A strong foundation in mathematics in early adolescence is essential for ensuring that young people have access to rigorous math instruction in high school and beyond, yet middle-grades schools often provide unequal access to high-quality math experiences for students who have been historically marginalized.
Beginning in 2022, the NYC Partnership for Math Equity brought together the Center for Policy, Research and Evaluation, NYC Public Schools, Amplify, and the Research Alliance for NYC Schools, with support from the Gates Foundation. As a member of the AIMS Collaboratory, the partnership investigated how digital tools that center mathematical sense-making, social problem-solving, and discourse can support more equitable access to high-quality math instruction and foster engagement, belonging, and positive math identities.
The mixed-methods study examined how middle-grades teachers in 29 New York City schools used Amplify Desmos Math (ADM) digital lessons as a supplement to core instruction.
Findings indicate that students and teachers viewed ADM lessons as supporting math understanding and engagement, peer collaboration, and classroom mathematical discourse. Students also reported greater understanding and enjoyment when teachers used tools within the digital lessons to select, sequence, and display examples of student work.
The study also found that students who perceived more opportunities to belong in their math classrooms experienced greater growth in engagement, enjoyment, belonging, and mathematical identity. The project page provides access to the full research report, student and teacher surveys, classroom observation protocols, and additional reflections on the findings.
