Yes, Alabama! The kids can learn math.

This commentary was originally shared on CurriculumHQ.org. 

By all recent accounts, the kids are not all right when it comes to learning math in this country. This month’s NAEP release, the latest state assessment results, and now the State of the American Student report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) offer plenty of cause for concern.

But instead of running through all the troubling statistics about declines in student math achievement – especially for our most vulnerable students — let’s focus on the opportunities. 

Take this, straight from the CRPE report: “Math may be one of the most fixable problems in American education, because student math achievement is highly responsive to what happens inside schools—perhaps even more so than reading.”

That’s right: math may be even easier to address than reading, the topic that’s seen way more national and state attention when it comes to instructional policy over the past several years. CRPE lays out three important levers for improving math teaching and learning within schools. No surprise, number one is the quality of instruction – followed by the teacher pipeline and real-time student supports.

So how do states actually pull these levers? Alabama is a star student, thanks to its 2022 Alabama Numeracy Act. This law gives air time to the important ingredients CRPE identifies, centered around a core commitment to high-quality instruction (requiring 60 minutes of daily math!) and aligned teacher training. And several years into implementation, it seems the hard work is paying off, as the state has leapfrogged to the top of the nation in math growth for 4th-graders since 2019. 

On the innovation side of student support, Alabama is also focusing on “civic and digital literacy.” Thanks to a partnership with Quanthub, thousands of 6th-12th grade teachers and students across the state are now being exposed to elements of AI and data literacy like computer science, statistics, and complex visualizations – all of which translate into problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

The math crisis evident in all recent reports isn’t a moment for hand-wringing; it’s a moment for action. States like Alabama are leading the way for others to follow.