Our Work

Join national presenter Dr. Pamela Seda as she discusses the “A” in the ICUCARE® Framework—Assess, Activate, and Build on Prior Knowledge—which reminds us that meaningful math learning begins with students’ ideas. This session examines why traditional assessments that focus on answers fall short and explores practices that reveal and build on student thinking. This webinar…

At some point in the school year, almost every math teacher hears it. Sometimes it’s said quietly, almost as an aside: “I’m just not a math person.” Sometimes it’s said with a shrug: “I’ve never been good at math.” And sometimes it’s said with finality: “My brain just doesn’t work that way.” These statements can feel discouraging, especially…

Math teachers care deeply about equity. We plan carefully, select meaningful tasks, and work hard to build classrooms where students feel safe to try. And yet, some of the most powerful messages students receive about who they are as mathematicians don’t come from our curriculum or assessments but from our everyday language. The words we…

When students think mathematically, they’re not just recalling facts or repeating steps, they’re making sense of ideas, connecting patterns, and applying reasoning in new ways. But for too many students, math still feels like a subject of repetition where success comes from mimicking procedures rather than creating or critiquing ideas. As we’ve explored in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, students remember what…

Introducing the Summer Teacher Lab: A Transformative Week of Learning for Teachers and Students In Summer 2026, Math Medic Foundation, in collaboration with Math Medic, will launch the Summer Teacher Lab, a powerful, weeklong professional learning experience in Grand Rapids, MI. Inspired by the groundbreaking Elementary Mathematics Lab developed by Deborah Loewenberg Ball at the University of Michigan, this…

Picture a student in your class who finally blurts out an answer. Maybe they hesitated, maybe they looked nervous, but at last, they say: “Is it… 42?” If you’re like me, you’ve probably responded instinctively: “Yes, that’s right!” or “No, not quite.” Then you moved on. But here’s the problem: if the only thing students…

When you think back on what you learned in school, certain moments stand out. Maybe it was a lively debate in English class, or a science lab where you got your hands messy. For most of us, we remember the things we thought hard about. That’s no accident. Cognitive psychologist Dan Willingham has put it…

By Karen Sleno It’s the start of a new year and everyone is optimistic. You are about to implement student-centered math lessons into your classroom (maybe for the first time), but are wondering how the students will respond. What if your questions are met with silence? What if the group dynamic just doesn’t seem to…

As we begin a new school year, we thought it was a good time to reflect on our mission – now 3.5 years since we began operating. In early 2022, Math Medic Foundation published an article titled “4 Ways That Improving Math Outcomes Helps Us All.” In it, we identified four key ripple effects that occur when…

The Math Medic Foundation is proud to announce our 2025 Spring scholarship and grant recipients! This season, our Board of Directors awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships and grants – through both cash and in-kind support – to students and educators who embody our mission of expanding equitable access to high-quality mathematics education. Each recipient…

As the school year draws to a close, math teachers have a lot to do. It’s a time of wrapping up assessments, finalizing grades, and celebrating achievements – all important tasks. But it’s also a valuable opportunity for self-reflection: How did my classroom practices promote equity? Where might gaps still exist? And what intentions will…

Presented by Dwaina Sookhoo. In this session, we explored how to adapt Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) routines to support students with disabilities—particularly those with autism and learning disabilities—in becoming active, valued participants in mathematical thinking.

By Clare Bunton, Guest Author From First-Year Teacher to Equitable Math Educator When I graduated from Western Michigan University in 2021, I was in a slight panic mode about where to apply to teach high school math. My former math education professor gave me practical advice, while no school would be perfect, I should look…

At the time of this writing, Math Medic Foundation has completed a full 3 years of service toward our mission – Empowering students, teachers, and schools with resources that increase equitable access to high-quality mathematics education. We’ve been blessed with well over $250,000 in donations during that time. We’ve kept our overhead low, which has allowed…

By Dr. Fawnda Norman, Guest Author Students learn math best when they identify as a doer of mathematics. Equitable mathematics classrooms should include lessons that address identity, relevance, and agency while teaching math concepts everyday. Many mathematics teachers strive to create classrooms that do that. However, it can be a struggle to put theory into…

Math trauma is a term gaining increasing recognition in education. It describes the negative emotional response many students develop toward math due to repeated failures, harsh criticism, or anxiety-inducing experiences in math classrooms. This phenomenon can have lasting effects on students’ confidence, academic performance, and even career choices. But what exactly is math trauma, and…

