K-12 Mathematics Market Survey Report 2019

Report Overview

Seeing the evolving expectations for classroom instruction and the changes they are leading companies to make, Simba Information set out to explore the state of the math materials market by conducting a national survey of educators in the fall of 2018.

Key findings are published in K-12 Mathematics Market Survey Report 2019, which details:

• Sources for core math curriculum programs
• Whether the use of those programs is shifting from print to digital
• What additional resources are used and how they are being used
• What attributes educators are looking for in math resources
• The outlook for emerging technologies and future purchases

In addition, the report provides information on whether schools are integrating the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math and how that is being accomplished.

The insights provided in this report will help education publishers, edtech companies and other players in this space better understand K-12 math instruction so they can stay ahead of the curve and craft effective product plans.

K-12 Mathematics Market Survey Report 2019 provides information on what materials educators are using for mathematics instruction. It details where the programs used are coming from, whether the use of those programs is evolving from print to digital and outlines the attributes most sought by educators when evaluating core and supplemental math resources. The report also provides information on whether schools are integrating the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math and how that is being accomplished.

K-12 Mathematics Market Survey Report is an all-new Simba Information continuation of a publication series on the mathematics market, with the most recent prior report being K-12 Mathematics Market Report 2016.

About the Survey

The report is built on the results of a 24-question survey that was sent to 20,000 educators in October 2018. The list of educator names was purchased from MCH Strategic Data. The mailing list included classroom teachers, math teachers, math department chairs and curriculum/instruction supervisors.

Inclusion in a drawing for 10 $100 Amazon gift cards was offered as an incentive to complete the survey. Completed surveys were received from 427 educators for a 2.1% response rate. Thirty-five mailed surveys were returned as undeliverable as addressed.

Respondents came from school districts in 49 of the 50 states; there were no responses from Alaska. The largest percentage of responses came from Florida, 7.3%, California, 6.8%, and Texas, 5.4%.

Among the respondents, 45% identified themselves as math teachers and 30% self-identified as classroom teachers, with 12% identifying as math department chairs and 10% identifying as curriculum/instruction supervisors.

When survey respondents were asked the grade levels they teach or supervise, total responses were more than the number of returned surveys because educators cover multiple levels. The responses break down to 28% K-2, 31% grades 3-5, 30% grades 6-8, 28% grades 9-12 and 3% grades K-12.

Results are reported in total and are broken out by sub-sets when pertinent. Full breakouts are included in the expansive appendix to the report.

This report is built around the mail survey and reflects the market condition at a specific point in time. Simba’s own ongoing research provided added context to the analysis and commentary. Additional information is included from trusted third-party resources, including the U.S. Department of Education and the Rand Corporation.

Actionable Information

The information and analysis contained in this report is intended to help mathematics product developers and marketers learn more about math instruction in the classroom in order to sharpen the focus of their product plans.