About Illustrative Mathematics
Illustrative Mathematics® is the nonprofit behind IM® Math. Our vision is a world where all learners know, use, and enjoy mathematics.
OUR VISION
A world where all learners know, use, and enjoy mathematics.
Who we are
Illustrative Mathematics (IM) is the nonprofit organization behind IM Math, a problem-based TK–12 curriculum grounded in research on how students learn mathematics and rooted in the belief that all students can succeed.
In IM classrooms, students engage in grade-level math every day, receiving support as needed so all can participate. They solve meaningful problems together while teachers lead discussions that connect student thinking to key mathematical ideas.
IM helps schools and districts bring this approach to life through high-quality instructional materials and curriculum-based professional learning that are designed to work together. Educators can register for free access to the full curriculum. In addition, IM Certified® partners provide a variety of high-quality, aligned platforms and implementation supports, so schools and districts can choose the supports that best meet their unique needs.
Today, more than 3.4 million students across all 50 states learn with IM Certified curricula.
IMpact
Across the country, schools and districts in all 50 states are using IM Certified® curricula and aligned professional learning to build coherent math programs around a shared instructional model.
89,000
teachers use IM Certified curricula in their classrooms
2,300
school districts partner with an IM Certified partner
3.4 million
students learn with IM Certified curricula
123,000
educators have strengthened their practice with IM Certified Professional Learning since 2019
Our story
Illustrative Mathematics began with a simple idea: every student should have access to rigorous, grade-level mathematics, and every teacher should have access to high-quality materials that support strong mathematics instruction.
That idea took shape in 2011 at the University of Arizona, where IM started as a project to illustrate new math standards through high-quality, freely available tasks. It was led by Dr. Bill McCallum, a lead writer of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, and fellow mathematician and educator Dr. Kristin Umland. Their early work focused on creating problems that deepened students’ conceptual understanding, built procedural fluency, and supported students in applying mathematics.
Educators embraced the tasks and asked for more comprehensive materials to support daily instruction. Interest grew so quickly that the team repeatedly had to expand the website’s capacity to keep up. In 2013, Illustrative Mathematics became an independent nonprofit organization, and in 2017, we released a coherent, standards-aligned, problem-based curriculum built to support this kind of instruction in classrooms.
Today, we pair that curriculum with aligned professional learning and a carefully vetted IM Certified partner ecosystem, giving districts the flexibility to choose the platforms and supports that best meet the unique needs of their communities.
Dr. Bill McCallum
Cofounder
Dr. Kristin Umland
CEO and Cofounder
A mission-driven nonprofit
Illustrative Mathematics is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. That matters because it shapes how we make decisions about our curriculum, professional learning, and partnerships, and what we choose to make available to educators and schools.
We are committed to helping schools expand access to strong mathematics instruction for more students. That is why our curriculum is freely available and why our professional learning is designed alongside it to support strong implementation and strengthen instructional practice. Every IM Certified partner is also carefully vetted so districts can trust that the platforms and supports they choose reinforce the curriculum rather than fragment it.
Philanthropic support helps make our mission-driven work possible. We are grateful for the generous support of our philanthropic partners: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Heising-Simons Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Every design decision prioritizes what strengthens student learning and supports teachers, not what satisfies investors or drives sales.
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