Magma Math, a leader in educational technology, is thrilled to enhance math instruction by developing AI-powered tools designed to support teachers and drive meaningful student engagement with a close to $700k grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This funding will allow Magma Math to further its mission of improving math education for students and will support an additional focus on Black, Latinx, and low-income communities.

This two-year project, “Tech-Enabled Teacher Supports: Magma Math,” launches in December 2024. It aims to increase the quality and efficiency of math instruction for grades K-9 by continuing to improve the platform’s AI-driven tools that address key teaching challenges. The project specifically focuses on districts with over 50% Black, Latinx, or low-income students and aims to provide free access to these tools in target districts to ensure equitable educational opportunities.

With the support of this grant, Magma Math will:

• Advance the AI tools that interpret students' handwritten math solutions, identify misconceptions, and suggest questions to foster mathematical discourse in classrooms.
• Enhance teaching practices and improve student engagement,  such as posing purposeful questions and facilitating student-centered discussions.
• Enable teachers to focus on high-impact instructional activities by reducing the time spent on routine tasks.

"By incorporating AI into math instruction, we're equipping teachers with resources to drive deeper student understanding and promote classroom dialogue that makes math accessible and engaging," said Henrik Appert, CEO and Co-founder of Magma Math. "Our vision is to support all students, especially those in underserved communities, with the high-quality math education they deserve."

The Magma Math team will collaborate with school districts  to improve these tools, working closely with educators to adopt and implement the solutions to their needs. The anticipated outcomes of this project include a 50% increase in student engagement in meaningful math discourse and improved student performance on formative assessments.

This initiative aligns with Magma Math's commitment to fostering inclusive education by ensuring access to top-tier instructional support technologies in underserved districts. Magma Math will publish the findings and impact of this project, making research results openly available to inform educational practices on a broader scale.

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