If you’ve never said, “I’m not a math person,” you surely know someone who has. You can’t blame people for thinking this. Students tell horror stories of being tracked into more basic math classes in elementary school or internalizing family members’ insecurities about math. Being “bad at math” has become all too common, especially among girls and racial minorities.
The business community has a vested interest in changing this narrative. At the same time that we see waves of students writing off math, jobs that require math and other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills are increasing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that overall employment in math occupations like actuaries and data scientists is projected to grow faster than all other occupations from 2023 to 2033. Even sectors that we don’t typically associate with math skills, like agriculture or retail, require a working knowledge of math.
Misunderstanding Math
Part of the issue is a misunderstanding of what being a “math person” is. Math is much more than just addition and subtraction. Math teaches students to be fluent with numbers and to solve problems. And being a “math person” doesn’t mean it comes easy — reading proficiency takes years to achieve, and building math skills similarly takes years of focus and practice. Even in my role running the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s K-12 education portfolio, I’m a math person, frequently using numeracy and problem-solving skills when budgeting for upcoming events or sifting through student achievement data.
Despite the foundational importance of math, we have not seen the same concern over math instruction that we have over early literacy. Only a handful of states have passed legislation aimed at improving math instruction. For example, the Alabama Numeracy Act ensures that every elementary school has a math coach and establishes a process to evaluate high-quality math materials, among other things. West Virginia’s Third Grade Success Act establishes a list of math benchmark assessments for young students that measure growth throughout the year to ensure students are on track.
State-Led Math Momentum
We hope that other states consider policies that provide quality instruction and interventions for all students, but legislation alone won’t ensure improvement in math outcomes. We’ll need a full community approach, shifting the cultural narrative around math and emphasizing the importance of math skills so that students and parents across the country understand its importance. Consider the following examples:
- In Delaware, business leaders participate in the Delaware Mathematics Coalition (DMC), an alliance of math leaders from public school districts, the Delaware Department of Education, local higher education institutions, and business representatives that delivers high-quality professional learning opportunities to promote effective math teaching practices. Over the last four years, the DMC has hosted an average of five statewide, content-focused, high-quality professional learning opportunities each month, reaching nearly 6,500 participants.
- Alabama’s Summer Adventures in Learning (SAIL) program relies on community partners like youth and community groups, faith-based organizations, philanthropy, municipal agencies, and schools to create summer enrichment programs that help students overcome summer learning loss. Students who participate in SAIL programs gain an average of 2.6 months of learning in math throughout the summer.
Even challenging common misconceptions and raising public awareness that everyone is a “math person” can help change the narrative around math abilities within a community. Take the Collaborative for Student Success’ public awareness campaign with math advocate Vanessa Vakharia as an example; anyone can use this line of questioning to start a conversation around math skills.
Everyone benefits when students feel encouraged to achieve their full math potential, and we all have a role to play to ensure the future workforce is full of “math people.”
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About the authors
Kyle Butler
Kyle Butler is senior manager of K-12 education programs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
