More Math for More People

Donald Duck ... Love him? Find him annoying? Or do you want him banned? (That story is fake, by the way....)

Then we pick up part two of our conversation with Peter Carpenter to get clear about something schools confuse constantly: adult learning is not one thing. Peter breaks it down into three practical buckets: training, professional development, and professional learning. Listen to find out the difference for yourself!

Th...

Spelling “tuberculosis” on the spot is one thing, but designing learning that actually changes what adults do is a whole different challenge. We start season six on Scripps Spelling Bee Day with a fast, funny spelling run and then we’re joined by Peter Carpenter, a longtime public educator turned coach, principal, and district leader, to talk about adult learning theory and what strong professional development des...

National Odometer Day sounds like a joke until you follow the math hiding in plain sight. We kick things off by unpacking what an odometer actually measures, why it can help prevent mileage fraud, and how it connects to geometry you can feel in your hands.

From there, our conversation opens up with Rafael del Castillo, CPM's Executive Director, as we reflect on five years of the More Math for More People podcast, the guests ...

We start by honoring school bus drivers and sharing our memories of riding the school bus on School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. 

Then we all know that math class gets quieter when students are confused and louder when they’re thinking together. That’s why we invited Marjorie Kucich and Sarah McKittrick to talk about station rotation in middle school math and how a smart rotation can turn a lesson into a room full o...

National Gardening Day starts with a surprisingly honest question: do you like gardening, or do you like having a garden? From urban farming stats to blueberry bushes that take care of themselves, we warm up with the kind of curious, low-stakes talk that makes real learning feel safe.

Then we sit down with Judy Hutchinson, a math teacher in Rockford School District, to talk about CPM’s Academy of Best Practices and why...

It's National Crayon Day! What are your favorite or least favorite memories about crayons? Do you still like to use crayons today? :wink

Then we talk with Jeremiah Morgan about the Site-Based Leadership (SBL) Program and their upcoming book study on April 8, 15, 22, and 29. The book study will be engaging with The Instructional Coaching Toolkit, which you can purchase through the link below. 

As Jeremiah points out, the SBL Prog...

This episode opens with a lighthearted discussion about National 3D Day, where we joke about three-dimensional experiences like 3D movies, printing, and art. 

Then we have another installment of Conversaciónes con Rafael. Together we reflect on the pressures of constant busyness in education and life, emphasizing the importance of intentionally creating time for reflection, creativity, and human connection rather than always wo...

On this episode we share the Ignite talks from the 2026 CPM Teacher Conference. 

The room buzzed with that end-of-day, can’t-stop-thinking energy as teachers took the Ignite stage and proved how five-minute stories can shift an entire practice. 

Personal stories tie it all together: a quiet teen who returns years later to teach calculus, reminders to expect students to surprise us, and a joyful tour through pr...

We missed an episode - lots of "life" happening for Joel and Misty... So we're catching up with this week's episode!

Ever feel like numbers aren’t telling the whole story of your classroom? We dig into a simple but powerful shift: using evidence—not just data—to understand learning and coach for growth. After quick updates from the road and our lives and a lively nod to International Cribbage Day, we welcome John H...

A quirky holiday about Printing Ink turns into a surprising exploration of how learning really sticks. We start with soot, gelatin, CMYK, and the tactile world of flexography—plates wrapped on cylinders, color laid down in sequence, and the trained eye that spots misalignments at a glance. 

That segues into our deeper conversation with CPM Executive Director, Rafael del Castillo: January acts like a second first day of sc...

Ready for a feel-good jolt of purpose and practical ideas to carry you into the new year? We kick off with National Underdog Day, then connect that spirit to math classrooms where identity, equity, and agency drive the work. The conversation builds toward a big announcement: the CPM Teacher Conference returns to San Francisco on February 21–22, 2026, with an energized program designed to meet teachers where they are and help ...

A bag of popcorn, a few movie-theater secrets, and then the big pivot: what actually makes math materials high quality. We invited Bridget Gunn and Dan Henderson to help us pull HQIM out of acronym-land and into real classrooms, where teachers need time, students need voice, and everyone needs coherence. The result is a candid, practical tour of how curriculum design can elevate thinking without burying teachers in prep.

We ...

Start with a name and you get a story. We kick off with Latvian Independence Day and our colleague, Astrida Lizins, whose Latvian name, family roots, and community traditions open a window into how culture survives and thrives far from home. From Saturday language schools and summer camps to folk dance sets and dense rye bread, we explore how rituals and food build belonging—and why that matters when we think about classrooms...

What if “common sense” isn’t universal at all—but learned, personal, and shaped by context? Joel and Misty begin with their typical philosophical investigation of the national day. This time it's "Use Your Common Sense" Day.

That reframing sets the stage for a lively conversation with our colleagues Bri Ruiz and Adam Varnes as they launch Sum Shenanigans, a new CPM social series built to deliver prac...

What if a few simple shifts could turn your math class into a place where more students talk, think, and truly learn? 

We start with our usual celebration of the "day of" by tipping our hats to Ada Lovelace. 

Then we ask the PL Team to share some of their "themes of support" that come up as they work with teachers during the beginning part of the year. The struggles and challenges that they face and some of the advice or su...

What if the future of math education blends joy, rigor, and teacher voice—with professional learning that meets educators where they are? We open with a lighthearted celebration of International Podcast Day and a look back at how radio paved the way for the on‑demand world. Then we sit down with former CPM executive director Elizabeth Coyner to trace her path from a small farm town classroom to leading a national organization...

What does it mean to build authentic trust in educational settings? How do we create working agreements that evolve with changing circumstances rather than remaining static? These questions form the heart of this deeply reflective conversation about leadership, classroom dynamics, and the complex relationships that underpin effective education.

Beginning with a playful discussion about Collect Rocks Day, Joel and Misty explo...

First, it's National Toilet Paper Day! So we talk about how we will celebrate... 

Then, what happens when a school district shifts from traditional math instruction to collaborative learning? Holly McCarty, Coordinator of Curriculum Instruction at Shawnee Mission School District in Kansas, takes us behind the scenes of their successful CPM implementation journey.

When Holly joined Shawnee Mission—a district serving...

First, we discuss National Couscous Day (not to be confused with National Quinoa Day...). Please read that out loud a few times so that you can join in our fun and delight in saying the word "couscous"!

Then, Rafael Del Castillo joins the More Math for More People podcast to share his fascinating journey from CPM math teacher to CPM Educational Program's Executive Director. His story reveals how a classroom transformation sp...