“We want to be the best teacher preparation and support experience a teacher has ever had,” says founder Jonathan Brendefur
BOISE, Idaho — Math Success by DMTI today launched mathsuccess.io, a teacher-focused, conceptual K–6 mathematics program that brings together teacher preparation, professional development, and curricular resources. It draws on more than forty years of research at the intersection of mathematics, psychology, and instruction.
The program is built on a conviction that has driven that research. Effective mathematics instruction does not have to be more complicated. When teachers understand the mathematics, how students develop those ideas, and what to look for in student thinking, they can focus their instruction on what matters most.
For decades, this kind of support primarily reached teachers through district contracts and professional development initiatives. Math Success makes that learning available directly to individual educators. Those who want to deepen their understanding of mathematics and student thinking can now learn directly from mathematics education researchers and experienced math educators for $21 a month, and schools can enroll every teacher in a building for $1,000 a year.
“Every teacher is in a different place,” said Dr. Jonathan Brendefur, founder of the Developing Mathematical Thinking Institute. “Our goal is to meet teachers where they are, help them better understand the mathematics and their students’ thinking, and make good decisions about what to do next. We want teachers to continue to get better every day and have the support to do that.”
The need is especially important for students who are struggling in mathematics. In randomized studies of the DMT Framework, the largest effects were found among students who struggled the most. An independent evaluation found a similar pattern: DMT schools serving students in poverty and English learners outperformed comparison schools with lower poverty levels.
Math Success uses visual models, structural mathematical language, and reasoning to make sense of mathematical relationships before compressing those ideas into procedures. The goal is not simply for students to remember what to do, but to understand why the mathematics works and develop reasoning strategies they can use in new situations.
The research
Researchers have tested the DMT Framework in randomized trials. A cluster-randomized study of 25 schools and 4,618 students found that students in DMT schools scored significantly higher in mathematics than students in control schools; the school-level effect was 0.09 standard deviations, largest among students with the lowest prior mathematics performance. The study was peer-reviewed and published in the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. A separate federally funded randomized study assigned eight schools to DMT or control over two years, and students in grades 2–5 gained 0.2 standard deviations over the control group.
In an independent evaluation by RMC Research Corporation, 79.2% of students in DMT classrooms scored proficient or advanced in mathematics, compared with 65.7% in comparison classrooms—a gap that held for three years. The DMT schools served more students in poverty and more English learners than the schools they were compared against.
In schools
At Iowa Elementary in Nampa, Idaho, fifth-grade mathematics proficiency on the state SBAC assessment rose 39 points in four years, from 16% to 55%. The school sat in the state’s lowest quintile when the framework was introduced. At West Canyon Elementary, proficiency among students learning English rose from 5% to 30% over the same period.
In Selma, Alabama, Salem Elementary moved from an F to a C+ school rating in two years, as reported by the Selma Times-Journal, with more than 87% of its students economically disadvantaged. Proficiency rose in third, fourth, and fifth grade, and after the pandemic, the school grew again in each of the next three years. In the same district, BK Craig Elementary’s gains led the state to reclassify it from comprehensive to limited support in 2025.
At Van Buren Elementary in Caldwell, Idaho, the state’s highest-poverty district, fifth-grade English learners averaged the same score as the school’s students overall on the 2011 state mathematics assessment, and in one fifth-grade classroom every student scored proficient or advanced. In Oxnard, California, a 2024–25 analysis across six schools in the Rio School District found a statistically significant correlation between how much teachers implemented DMT and how their students scored on the state assessment (r = .397, p = .01). At Webber Elementary, 78% of students met benchmark on the i-Ready assessment, against 40% across the district.
“One of the findings that matters most to me is that some of our largest effects have been with students who started with the lowest mathematics performance,” Brendefur said. “Those students can develop deep mathematical understanding. We have to give them opportunities to reason, model, make connections, and make sense of the mathematics.”
“We have a lot of lives to impact,” Brendefur said. “Let’s do it together.”
About Math Success by DMTI
Math Success by DMTI is a K–6 mathematics program from the Developing Mathematical Thinking Institute, founded by Jonathan Brendefur, PhD. It combines teacher preparation and curricular resources built on the DMT (Developing Mathematical Thinking) Framework, which focuses on how students develop mathematical understanding through meaningful tasks, visual models, mathematical discourse, and precise structural language. The framework has been used in more than 300 schools. Math Success is available directly to educators for $21 a month, or to schools for $1,000 a year per building. More at mathsuccess.io.
About Jonathan Brendefur
Jonathan Brendefur, PhD, is founder, president, and CEO of the Developing Mathematical Thinking Institute. He taught secondary mathematics before becoming a university professor. At Boise State University, he taught mathematics education, won the Boise State University Foundation Teacher of the Year award in 2019, and spent ten years as Director of Mathematical Thinking for Instruction, which provided professional development to more than 14,000 teachers and administrators. He never left the classroom — he still teaches students and coaches teachers every week, and he hosts live Ask Math Success: Office Hours every Monday at 3:30 pm Mountain Time, which journalists are welcome to join.
Key facts:
- 40 years of research
- 4,618 students in a peer-reviewed randomized trial
- 79.2% proficient in DMT classrooms, against 65.7% in comparison classrooms
- 350,000+ students reached
- 14,000+ teachers prepared
- 300+ schools
- $21 per month, per educator
Dr. Brendefur is available for interviews. Classroom video, teacher testimonials, and photography are available on request, and journalists are welcome to attend a live session.
Press contact:
Jason Dodd, Math Success by DMTI, jason@dmtinstitute.com