Strong Materials Matter. Strong Math Culture Matters More.

Failing math outcomes in the United States are well documented. From standardized test scores (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2024) to measures of students’ sense of belonging and purpose in mathematics (Schwartz, Bozick, Diliberti, & Ohls, 2025), the data tell a consistent story: despite significant investment in high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and professional learning, outcomes have not meaningfully improved.

Why?

The culture of mathematics in most schools is rooted in deeply held, unproductive beliefs about what it means to be a mathematical thinker and how mathematics is taught and learned (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [NCTM], 2014).

A culture of mathematics emerges from the intentional or unintentional interaction of beliefs, structures, norms, language, curriculum, instructional practices, and rituals, shaping how mathematics is experienced.

Most educators grew up in math cultures that positioned mathematics as a linear ladder of concepts to be mastered through a select set of mostly abstract models and strategies (Boaler, 2016; Green, 2014). In this culture, there is a belief that the role of the teacher is to tell and show students the formulas and procedures to follow, and the role of students is to follow the steps they were shown on routine problems (NCTM, 2014).

This culture of mathematics has proven ineffective and drives inequalities, as students from low-income and marginalized backgrounds are more likely to receive this type of math instruction (Boaler, 2016; Green, 2014; NCTM, 2014). Shifting this entrenched math culture has proven challenging, but not impossible. 

What We’ve Learned About Math Culture Change

For the past decade, the coaches at the Math Culture Lab have experimented with and studied what it takes to shift the culture of mathematics across a school. We know that different outcomes in mathematics require something deeper than an HQIM or AI tool can achieve alone. It requires school and district leaders to: 

• examine the culture of mathematics in their community, 
• establish a research-based vision for the culture they aspire to, 
• intentionally align the beliefs, structures, and practices of their math program to that vision, and 
• support the use of effective implementation practices and strategies.

Math Culture Lab partners with schools and districts to build their systems and knowledge capacity to do this work through a set of activities that we continuously improve as we learn from implementation. From 2024–2026, with the generous support of a research grant from the Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL), we partnered with the National Implementation Research Network at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to deepen our understanding of our approach. 

Through this research and our partnerships with more than 30 schools, we refined our approach. While our core theory of change remains consistent, our understanding of what accelerates impact and what slows it down has sharpened.

Our initial model centered on three core activities shown in the table below. Based on what we learned through implementation, we clarified our approach to one of those activities: Develop a School Math Culture Lead. We also added a fourth activity: Develop Lab Teachers.

The sections below outline the purpose of each component of our approach, the lessons we learned through implementation, and the refinements we made as a result. We begin with a closer look at the components that were revised and newly introduced.

Develop a School Math Culture Lead (SMCL)

A School Math Culture Lead is a staff member or team charged with leading the transformation of mathematics culture. The effectiveness of an SMCL depends on their knowledge and skills in two interdependent domains: 

• Leadership Expertise – Strategic Planning and Facilitating Adult Learning
• Math Instructional Expertise – Equitable and Ambitious Mathematics Teaching (Boston et al., 2017, p. 215; Huinker & Bill, 2017, p. 245; Smith et al., 2017, p. 194) and Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics (Ball, Thames, & Phelps, 2008)

Most schools do not initially have someone on staff with deep expertise across both instructional leadership and math content. Developing this level of competency requires intentional and sustained, job-embedded professional learning. Focusing on systemically planned training and coaching ensures implementation drives forward, building the skills needed to implement practices effectively.

As a result, the Math Culture Lab coach temporarily assumes select leadership responsibilities while intentionally coaching the School Math Culture Lead (SMCL) into the role. Through work across diverse contexts, we have learned that the right balance of shared responsibility and the sequence of experiences needed for growth depends on the individual’s strengths, areas for development, and the broader scope of their role, which often extends beyond math leadership.

In earlier iterations, we relied primarily on coaching the SMCL to coach others. However, transforming math culture is not a program that can be mastered in a few training sessions. A traditional “train-the-trainer” model alone did not produce the depth of instructional and cultural change required. We learned that with rare exceptions, it is unrealistic to expect SMCLs to independently lead this work within the first one to two years. Over time, however, as their content knowledge, pedagogical skill, and leadership competencies deepen through sustained practice, they steadily assume greater ownership of the work.

Develop Lab Teachers

We added Developing Lab Teachers as a key component of our approach after recognizing the importance of establishing early proof points that an inclusive, challenging, and engaging math culture is possible within a school’s specific context. 

Lab Teachers are educators selected for their eagerness to implement vision-aligned practices and to engage in intensive coaching. Through sustained coaching cycles, they deepen their pedagogical skills and content knowledge while developing their classrooms into model spaces where colleagues can observe, reflect, and learn. They make the vision tangible and embody the learner stance necessary for lasting change.

