To close the gap in math achievement, let’s give teachers better tools

(Texas 2036) – Classroom instructional materials have a deep impact on the quality of a child’s education. During my first year as a public-school teacher, I had to create my own materials from scratch. I found myself among the ranks of teachers that spent week nights and weekends searching for material and building lesson plans, trying to do right by my students. While some of my lessons were incredibly effective, some left me feeling like I did my students a disservice. It was an issue of consistency. Related Stories In my current role at Texas 2036, a nonprofit non-partisan think tank, I work on building and promoting long-term, data-driven strategies to secure Texas’ prosperity and improve student outcomes through our bicentennial of 2036 and beyond. Earlier this year, we released a report providing an analysis of math achievement in the state and solutions to increase student scores. While Texas’ math academic standards are rated some of the best in the nation, trends in student math achievement should give us all cause for concern. The data speaks for itself: Less than half of Texas students are graduating ready for college-level math courses. Only 41% of students are testing on grade level...