Kathy Duran Reyes of Grand Rapids, MI, is a young woman with an inspiring journey of transformation, resilience, and ambition. Her story exemplifies the power of perseverance and the importance of recognizing hidden potential. Once convinced she wasn’t good at school, Kathy’s self-discovery in her junior year revealed a passion for mathematics and a drive…

Samuel Moreida Rey, a senior from Placentia, CA, embodies perseverance, passion, and a commitment to making the world a better place. His journey has been shaped by personal challenges and transformative experiences, from recovering from a traumatic head injury in fourth grade to excelling in a rigorous academic environment. “The injury was a turning point,”…

Akosua Haynes, a senior from Chicago, IL, has built her life around resilience, leadership, and a passion for solving real-world problems. Her determination was forged in moments of adversity, such as a harrowing sailing accident where she rescued her friend from under a capsized boat. Reflecting on that experience, Akosua shared, “It taught me responsibility…

Daniel Silva, a senior from Clifton, NJ, is an exceptional student whose passion for mathematics has propelled him to the top of his class. From his first days in Algebra 1 Honors as a freshman to excelling in AP Calculus AB as a senior, Daniel has demonstrated maturity, perseverance, and a genuine love for learning….

Meet Jacqueline Ornelas-Ventura, a student-athlete whose story is a testament to perseverance, passion, and purpose. Known as “Jackie” to her friends and mentors, she is not only excelling academically but also breaking barriers as an immigrant’s daughter striving toward a future in STEM. Her journey is one that captures the essence of what Math Medic…

Math Medic Foundation (MMF) has selected 5 deserving students to help send to college! The Foundation received many applications and these 5 stood out for their determination, work ethic, and desire to make an impact on the world. These students will pursue mathematics and help balance the scales in a field that is still largely…

While we don’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves, it’s hard to overstate the importance of first impressions at the beginning of the school year. This is true for nearly every aspect of our classroom, including the strategies and routines we use that impact student perceptions of how equitable our class is. The following strategies…

By Sarah Stecher, Guest Author As a mathematics educator, I care deeply about the work that I do and am passionate about creating positive experiences for students in math class. When I tell other people about my work, I often hear a very similar set of responses, many of which are based on deeply rooted…

Math Medic Foundation is thrilled to showcase our 2024 spring scholarship and grant awardees! All of our recipients have financial need or serve students with financial needs. 70% of our scholarship recipients are female, while 80% are non-white. We are supporting those in need while improving equitable representation in math-related fields. Please read about these deserving students and…

By Dwaina Sookhoo, Guest Author At the end of every school year, I have often felt my mindset shift from “How do I get through this?” to “How did I get through this?” From my first year teaching mathematics, I knew my purpose and drive was to improve the learning experience for my students by…

Join our All-Star panel of experts as they discuss the issue of gatekeeping in Advanced Placement (AP) mathematics and offer steps we can all take to eliminate the practice – with Rebecka Peterson, Nate Bowling, Matt Vriesman, and Luke Wilcox.

In his recent book Why Don’t Students Like School?1 cognitive psychologist Dan Willingham recalls a 1969 memory experiment. In it, researchers asked participants to perform different tasks upon hearing lists of words. One group was asked to rate the pleasantness of each word while another group was asked to count the number of times a certain letter, such…

A recent meta-analysis has shed some light on the value of social and emotional learning in schools.1 In the study, published in the journal Sociology of Education, researchers analyzed data on almost a quarter of a million 15-year-olds across 74 countries. The researchers found that poor children tend to lag behind wealthy children in social and…

When we consider how to increase equitable outcomes in the mathematics classroom, it is critical to look at our pedagogy. How we consistently teach our content to students occupies most of our time and shapes our interactions with them. Experience First, Formalize Later (EFFL) is a pedagogical strategy that centers the student in the learning, not the teacher. EFFL means that…

As we work toward increasing equity in our classrooms, two things are likely to occur: First, more of our students will feel comfortable and confident enough to speak up and share their voices. And second, the increase in voices shared will inevitably lead to an increase in differences of opinion and even conflict1. This is a natural…

Educational equity in our mathematics classrooms. That is the goal we’re working towards here at Math Medic Foundation. As a reminder, we’re using the National Equity Project’s1 definition of educational equity: when each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential. We’ve written previously2 about the importance of establishing an equitable classroom…

If your experience is anything like mine, you hear it all the time. “I’ve never been good at math,” “Math makes me nervous,” “I’ve never been a ‘numbers’ person.” These kinds of feelings about mathematics seem to permeate throughout society, and you don’t need to search for very long to find data that tells the…

