More Math for More People

“My students can’t” sounds like a fact, but it usually hides something else: we don’t yet have a clear way to see what students can do, name it, and build on it. We dig into that problem with two of our favorite educators, John Hayes and Victoria Holt, who bring their conference session “CYA: Cover Your Assets” to the mic and make it immediately usable for teachers, coaches, and administrators. Li...

Pink Flamingo Day kicks things off with a surprising bit of natural history, then we make a sharp turn into the question that matters for every math teacher: what actually gets students thinking. We sit down with Peter Liljedahl, author of Building Thinking Classrooms, for a practical conversation that goes past the headlines and into the moves that make the work real in K-12 classrooms.  If you w...

Donald Duck ... Love him? Find him annoying? Or do you want him banned? (That story is fake, by the way....) Then we pick up part two of our conversation with Peter Carpenter to get clear about something schools confuse constantly: adult learning is not one thing. Peter breaks it down into three practical buckets: training, professional development, and professional learning. Listen to find out th...

Spelling “tuberculosis” on the spot is one thing, but designing learning that actually changes what adults do is a whole different challenge. We start season six on Scripps Spelling Bee Day with a fast, funny spelling run and then we’re joined by Peter Carpenter, a longtime public educator turned coach, principal, and district leader, to talk about adult learning theory and what strong professiona...

National Odometer Day sounds like a joke until you follow the math hiding in plain sight. We kick things off by unpacking what an odometer actually measures, why it can help prevent mileage fraud, and how it connects to geometry you can feel in your hands. From there, our conversation opens up with Rafael del Castillo, CPM's Executive Director, as we reflect on five years of the More Math for...

We start by honoring school bus drivers and sharing our memories of riding the school bus on School Bus Driver Appreciation Day.  Then we all know that math class gets quieter when students are confused and louder when they’re thinking together. That’s why we invited Marjorie Kucich and Sarah McKittrick to talk about station rotation in middle school math and how a smart rotation can turn a lesson...

National Gardening Day starts with a surprisingly honest question: do you like gardening, or do you like having a garden? From urban farming stats to blueberry bushes that take care of themselves, we warm up with the kind of curious, low-stakes talk that makes real learning feel safe. Then we sit down with Judy Hutchinson, a math teacher in Rockford School District, to talk about CPM’s Academy of...

It's National Crayon Day! What are your favorite or least favorite memories about crayons? Do you still like to use crayons today? :wink Then we talk with Jeremiah Morgan about the Site-Based Leadership (SBL) Program and their upcoming book study on April 8, 15, 22, and 29. The book study will be engaging with The Instructional Coaching Toolkit , which you can purchase through the link below....

This episode opens with a lighthearted discussion about National 3D Day, where we joke about three-dimensional experiences like 3D movies, printing, and art.  Then we have another installment of Conversaciónes con Rafael. Together we reflect on the pressures of constant busyness in education and life, emphasizing the importance of intentionally creating time for reflection, creativity, and human c...

On this episode we share the Ignite talks from the 2026 CPM Teacher Conference.  The room buzzed with that end-of-day, can’t-stop-thinking energy as teachers took the Ignite stage and proved how five-minute stories can shift an entire practice.  Personal stories tie it all together: a quiet teen who returns years later to teach calculus, reminders to expect students to surprise us, and a joyful to...

We missed an episode - lots of "life" happening for Joel and Misty... So we're catching up with this week's episode! Ever feel like numbers aren’t telling the whole story of your classroom? We dig into a simple but powerful shift: using evidence—not just data—to understand learning and coach for growth. After quick updates from the road and our lives and a lively nod to Interna...

A quirky holiday about Printing Ink turns into a surprising exploration of how learning really sticks. We start with soot, gelatin, CMYK, and the tactile world of flexography—plates wrapped on cylinders, color laid down in sequence, and the trained eye that spots misalignments at a glance.  That segues into our deeper conversation with CPM Executive Director, Rafael del Castillo: January acts like...

