ST Math Drives Meaningful Math Gains for Massachusetts Students

New Brown University research shows MIND Education's ST Math delivers stronger outcomes when implemented at scale through the One8 Foundation initiative

IRVINE, Calif., March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A new independent study from the Annenberg Institute at Brown University reveals that students participating in the One8 Foundation's ST Math initiative are achieving significantly higher math learning gains than their peers. Released in January 2026, the findings show that ST Math—a visual instructional program from MIND Education—has accelerated math achievement for more than 140,000 students across Massachusetts. The study shows that the One8 Foundation's initiative helps schools maximize the impact of ST Math by promoting consistent, high-quality student usage.

Over the past eight years, the One8 Foundation has supported the expansion of ST Math in Massachusetts. Today, more than one-third of all elementary students in the state use ST Math, of which 79% are in One8-supported programs. The Brown University study found that students in One8-supported schools showed learning gains equivalent to two weeks of additional learning compared to similar peers as measured by the state's MCAS math assessment. In classrooms where students complete 80% of the curriculum, that impact increased to more than one month of extra learning.

The Impact of Consistent Usage
The evaluation highlights a stark "implementation gap" that the One8 initiative successfully closes. In schools receiving One8 grants—which include teacher training, community programming and dedicated success managers—52% of students completed at least 80% of their curriculum. This consistent usage is key to unlocking the program's full benefits; in contrast, only 3% of students in Massachusetts schools using the program without these specific supports reached that same milestone.

"The data shows that ST Math's visual approach helps accelerate student learning—especially when students are given enough time and support to use it well," said Andrew Coulson, Chief Data Science Officer at MIND Research Institute. "The One8 Foundation provides systematic implementation support that maximizes school and teacher participation, allowing schools to thrive on high ST Math use and reach all students consistently."

Key Evaluation Highlights:

• Closing Equity Gaps: ST Math users are more likely to be economically disadvantaged or English Learners. The program was found to be equally effective across all student groups.
• Unprecedented Engagement: The median student in a One8-supported school gets to play the challenging ST Math games more than 40 hours annually, compared to just six hours in non-supported schools.
• Usage drives impact: Students completing at least 80% of the curriculum show statistically significant gains relative to peers. In grade levels where average progress is over 80%, gains for students equate to more than a month of additional learning.
• Support Makes a Difference: Schools in the One8 grant program receive additional in-person training opportunities, community programming events and a dedicated Education Success Managers (ESM). ESMs for One8-supported schools maintain a 50:1 school-to-manager ratio vs the usual 250-350 schools per manager, ensuring teachers get maximal attention, support and guidance that leads to high fidelity implementation of ST Math.

"This research provides more evidence that students are more engaged and have improved learning gains when they have access to high-quality programs like ST Math," said Joanna Jacobson, President of the One8 Foundation. "The program is also impactful for teachers—more than 75% of teachers agree that working with ST Math has changed how they think about what their students can learn and produce. The findings underscore that with robust implementation ST Math builds foundational math understanding and accelerates achievement for all students. Students who use ST Math more also report higher levels of enjoyment and confidence in math. We are proud to support solutions that deliver measurable results for all students."

The five-year study by Brown University will continue to track student progress to provide ongoing insights into long-term learning outcomes.

To learn more about ST Math, visit: stmath.com.

About MIND Education
MIND Education engages, motivates, and challenges students towards mathematical success through its mission to mathematically equip all students to solve the world's most challenging problems. MIND is the creator of ST Math, a pre-K–8 visual instructional program that leverages the brain's innate spatial-temporal reasoning ability to solve mathematical problems; and InsightMath, a neuroscience-based K-6 curriculum that transforms student learning by teaching math the way every brain learns so all students are equipped to succeed. Since its inception in 1998, MIND Education and ST Math have served millions and millions of students across the country. Visit MINDEducation.org.

About One8 Foundation
The One8 Education team identifies, supports and scales high-impact programs and approaches that help schools and teachers prepare students for success in a rapidly changing, data-rich world. One8 imagines a future where high-quality applied learning opportunities that make learning relevant, stimulating and rewarding are a regular part of the student experience driving impact for all students. Learn more at www.one8.org.

Media Contact:
Stephanie Grau
[email protected]
(954) 368-9804

SOURCE MIND Education