Educators have been running full throttle for months, ensuring students had a smooth transition into a new school year, established strong foundational habits in the classroom, and met the numerous requirements from various stakeholders. As educators approach the holiday season and the halfway point of the school year, increasing momentum and enhancing learning opportunities is crucial to ensure positive outcomes this spring.

As experts have shared, students' math knowledge is about half a school year behind where it should be. It's imperative that educators seek new resources to accelerate math learning by inspiring students to learn.

The cost of poor math performance:  

• Inequity in earnings: 3 out of 4 low-income students failed to meet standards for mathematical proficiency in 4th grade, as do 43% of middle-income children (McFarland et al., 2017). The systemic problem can inhibit opportunities for socioeconomic mobility and reinforce social inequity when disadvantaged students do not obtain the skills necessary nor understand the opportunities that exist if not presented with the information.
• Overall economic cost: The cumulative nature of math learning means that an unsuccessful start in math learning could negatively impact that child's likelihood for later success in a high-value career, such as those abundant in STEM. (National Research Council, 2011).
• Disengaged learners: The 2016 Gallup Student Poll noted that while nearly 74% of all fifth-grade students are engaged with school, only one-third of students in grades 10-12 are engaged. Findings also report that engaged students are 4.5 times more likely to be hopeful about the future and 2.5 times more likely to say they get excellent grades at school.

Research has shown that educators can drive positive outcomes with the right resources and focus in as little as five weeks (Lynch, Kathleen, Lily An, and Zid Mancenido, 2022). The positive impact of summer programs can start now and accelerate math learning, and that drives student outcomes this spring. 

The U.S. Department of Education recognizes career-connected learning as vital to bridging the gap between K–12 education and college, career, and industry preparation programs. With career-connected learning, students will see:

• How math applies to everyday tasks.
• The relationship between math proficiency and successful job performance.
• The value of learning math to reach job-related goals.

With a shift to modernize math, educators can make math less abstract and more meaningful, provide purpose in math learning, connect math to authentic, meaningful situations, and demonstrate how math is useful and necessary.

3 ways to drive math instruction this spring:

1. Use supplemental materials to improve student understanding of math concepts and increase academic rigor.
2. Increase student engagement by using high-value career data to drive discussion and purpose in learning.
3. Offer effective educator resources that encourage career-connected learning and support personalized instruction and feedback.

At Pathway2Careers™ (P2C), we help educators and learners make daily connections between what they are doing in the classroom and what they'll do later in life. In doing so, we answer the most asked questions from learners: "When will I ever need to know this in the real world?"  P2C Math is a research-based, innovative math curriculum designed to deliver robust math content that answers the WHEN question.

For nearly a decade, P2C has been at the forefront of career-connected learning with ready-to-implement solutions that work. Its math curriculum accelerates learning, increases engagement, and demonstrates exactly how math is used in future careers. The innovative learning framework produces powerful outcomes, including increased motivation, persistence, skill retention, task completion, and more. Because when education becomes relevant, learners fully engage.