Mathematics in the City

About Mathematics in the City

Founded in 1995, Mathematics in the City is a national center for K–8 mathematics education, established through a collaboration between the City College of New York and the Freudenthal Institute in the Netherlands. 

We provide summer institutes, school-year workshops, and professional development for educators, grounded in the belief that all students can think mathematically when given the right opportunities. Central to our work is the implementation of the Standards for Mathematical Practice from the Common Core State Standards. Our approach emphasizes context, representation, and discourse as essential components of learning. We begin with realistic, problematic situations that invite participants, teachers, and students to mathematize their world. Classrooms become workshops, where learners engage in inquiry, construct arguments, and communicate their thinking with peers. Educators learn to analyze student work through a developmental lens, what we call a landscape of learning, built on effective math strategies, big ideas, and mathematical models.

We also support teachers in designing and facilitating number strings, a powerful instructional routine that builds computational fluency and encourages mathematical reasoning.

About Mathematics in the City

Founded in 1995, Mathematics in the City is a national center for K–8 mathematics education, established through a collaboration between the City College of New York and the Freudenthal Institute in the Netherlands. 

We provide summer institutes, school-year workshops, and professional development for educators, grounded in the belief that all students can think mathematically when given the right opportunities. Central to our work is the implementation of the Standards for Mathematical Practice from the Common Core State Standards. Our approach emphasizes context, representation, and discourse as essential components of learning. We begin with realistic, problematic situations that invite participants, teachers, and students to mathematize their world. Classrooms become workshops, where learners engage in inquiry, construct arguments, and communicate their thinking with peers. Educators learn to analyze student work through a developmental lens, what we call a landscape of learning, built on effective math strategies, big ideas, and mathematical models.

We also support teachers in designing and facilitating number strings, a powerful instructional routine that builds computational fluency and encourages mathematical reasoning.