Mathematics is the backbone of a 21st-century education and is crucial for the development of critical thinking, problem-solving and innovation. CCSSO’s new report, A Nation of Problem-Solvers: How State Leaders Can Help Every Student Achieve in Math, supports state chiefs as they seek effective strategies to enhance mathematics outcomes for all students.

The resource analyzes the current research and best practices in mathematics and provides six concrete recommendations for state leaders to take action based on their state context, offering a pathway to meaningful and lasting improvements in math education for all students.

Growing a Nation of Problem-Solvers: CCSSO’s Summit on Math Outcomes

State leaders are focused on improving outcomes in math for all students. In March 2025, CCSSO hosted Growing a Nation of Problem-Solvers: A Summit on Math Outcomes to explore implementation strategies of the evidence-based key actions in CCSSO’s report, A Nation of Problem-Solvers: How State Leaders Can Help Every Student Achieve in Math. The report combines research and promising practices and policies across states. Key actions include:

• • Signal quality and incentivize adoption of high-quality instructional materials.

• • Incentivize district partnerships with high-quality professional learning providers.

• • Provide guidance and support to districts to align supplemental and intervention learning experiences to core instruction.

• • Support districts in streamlining assessment systems to leverage real-time student data.

• • Expand early access to advanced math courses.

• • Align state education agency resources to support implementation.

During the event, attendees learned from chief state school officers, industry leaders and other experts as they engaged in an exchange of ideas on the state’s role in improving student outcomes in math.

Explore the video library from the summit below.