What Counts

What is the long-term impact of teacher-student relationships in math? In the final episode of What Counts, we follow one student's story and reflect on what unfolded when a math teacher chose connection, high expectations, and belief. Through this vignette, we see how teacher-student relationships in a secondary math classroom can influence a student's confidence, participation, and sense of math...

Strong teacher-student relationships matter, but classroom culture shapes math learning just as much. In Episode 4, we widen the lens to explore peer relationships in the math classroom and how social dynamics influence student participation. Middle and high school math teachers share stories about: Co-creating classroom norms Addressing laughter or shutdown without damaging relationships Reducing...

If relationships matter in math instruction, how do you actually build them? Especially with 100+ students? In Episode 3, we move from belief to practice. Middle and high school math teachers reflect on what intentional relationship-building looks like in real classrooms... beyond slogans like "relationships are everything." You'll hear practical strategies from secondary math educators, including...

Why do so many students walk into math class believing they're "not math people"? In Episode 2, we explore why math is one of the only subjects where students form identity-level beliefs about their abilities and how math anxiety, shame, and past classroom experiences shape participation in middle and high school math. You'll hear secondary math teachers reflect on: Students who carry fear or emba...

In Episode 1, we ask a foundational question for middle and high school math teachers: where do teacher-student relationships fit in math instruction — and why do they matter in the math classroom? You'll hear from Florida math teachers who describe a persistent tension between pacing guides and relationship-building, and why many believe there's "not time not to" build trust and student engagemen...

What Counts is a limited-series podcast about the narratives that shape math learning, and how changing those narratives can change what's possible in classrooms. In season 1, we speak to teachers, students, and education leaders to ask: What happens when relationships move from the margins to the center of math instruction?  What Counts is presented by Impact Florida and produced by De LeCourt . ...