In an ideal scenario, this coaching is led by the School Math Culture Lead (SMCL). In most early-stage partnerships, however, we have learned that the coaching must initially be led by a Math Culture Lab coach, with the SMCL learning alongside the Lab Teacher to build their own competencies and skills.

Within one year of consistent, focused coaching, teachers advance their implementation of a problem-solving lesson structure (e.g., Launch, Explore, Discuss, Synthesis) and key instructional practices (e.g., anticipatory planning, boardwork, focusing questions, discourse, and engagement strategies). As a result of these instructional changes, we see improvements in students’ ability to make sense of problems and persist, to represent their mathematical thinking, and to discuss their mathematical ideas with peers. This distributed leadership with lab teachers strengthens the foundation necessary for an intentional math culture to endure through staffing changes.

Develop Vision-Driven Math Leadership

Supporting school leaders in naming and pursuing an intentional math vision is a cornerstone of our approach; it sets the direction for everything that follows. The work begins with leadership teams examining their current math culture: the beliefs, structures, norms, language, curriculum, instructional practices, and rituals that shape students’ daily experiences. From there, they articulate a shared vision for the math culture they want to create.

But vision alone is not enough. Leaders must clearly articulate and share that vision, anchoring the team in the “why,” especially when the work becomes challenging, as meaningful change inevitably does. They must invest in the development of champions of the work and clear the path for intentional, job-embedded coaching and professional learning that connects curriculum, pedagogy, and content knowledge back to the shared vision.

Crucially, this cannot be the work of early adopters alone. Leadership should use implementation practices such as engaging the entire staff in the process, supporting educators in examining their beliefs and practices, communicating clearly about implementation efforts, and making the necessary shifts to bring the vision to life. 

Facilitate Impactful Professional Learning

The final component of our approach is customized, job-embedded professional learning aligned to the school’s strategic plan. Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles are short, structured improvement processes used to test a change in practice, examine results, and make adjustments before expanding the effort. Teachers and principals can use PDSA cycles to implement small instructional shifts, review data on how the changes affect student learning, and refine their approach to strengthen the school’s math vision and outcomes over time. 

This intentional arc of learning is led collaboratively by the School Math Culture Lead and a Math Culture Lab coach. The broader leadership team plays a critical role in allocating time, communicating purpose with clarity and conviction, and protecting teachers from competing priorities that dilute focus.

Math Culture: The Real Change Maker

Math culture does not change by accident. It changes when leaders commit to the intentional work of examining beliefs, building internal expertise, and aligning structures to a shared vision for equitable, engaging, and empowering mathematics. 

The work requires time, courage, and sustained focus. But when schools commit to this intentional redesign of their math culture, leaders and teachers begin to share common beliefs and implement coherent instructional practices. Teachers grow in confidence, deepen their specialized content knowledge, and strengthen their own mathematical identities. Students experience increased belonging across classrooms, and achievement improves—not as a short-term spike from repetitive drills, but as the result of deep mathematical understanding and fluency. 

Over time, leaders build and maintain the strategic planning and professional learning structures that sustain this change. Mathematics becomes something different in the life of the school—not a subject for a select few, but one that belongs to everyone.

For more information:

• To learn more about how the Math Culture Lab partners with schools to create equitable, engaging, and empowering math cultures, and to explore resources, visit: mathculturelab.org
• To learn more about implementation science and the NIRN frameworks, visit: implementation.fpg.unc.edu.

Citations

Ball, D. L., Thames, M. H., & Phelps, G. (2008). Content knowledge for teaching: What makes it special? Journal of Teacher Education, 59(5), 389–407. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487108324554

Boaler, J. (2016). Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students’ Potential through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching. Jossey-Bass.

Boston, M. D., Dillon, F. L., Smith, M. S., & Miller, S. P. (2017). Taking action: Implementing effective mathematics teaching practices in grades 6–8. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

Green, E. (2014). Building a better teacher: How Teaching Works (and How to Teach it to Everyone). W. W. Norton & Company.

Huinker, D., & Bill, V. (2017). Taking action: Implementing effective mathematics teaching practices in grades PreK–5. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). The Nation’s Report Card: Mathematics 2024. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2014). Principles to actions: Ensuring mathematical success for all. NCTM.

Schwartz, H. L., Bozick, R., Diliberti, M. K., & Ohls, S. (2025). Students lose interest in math: Findings from the American Youth Panel (Research Report No. RRA3988-1). RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA3988-1.htmlSmith, M. S., Steele, M. D., & Raith, M. L. (2017). Taking action: Implementing effective mathematics teaching practices in high school. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.