Great Minds: District Administrators Say Eureka Math Outperforms Others in Boosting Student Achievement and Engagement, Improving Instruction

The survey of nearly 700 K-12 school district leaders looked at curricular choices superintendents and their teams were making, how well those were working, and which resources the administrators would recommend to peers.

District leaders surveyed said they were far more likely to recommend Eureka Math to their peers than the two other market leaders. They also said Eureka Math does much more to boost student achievement and engagement than others and does a better job improving instruction among teachers.

Specifically, the survey of 683 administrators across the country included a Net Promoter Score. That looked at how likely it was – on a scale of 1 to 10 — that district leaders polled would recommend the curriculum. The more positive the score, the better. The survey found that Eureka Math scored a net positive of +43 on the index measuring how likely administrators would be to recommend the curriculum. The average net promoter score for all providers, which includes Eureka Math's +43, is a -18 on the index.

From EdWeek Market Brief: A net promoter score is based on a single, simple question: On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely is it that you would recommend a product or service to a friend or colleague? Scores of 0 to 6 indicate that the respondent is a product "detractor."

Scores of 7 or 8 are "passive" or neutral when it comes to the product. And scores of 9 or 10 indicate a product promoter.

The Net Promoter Score is equivalent to the percentage of promoters minus the percentage of detractors. Positive scores are reason for encouragement. Negative scores are cause for concern.

District officials were also surveyed on their most frequently used core elementary math programs. Among the most frequently used products, also scored Eureka Math first or tied for first on nine of 16 indicators of quality. A few examples:

• Eureka Math was rated more than twice as effective as competitors at "improving student achievement". Eighty-two percent of those surveyed said Eureka Math helps improve student achievement.
• When asked if their math curriculum "leads to better instruction," 77% of administrators responding gave Eureka Math positive marks.  Among this group, the next best score was 29%.
• Fifty percent of administrators said Eureka Math "helps boost student engagement," more than twice the percentage of educators who reported the same impressions of other frequently-used core math products in the group.

Eureka Math also ranked very high on affordability and personalized learning.  And those polled said Eureka Math was far more innovative or "cutting edge" than other frequently-used curricula.

"This survey quantifies what we know to be true: Eureka Math is working for students and teachers," said Lynne Munson, founder and CEO of Great Minds. Administrators scored Eureka Math highest for increasing student achievement, engagement, improving instruction, enabling personalized learning, being cutting edge, and more.  Of the most frequently used curricula, Eureka was the only one to achieve a positive Net Promoter Score.  "We create curriculum that celebrates knowledge, respects the craft of teaching, and acknowledges the true capabilities of students. If that makes us an outlier, we're proud of it," added Munson. 

Great Minds brought PK-12 teachers and higher education experts together to develop Eureka Math, Wit & Wisdom® for English Language Arts, and PhD Science™, a K-8 science curriculum under development.

The nationwide survey follows a number of other independent reviews that document Eureka Math's quality and popularity:

• Tier 1 reviews from the Louisiana State Department of Education for Eureka Math as well as Wit & Wisdom, and PhD Science, making Great Minds the only curriculum developer to earn that top rating across three core content areas and for all available grades.
• Top marks from state education agencies in New York, Tennessee, and others.
• Several reviews from the nonprofit EdReports.org, which consistently give Eureka Math the highest ratings
• An April 2016 RAND survey of teachers that found Eureka Math (and its original version, EngageNY) to be the most popular math curriculum in the U.S.
• Achieve's EQuIP peer-review panel recognizes lessons from EngageNY Math/Eureka Math for excellence.
• Districtwide adoptions by leading districts such as Washington, DC, Shelby County, Tenn.; and Guilford County, N.C.

About Great Minds: The nonprofit recently celebrated its 10^th anniversary, moving from a startup to an organization that supports schools nationwide with the highest quality materials. A group of educators founded Great Minds in 2008 to define and encourage knowledge-rich comprehensive education for all students. Learn more at GreatMinds.org

About EdWeek Market Brief: EdWeek Market Brief is an independent editorial and business intelligence service from the non-profit publishers of Education Week. No results reported in this release should be interpreted as an endorsement, either explicit or implied, of any company or its products, and they reflect only the opinions expressed by an anonymous, independent panel of district leaders.

SOURCE Great Minds

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