About

San Diego Math Network

Mathematics remains the “Achilles Heel” of our region’s college preparation efforts and is the focus of the collective San Diego Math Network, funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Awarded in 2015, the San Diego Math Network links four major local school districts with UC San Diego to support K-12 math teachers in the Chula Vista Elementary School District, San Diego Unified School District, Sweetwater Union High School District, and Vista Unified School District, with UC San Diego partnership schools Gompers Preparatory Academy and The Preuss School UCSD.

The San Diego Math Network seeks to:

  • Increase connections of partner district leaders and math teachers by engaging in examining and addressing students’ elementary-to-middle school math transitions.
  • Problem-solve around critical shared issues.
  • Share learning and thinking across districts.
  • Provide data-driven, inter-district professional development resources.
  • Increase teacher content knowledge and confidence in teaching Common Core State Standards-Mathematics K-12.
  • Identify issues and areas of focus shared between elementary and middle school teachers.
  • Increase student achievement through multiple data points by Network participants, research and evaluation, and school-level partners.

Recent SDMN efforts include:

  • Pinpointing issues in the K-12 math pipeline particularly requiring additional mathematics support.
  • Coordinating “Teacher Talk” meetings for SDMN district teachers to identify student and teachers’ mathematics needs.
  • Developing public “Learning Events,” led by San Diego educators to explore issues of critical regional importance in mathematics.
  • Focusing first on strengthening the regional elementary to middle school transition, as a key pipeline moment where gaps in mathematics understanding or progress jeopardize students’ future options.