George Lucas Educational Foundation

Boosting Confidence With Student-Driven Math

When teachers noticed a lack of autonomy in the math classroom, a switch to a student-centered curriculum bumped up ownership of learning—and the kids’ ability to talk about their problem-solving approach.

May 5, 2022

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At Van Ness Elementary, in Washington, DC, educators adopted the Illustrative Math curriculum to move the onus for developing problem-solving skills onto the students and saw a powerful shift in the discourse in their math classrooms.

Schools That Work

Van Ness Elementary School

Public, Urban

Grades Pre-K–5

Washington, DC

Outperformed all but one other Title I school in Washington, DC, when third graders took the state test for the first time in 2019.
Scored 98% for student satisfaction and95% for parent satisfaction on DC Public Schools’Fall 2020–21 Insight survey.
Developed the Whole Child model of teaching and learning that’s being implemented by schools in 4 states, in collaboration with partner organization Transcend.