
The math crisis is solvable, if we act with alignment
Our white-paper brings together decades of research and practical guidance on what truly moves the needle for math learning. Learn what’s working, what’s not, and how systems can make lasting change possible.