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Why the math isn’t adding up

What districts can do about bridging the math gap

June 12, 2025, By Jennifer Slavick, Director, K-12 Research Partner Engagement and Success

Topic

K-12 Education

Tag

K-12 Education

Ever since our work in the Science of Reading began gaining traction, we’ve been getting one consistent question from district leaders: what about math? It’s a fair question—and a complicated one.

Unlike reading, where decades of brain research have converged around a clear set of best practices, math doesn’t come with a single playbook. The challenge isn’t that districts are doing one thing “wrong”; it’s that high-quality math instruction involves so many interdependent factors that many leaders can lose focus. It’s easy to get drawn into debates over instructional models, scheduling, or technology tools while missing the more foundational components that matter most for student learning.

The foundational math skill problem

Districts face a tough dilemma. Most students are capable of reaching math proficiency without intensive intervention, but only 61% are actually proficient by the end of 8th grade. This gap means that thousands of students are on track to struggle with high school coursework, postsecondary options, and even life skills, like personal health decision-making.

While a variety of factors influence math outcomes, research points to early mastery of foundational math skills in K-5th grade as one of the clearest predictors of long-term success. Skills like understanding cardinality by age 5, ordering numbers by age 6, and fluently adding by age 8 are more predictive of future performance than even socioeconomic status, race, or cognitive ability.

Yet many students aren’t mastering these skills. And, in too many cases, districts are not catching it early enough. Many screeners often fail to detect whether a student has fully grasped key ideas like cardinality, leaving gaps unaddressed until they become learning barriers down the road.

And because math is relentlessly cumulative, those gaps matter. Missing just one skill in the early years can make it nearly impossible to access the next layer of content. Unlike in subjects like history, where concepts can be revisited later, math doesn’t wait—and many curricula leave little room for revisiting and recovering missed skills.

Why current district approaches fall short

Through our interviews with district leaders and a review of over 300 pieces of math education literature, we found that many of the instructional strategies districts promote today have little evidence of improving student outcomes.

While some instructional approaches increase classroom participation or student motivation, it was surprisingly difficult to find evidence of many popular strategies affecting what districts care about most—student learning.

To narrow in on the instructional strategies proven to increase student learning, we applied three criteria:

1. Is the supporting research high-quality? Can we trust the study design and the results?

2. Does student learning actually improve? Are students making measurable gains on validated, independent assessments?

3. Is the approach feasible for teachers? Does it work in real classrooms, or only in settings run by researchers and grad students?

Here’s what surprised us: only about 40% of the literature out there meets all three of these standards. Nearly half of the materials we reviewed were supported by opinion, faulty research design, or metrics tracking everything but student learning gains.

Through this analysis, we found three major pitfalls districts make in foundational math instruction:

Instruction moves on too early.

Even when districts adopt high-quality materials, the recommended teaching strategies often stop short of full skill mastery. Students don’t get the time or practice they need to encode foundational skills into long-term memory.

Skill gaps are left unaddressed.

Many districts focus on revising core instruction without first identifying and closing gaps in foundational skills. But because math builds on itself, even small gaps can block students from learning more advanced concepts.

Teachers aren’t set up to apply the science of learning.

Most elementary teacher prep programs don’t cover it, and many professional development sessions focus on the wrong content. Without a shared understanding between teachers and leaders, even well-intentioned changes won’t translate to better outcomes.

What districts should do instead

Our research identified three district imperatives to directly address the foundational math challenges schools are facing today.

To make a dent in the foundational math problem, district leaders must:

Clarify the most efficient path to skill mastery.

Students are most likely to reach mastery when instruction follows the instructional hierarchy. This type of research-backed model helps teachers align instructional tactics to where a student is in the learning process. It’s precise, efficient, and proven to work.

Hardwire this approach into math intervention now.

Foundational skill gaps must be addressed early and directly. Districts should prioritize streamlining math intervention that aligns with the instructional hierarchy and fits the realities of classroom life. Without targeted recovery, students will continue to struggle in core instruction, regardless of how strong it becomes.

Prioritize building teacher math expertise.

Teachers and leaders need a shared understanding of the science of learning, especially how it applies to foundational math. This shared foundation empowers educators to make better decisions about current practices and future curriculum choices.

Where EAB can help

We know how hard it is to drive real achievement in today’s educational environment. Declining public trust and a turbulent political climate make it harder than ever to cut through the noise and launch focused initiatives that move the needle for students. At EAB, we understand the pressure to do more with less—less funding, fewer resources, and less room for error.

That’s why we created the Math Leadership Lab: a strategic roadmap to long-term math success. This step-by-step process helps districts design and pilot a multi-tiered system of supports in foundational math that’s both effective and realistic, all while building teacher buy-in and laying the foundation for lasting gains in math outcomes.

The Math Leadership Lab is available exclusively to our partner districts. To learn more or reserve your spot, fill out the form below or contact us at [email protected].