New report outlines four priorities to strengthen math instruction, expand opportunity, and improve outcomes statewide 

NEW YORK, NY — New York has a math problem, and students cannot afford to wait another year for the state to address it.

EdTrust-New York and Educators for Excellence (E4E) are calling for stronger, more coordinated state action through their new report, “A Math State of Mind: A Roadmap for Reversing New York’s Math Decline.”  The report outlines four key priorities to improve math outcomes and advance equity across New York. 

The numbers demand action. New York ranks 36th in fourth-grade math and 26th in eighth-grade math nationally, according to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Forty-two percent of eighth graders scored Below Basic, and New York’s average eighth-grade NAEP math score in 2024 matched its 2000 score. 

The crisis also reveals deep inequities. On the 2024–25 Algebra II Regents exam, 52% of Black students and 57% of Latinx students reached proficiency, compared with roughly three-quarters of students overall. 

“This is not a student problem. It is a system problem, and New York can take meaningful steps to address it,” said Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, Executive Director of EdTrust-New York.  “Students and teachers need strong instructional materials, sustained support for educators, rigorous coursework, and equitable access to advanced math. We already see promising examples in New York City. Now state leaders need to learn from what works and build a stronger, more coherent approach statewide.” 

 

Families and teachers are calling for change 

Families see the math challenge firsthand. Forty-three percent of parents worry that their child is falling behind in math, including 64% of parents of students with disabilities and 66% of parents of multilingual learners. 

Families also want stronger statewide action. Eighty percent support the required use of evidence-based math curricula, while 75% support a state-approved list of high-quality instructional materials. 

Teachers want more support to help students succeed. Educators report spending significant instructional time addressing unfinished learning instead of grade-level content. They call for better instructional materials, more intervention time, structured supports for unfinished learning, and sustained, job-embedded professional learning. 

“Teachers want to help every student succeed in math, and they are telling policymakers what they need to make that happen,” said Evan Stone, Co-Founder and CEO of Educators for Excellence. “New York should listen to educators and invest in the tools, training, and time to deliver strong instruction.”  

 

Four priorities for improving math outcomes 

The report calls on New York state leaders to: 

• Provide high-quality instructional materials and pair them with targeted interventions. 

• Invest in sustained, job-embedded professional learning focused on math content and instruction. 

• Expand equitable access to accelerated and advanced math, including Algebra I for 8th graders. 

• Strengthen teacher preparation so educators enter classrooms ready to teach foundational mathematics. 

 

New York districts show that progress is possible 

New York City districts offer concrete examples of how coordinated action can improve math outcomes through their NYC Solves initiative. 

In District 11, students in grades 3–8 increased math proficiency from 28% in 2022 to 49% in 2025 after the district adopted Illustrative Mathematics’ evidence-based curriculum. In 2024–25, the district also increased proficiency by 3.4 percentage points among students with disabilities and 5.4 percentage points among multilingual learners. 

In District 8, eighth-grade math proficiency increased from 17% in 2021–22 to 39% in 2024–25 after the district paired Amplify’s evidence-based curriculum with teacher coaching, collaborative planning, and leadership development. 

These districts show that schools can improve math outcomes when leaders combine high-quality instructional materials with sustained teacher support, strong leadership, and aligned implementation. 

The full report, “A Math State of Mind: A Roadmap for Reversing New York’s Math Decline,” is available HERE. 

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About EdTrust-New York 

EdTrust-New York is dedicated to eliminating equity and opportunity gaps that hinder students from reaching their full potential. We focus on ensuring that students of color, including Black, Latinx, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islander students, and those from low-income backgrounds achieve high levels of success from early childhood through college. For more information, visit EdTrustNY.org. 

About Educators for Excellence 

Educators for Excellence-New York is a teacher-led organization with more than 18,000 members across NYC, working to ensure educators’ voices are at the center of the policies that impact their classrooms, profession, and students.