Modern Classrooms Project raised $12 million to develop a free Tier 1 mathematics curriculum grounded in cognitive science. The funding round was led by the Skeebo Foundation.
Modern Classrooms plans to launch the middle-school curriculum in summer 2027, followed by a high-school curriculum in summer 2028.
Core teacher-facing and student-facing materials will be publicly available at no cost.
The materials will also be printable, modifiable, and aligned with academic standards.
Modern Classrooms is developing the program around cognitive science research involving how students acquire and retain mathematical skills.
Each class period will incorporate whole-group fluency, explicit instruction in a new skill, guided and blocked practice, a short skill check, and spaced practice covering material taught previously.
Skills will return repeatedly throughout the year to support mastery.
The curriculum will offer two implementation models.
A fully paper-based version will allow teachers and schools to use the curriculum without screens.
A second version will use technology selectively and allow students to progress at different speeds based on mastery while teachers spend more time providing individual and small-group instruction.
Modern Classrooms plans to establish a research advisory board consisting of cognitive scientists, mathematicians, and education researchers.
The nonprofit is also seeking schools, teachers, districts, and research organizations interested in testing, piloting, and studying the curriculum.
KEY QUOTES:
“Until a math curriculum is released that anchors on cognitive science and is free to anyone who wants it, we cannot fully test whether that body of research is the missing piece to improve math outcomes at scale.”
Kareem Farah, CEO and Co-Founder of Modern Classrooms Project
