Most Schools Can’t Define “High-Quality” Math Materials

A new Gallup study released this week highlights a major roadblock to improving student math outcomes: most school leaders are flying blind when it comes to identifying and using high-quality instructional materials (HQIM).

The study, based on a survey of over 5,100 U.S. adults (including parents of K-12 children) and 1,400 education leaders, found:

• Just 20% of education leaders say they’re very familiar with HQIM.

• Fewer than 1 in 4 schools or districts have an official definition of what “high-quality” actually means.

• Despite that, 69% say most or all of their school’s math curriculum qualifies as HQIM.

Why it matters: High-quality, standards-aligned curriculum is a research-backed lever for improving student performance. But without a shared definition or a deep understanding, implementation remains fragmented and inconsistent.

Zoom in: This week, leaders from the six largest school districts representing 2.5 million students—New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami-Dade, and Philadelphia—gathered in New York as part of the National Math Improvement Project (NMIP) to visit classrooms in NYCPS piloting new HQIM in high school and middle school math. Each district has committed to adopting HQIM at scale, including job-embedded professional development and coaching. 

The big picture: While 83% of education leaders say HQIM status matters in curriculum decisions, nearly 40% rate their math-related professional learning as only “fair” or “poor,” often due to weak alignment with the curriculum. That gap is especially stark in high schools.

• Meanwhile, Gallup found that 1 in 6 parents say they never hear from their child’s school about what their child is learning in math, and 1 in 4 say they’re unaware of the learning goals for the year.

What’s next: The Gallup findings and the momentum of NMIP underscore a clear call to action: States, districts, and developers must define, communicate, and support HQIM, while ensuring professional learning is truly curriculum-aligned.

This article is sourced from Whiteboard Notes, our weekly newsletter of the latest education policy and industry news read by thousands of education leaders, investors, grantmakers, and entrepreneurs. Subscribe here.