K-6 Math Success in Action
"We aim to deliver the finest teacher preparation and support experience any educator has encountered," remarks founder Jonathan Brendefur
No two teachers are at the same stage; our objective is to connect with them wherever they are.”— Jonathan Brendefur, PhD
BOISE, Idaho, September 2026 – Math Success by DMTI has introduced mathsuccess.io, a teacher-focused, conceptual K-6 mathematics program that integrates teacher preparation, professional growth, and curriculum materials. This initiative is rooted in over four decades of research spanning mathematics, psychology, and teaching methods.
This program is driven by a core belief that has guided that research. Effective math instruction doesn’t need to be overly complex. When educators grasp the math, comprehend how students build those concepts, and recognize key indicators in student thinking, they can concentrate their teaching on what truly counts.
For many years, this type of support was mainly available to teachers through district agreements and professional development workshops. Math Success now makes this learning accessible directly to individual instructors. Those looking to enhance their grasp of mathematics and student reasoning can now learn straight from math education researchers and seasoned math teachers for $21 per month, while entire schools can enroll all their teachers for $1,000 annually.
"Every educator starts from a distinct point," stated Dr. Jonathan Brendefur, founder of the Developing Mathematical Thinking Institute. "Our aim is to connect with teachers where they are, assist them in gaining a deeper insight into math and their students’ thought processes, and guide them in making sound decisions about next steps. We want teachers to keep improving daily with the backing to achieve that."
This need is especially critical for students facing challenges in math. In randomized trials of the DMT Framework, the most significant gains were observed among those who struggled the most. An external evaluation revealed a comparable trend: DMT schools serving students in poverty and English language learners outperformed comparison schools with lower poverty rates.
Math Success employs visual models, structured mathematical language, and reasoning to explore mathematical relationships before simplifying those ideas into procedures. The aim is not merely for students to recall steps, but to grasp why the math works and to build reasoning skills they can apply to unfamiliar scenarios.
Researchers have assessed the DMT Framework through randomized experiments. A cluster-randomized study involving 25 schools and 4,618 students revealed that students in DMT schools achieved notably higher math scores than those in control schools, with a school-level effect of 0.09 standard deviations, most pronounced among students with the weakest prior math performance. This study underwent peer review and was published in the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. Another federally funded randomized study assigned eight schools to either DMT or control conditions over two years, with students in grades 2-5 improving by 0.2 standard deviations relative to the control group.
In an independent evaluation conducted by RMC Research Corporation, 79.2% of students in DMT classrooms reached proficient or advanced levels in math, compared to 65.7% in comparison classrooms—a difference that remained steady over three years. The DMT schools served more students from low-income backgrounds and more English learners than the schools they were measured against.
At Iowa Elementary in Nampa, Idaho, fifth-grade math proficiency on the state SBAC assessment rose by 39 points over four years, climbing from 16% to 55%. The school was in the state’s lowest quintile when the framework was first implemented. At West Canyon Elementary, proficiency among English-learning students increased from 5% to 30% during the same timeframe. In Selma, Alabama, Salem Elementary moved from an F to a C+ school rating within two years, according to the Selma Times-Journal, with over 87% of its students facing economic hardship. At Van Buren Elementary in Caldwell, Idaho—the state’s highest-poverty district—fifth-grade English learners scored the same average as the overall student body on the 2011 state math assessment. At Webber Elementary, 78% of students met benchmark on the i-Ready assessment, compared to 40% across the district.
"One outcome that resonates most with me is that some of our biggest impacts have been with students who began with the lowest math performance," Brendefur said. "Those learners can achieve deep mathematical understanding. We must provide them with chances to reason, model, draw connections, and make sense of the math."
Jonathan Brendefur, PhD, serves as founder, president, and CEO of the Developing Mathematical Thinking Institute. He taught secondary math before transitioning to a university faculty role. At Boise State University, he received the Boise State University Foundation Teacher of the Year award in 2019 and spent a decade as Director of Mathematical Thinking for Instruction, delivering professional development to over 14,000 teachers and administrators. He has remained engaged in the classroom: he continues to teach students and mentor teachers weekly, and he hosts live Office Hours every Monday at 3:30 pm Mountain Time, which journalists are invited to attend.
Math Success by DMTI is a K-6 math program from the Developing Mathematical Thinking Institute. It merges teacher preparation with curriculum resources built on the DMT (Developing Mathematical Thinking) Framework, which emphasizes how students develop math understanding through meaningful tasks, visual models, mathematical discourse, and precise structural language. The framework has been adopted in more than 300 schools. Math Success is available to individual educators for $21 per month, or to schools for $1,000 annually per building. Key facts: 40 years of research; 4,618 students in a peer-reviewed randomized trial; 79.2% proficient in DMT classrooms versus 65.7% in comparison classrooms; 350,000+ students reached; 14,000+ teachers trained; 300+ schools. More at mathsuccess.io.
"We have many lives to touch," Brendefur said. "Let’s do it together."
Jason Dodd
DMTI, Inc
+1 775-232-8805
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