Ready for a feel-good jolt of purpose and practical ideas to carry you into the new year? We kick off with National Underdog Day, then connect that spirit to math classrooms where identity, equity, and agency drive the work. The conversation builds toward a big announcement: the CPM Teacher Conference returns to San Francisco on February 21–22, 2026, with an energized program designed to meet teac...

A bag of popcorn, a few movie-theater secrets, and then the big pivot: what actually makes math materials high quality. We invited Bridget Gunn and Dan Henderson to help us pull HQIM out of acronym-land and into real classrooms, where teachers need time, students need voice, and everyone needs coherence. The result is a candid, practical tour of how curriculum design can elevate thinking without b...

Start with a name and you get a story. We kick off with Latvian Independence Day and our colleague, Astrida Lizins, whose Latvian name, family roots, and community traditions open a window into how culture survives and thrives far from home. From Saturday language schools and summer camps to folk dance sets and dense rye bread, we explore how rituals and food build belonging—and why that matters w...

What if “common sense” isn’t universal at all—but learned, personal, and shaped by context? Joel and Misty begin with their typical philosophical investigation of the national day. This time it's "Use Your Common Sense" Day. That reframing sets the stage for a lively conversation with our colleagues Bri Ruiz and Adam Varnes as they launch Sum Shenanigans, a new CPM social series bui...

What if a few simple shifts could turn your math class into a place where more students talk, think, and truly learn?  We start with our usual celebration of the "day of" by tipping our hats to Ada Lovelace.  Then we ask the PL Team to share some of their "themes of support" that come up as they work with teachers during the beginning part of the year. The struggles and challen...

What if the future of math education blends joy, rigor, and teacher voice—with professional learning that meets educators where they are? We open with a lighthearted celebration of International Podcast Day and a look back at how radio paved the way for the on‑demand world. Then we sit down with former CPM executive director Elizabeth Coyner to trace her path from a small farm town classroom to le...

What does it mean to build authentic trust in educational settings? How do we create working agreements that evolve with changing circumstances rather than remaining static? These questions form the heart of this deeply reflective conversation about leadership, classroom dynamics, and the complex relationships that underpin effective education. Beginning with a playful discussion about Collect Roc...

First, it's National Toilet Paper Day! So we talk about how we will celebrate...  Then, what happens when a school district shifts from traditional math instruction to collaborative learning? Holly McCarty, Coordinator of Curriculum Instruction at Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas, takes us behind the scenes of their successful CPM implementation journey. When Holly joined Shawnee Mis...

First, we discuss National Couscous Day (not to be confused with National Quinoa Day...). Please read that out loud a few times so that you can join in our fun and delight in saying the word "couscous"! Then, Rafael Del Castillo joins the More Math for More People podcast to share his fascinating journey from CPM math teacher to CPM Educational Program's Executive Director. His stor...

Latrenda Knighten, current president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), joins us for the second part of our illuminating conversation on professional collaboration and growth in mathematics education. We begin with a playful discussion of Pi Approximation Day (July 22nd or 22/7). What will you do to celebrate? Then part two of our conversation – a profound exploration of pr...

First, we start off with National Pet Safety Day. How will you celebrate? Well, if you want to get a Save our Pets sticker? You could go here . Then, what does it take to lead one of the the largest mathematics education organization in the world? Latrenda Knighton, current president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), opens up about her journey from kindergarten teacher to...

Mathematics education never stands still. After a decade of classroom implementation, research advances, and teacher feedback, CPM Educational Program has reimagined their middle school curriculum for today's learning environments. In this enlightening conversation with Tony Jones (Managing Editor) and Karen Wootton (Director of Curriculum Assessment), we explore how the third edition of CPM&...

Summer has arrived, and with it comes refreshing iced tea, eaglet adventures, and exciting plans for the months ahead! We kick off with a spirited discussion about National Iced Tea Day, sharing our personal brewing preferences and debating the merits of sweet versus unsweet varieties. Remember those old commercials where people would fall backward into pools after a refreshing sip? We certainly d...