During the last decade, the national conversation around education has been dominated by literacy, with the science of reading commanding much attention. During that time, another critical subject has seemed to be waiting in the wings, its importance for student success just as vital: Mathematics.
For the West Contra Costa Unified School District, math is very much in the spotlight thanks to a significant and hopeful new adoption.
Amidst real budget constraints, the district has made a committed investment in the future by adopting the Eureka Math Squared curriculum for grades K-6, a move that many teachers and principals are genuinely excited about. This enthusiasm is coming from a recognized need for high-quality instructional materials that are essential for delivering effective instruction.
Many West Contra Costa educators have already been using Eureka Math Squared in their classrooms for the past few years, thanks to grants from the Chamberlin Education Foundation (CEF). CEF has provided over $1 million in grants to WCCUSD schools for curriculum materials over the past six years, including funding the Eureka Math Squared pilot program at Highland Elementary last year.
For veteran educator Caroline Rixford, a second-grade teacher at Highland, this adoption is a landmark moment. She has seen many different curricula come and go in her nearly three decades as a Highland teacher. “This is the first time I’ve been excited about the math curriculum that’s been adopted by the district,” she said.
Rixford’s experience of previously piecing together lessons from various sources to build true number sense contrasts with the cohesive, thoughtfully sequenced approach of Eureka Math Squared.
She said that she appreciates how it logically builds concepts, using measurement with centimeter cubes to help students understand place value, allowing them to intuitively get that “this is one, this is 10s, it’s 100.” Eureka Math Squared is proving to be a resource that covers what she knows students need, saving class time and ensuring they are developing a deep, conceptual understanding of the math they are learning instead of just memorizing.
The importance of this shift extends far beyond the West Contra Costa Unified classrooms. A recent study from the Urban Institute underscores why prioritizing math proficiency is so important. The study found that improving math scores has a significantly greater impact on a student’s future adult earnings than equivalent improvements in reading scores or even factors involving health.
This correlation holds true across racial and ethnic groups, with a particular influence for girls, who see a higher percentage boost in earnings from math gains than boys. In an increasingly technical economy, where jobs in math-related occupations are projected to grow rapidly, a strong foundation in mathematics can be a critical determinant of long-term economic outcomes.
Highland Elementary Principal Cheng Saechao said she sees the district-wide adoption as a powerful tool for leveling the academic playing field. “I think about accessibility,” she said. “We have schools that are established, that have PTAs and additional funding. Then we have schools where we’re managing the funding we get from the state.”
She witnessed this firsthand as principal of Highland, a member of CEF’s Instructional Leadership Community of Practice (ILCoP), where she received dedicated math coaching from Instruction Partners. The ILCoP now includes 19 West Contra Costa public schools, 12 of which are focused on math. This portfolio includes five schools like Highland, engaged in a multi-year math deep partnership.
The selection of Eureka Math Squared was a deliberate, teacher-led process. Mark Lobaco, the District Math Coordinator who is overseeing the implementation, emphasized that the choice was anything but top-down. An adoption committee of teachers reviewed different curricula that were green-lit by an independent reviewer.
After publisher presentations and a hands-on pilot of two finalists, the decision was “100% unanimous” for Eureka Math Squared, Lobaco said. Teachers were drawn to its rigor, its multiple representations of concepts, and the opportunities for increased student discussion and engagement.
As Lobaco notes, the goal is to allow teachers to focus on their pedagogy, Lobaco said, rather than the exhausting work of designing curriculum from scratch. “I want you to spend time actually internalizing the lesson, knowing where these lessons are leading to,” he said. “I want you to focus in on that pedagogy, and not, ‘oh, I’m going to create a lesson.’”
This focus on pedagogy is a core goal of CEF’s support, which has previously funded district-level coaching for Lobaco and other WCCUSD leaders.
The implementation is supported by a structured framework to ensure success. This includes dedicated professional development (which Rixford praised as some of the best she’s had) as well as a clear “playbook” for principals. This high-quality PD is a key component of the support CEF helps fund through its partnership with Instruction Partners.
Administrators conduct classroom walkthroughs with the aid of the district adopted Instructional Practice Guide (IPG), looking for deliberate “look fors” as evidence that the curriculum is being used with integrity, that pacing is maintained, and that students are engaged in discourse and problem-solving. The systematic approach is supported by site-based math teacher leads aimed at making the adoption stick and truly benefit every student.
Highland participated in the Eureka Math Squared pilot program last school year. Principal Saechao said she would observe “a lot of small group conversations” and students who are “grappling to understand the content, and they weren’t discouraged.”
Rixford saw the difference in her second graders’ buy-in. Lessons that had practical, real-life applications, like dividing crackers to learn fractions or measuring objects around the room, were making math fun and accessible. “They felt like they could do it,” she said, noting that the curriculum was helping her students build a confident, mathematical mindset.
The adoption of Eureka Math Squared represents a commitment to educational equity and future readiness for WCCUSD. While literacy is essential, numeracy is also non-negotiable. The district now has a rigorous, coherent, and engaging roadmap for math instruction for all of its students. We are proud to have helped build the momentum for this adoption and look forward to supporting its impact in classrooms across West Contra Costa public schools.
“It really does reduce instructional gaps,” Principal Saechao said, “and it doesn’t matter what school building you occupy. All students are going to receive the same high-quality materials.”