We’ve discussed in recent blog posts (here and here) that our students’ sense of belonging should be a major consideration for us as educators when working to create equitable classrooms. This idea is so foundational, in particular for our at-risk students, that it is worth discussing further. As a reminder, belonging is “a student’s perception that the people…

We are thrilled to showcase our 2023 scholarship and grant awardees! Please read out these deserving students and teachers below. Student descriptions are in order cooresponding with the collage above, moving left to right starting at the top left. Kent County Fund Your Future Scholarship – $2,000 each Deacon Mansfield, Kentwood Public Schools, will attend…

In a recent blog post, we mentioned that when our students feel a low sense of belonging in our classrooms they are far more likely to attribute positive feedback to external causes and critique to internal causes, engaging in self-blame. In the same blog post, we wrote that giving encouraging written feedback is one way to…

A Math Medic Foundation Webinar. Join Sarah and Pete as they guide participants to engage in a variety of activities to explore implicit bias and the ways in which it can affect our classrooms. Participants will leave with a number of useful strategies that can reduce the harmful effects of implicit bias and increase classroom…

When considering classroom equity, we’re using the National Equity Project’s1 definition of educational equity: when each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential. But how can we tell how well we’re fulfilling this mission? What evidence can we point to? One option is to take stock of how often our students…

In a recent blog post, we discussed ways we may combat our implicit biases to help make our classrooms more equitable. We’re working from the National Equity Project’s1 definition of educational equity: when each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential. Over the next several newsletters, we’re going to discuss teacher…

Creating equitable classrooms starts with us, the educators. One of the best ways to begin is to combat our own implicit biases. This is a challenge, because implicit biases are… well… implicit. By definition we aren’t aware of them. If you’re unsure about your own implicit biases, consider taking one of many Implicit Association Tests1. There…

By the time students get to high school, they have pretty solidified ideas about who is smart, who is not, and what it means to be smart. These judgments are based on previous achievement as well as stereotypes related to race, class, popularity, and gender. If you observe almost any math classroom, you will notice…

It seems that Peter Liljedahl’s “Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics” ideas are taking the mathematics community by storm. If you aren’t already familiar with Liljedahl’s work, you can read a nice summary written by Liljedahl himself in the footnotes below1. I recently had the good fortune of being in the audience during one of Liljedahl’s…

Due to your generosity of Math Medic Foundation supporters, we were able to distribute over $7,000 in scholarships and grants in Spring 2022 to students, teachers, and schools in need. Please take a few minutes to read about the impact your donations have made. Shannon Richardson, Boardman, OH: $2,000 scholarship Shannon will be attending John Carrol University…

What messages are we sending to students? Join Luke, Lindsey, and Sarah as they facilitate discussion around how our teacher moves and decisions about classroom policies and curriculum send messages to students that can disrupt or reinforce patterns of inequity.

It feels like a tale as old as time. We’ve been hearing how the United States education system has fallen behind other countries for decades, at least since the Nation at Risk report in 1983. The good news is that, when you dig a little deeper into the details, you find that we’re doing okay in certain…

Of all the subject areas we learn in school, mathematics can feel the most esoteric. Many a math teacher has heard the common refrain “when am I ever going to need to know this stuff?” As current and former math teachers ourselves, we admit that the same question has often crossed our minds. Perhaps due…

Isabella Medina Silva is in her second year at University of California, Davis. She is majoring in Molecular and Medical Microbiology and minoring in Music. Isabella plans to pursue an MD-PhD and specialize in human immunology. She’d like to work with human pathogens in a clinical or research setting. Isabella was a 2021 recipient of…

Jacobi Thompson is in his first year at Grand Valley State University (GVSU). He is dual majoring in Computer Science and Tuba Performance. Jacobi plans to pursue a career as an automotive programmer. He’d like to work at Tesla or Mercedes working on next generation automobiles. Jacobi was a 2021 recipient of a $2,000 Fund…

With a skillset developed from his rich life experiences, Luke Wilcox brings his passion for students and mathematics to the Math Medic Foundation board. Luke is a veteran teacher at East Kentwood High School. He has served his school in a variety of roles including Math Department Chairperson, Academic Support Coach, and point person for…

Sharp wit, serious work ethic, a light-hearted sense of humor, and a large dose of empathy – those are just a few of the qualities that make Lindsey Gallas a great leader. An experienced math teacher in both the middle school and high school setting, Lindsey creates contexts in the classroom that activate students’ curiosity and…