Over this last summer, sixty teachers gathered at Northeastern State University, ready to rethink what math teaching could look like. They weren’t there for a typical workshop. They were stepping into a year-long experience designed to transform not just mindsets but also set them up for success as they work to impact every learner who joins their classrooms.
This is Exponential Growth Math Professional Development, a program that has been quietly revolutionizing elementary and middle school math instruction across the Tulsa region. Led by the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance (TRSA) in collaboration with nationally recognized mathematics educator and DaVinci Fellow Dr. Martha Parrott, the program offers educators a rare opportunity: time, tools, community, and training to master the art of mathematical thinking.
A Statewide Challenge
In Oklahoma, only 32% of students are proficient or above in mathematics, according to the 2024 State Report Card, and another 18% of all elementary students are reaching their growth target. Students in economically disadvantaged homes, students with disabilities, and Black learners all face complex challenges, causing 25%-41% of students to reach their target or achieve proficiency. Middle school outcomes are worse in nearly every category.
Behind those statistics are the educators who are doing it all, often with limited support, funding, and supplies, which hinders excellent math instruction. Many received certification outside of the formal teacher preparation system and are often provided short-term strategies that over-index on high-stakes assessment performance. They crave better strategies to inspire and prepare their students.
To learn more about this program’s impact, we talked with Amy Bruner, a third-grade teacher at Leisure Park Elementary and a graduate of Exponential Growth. She explains, “As an elementary teacher, we’re generalists by nature. I was looking for hands-on resources to evolve my knowledge for better instruction. Not all of my students arrive with the same skills, and I wanted ways to reach them all.”
That search led her to Exponential Growth.
A Different Kind of Professional Development
Too many professional development sessions are brief, superficial, and easily forgotten. “Drive-by PD,” as it’s often called, put simply, is ineffective. Exponential Growth is different; it’s guided by best practices for effective professional learning, such as having sustained, ongoing structures for collaboration, coaching, and opportunities for active engagement to learn about specific instructional strategies or curriculum (Learning Forward, 2023).
Over the course of a school year, teachers complete 18 hours of professional development, beginning with a two-day summer institute and continuing with fall and spring sessions. Each grade-band cohort (K–2, 3–5, 6–8) participates in a structured three-year cycle, giving educators time to deepen their practice, apply lessons in the classroom, and learn alongside peers at different stages of experience.
What sets the program apart is its design: teachers experience math as learners first. They make sense and communicate reasoning using manipulatives, explore and describe patterns, and discover concepts underpinning fluency through hands-on problem-solving, just as we want our students to.
“Dr. Parrott nurtures and allows each cohort to grow,” says Michelle Rahn, TRSA’s Program Manager. “You can see tremendous change from the summer institute to the final session and even more as teachers return year after year.”
The results speak for themselves: the program has maintained a 90% retention rate, meaning only 1 in 10 teachers who join a three-year cohort won’t continue to the next year. After the summer session, teachers’ average confidence in teaching STEM jumped from 2.8 to 3.6 on a 4-point scale after just two days, and their understanding of high-quality math instruction rose from 3.1 to 3.9. Not only were both increases statistically significant, but out of 17 participants who initially indicated they felt their confidence and understanding were unfavorable, 15 (88%) reported they were favorable in both by the end of the experience.
Putting Learning Into Practice
For Bruner, the program changed everything about how she teaches multiplication.
“I started with manipulatives so students could model and visualize the concept,” she says. “Then I used tasks from the PD to differentiate instruction. By the end, every student could explain and represent multiplication through their own word problems. That was a huge win.”
Teachers leave each session not only inspired, but also equipped with over $240 in classroom materials, including manipulatives, games, and research-based resources, which they can use immediately. They also receive stipends for their time, honoring the value of their professional learning.
The Ripple Effect
The 2025-2026 cohort of 60 teachers represents 3,597 students across Northeast Oklahoma, with 83% of them in Title I schools, a marker indicating that at least 40% of students come from low-income families. As participants share what they’ve learned with peers, the impact grows exponentially, spreading stronger math instruction across entire districts.
“This professional development helped grow my understanding of how students learn,” Bruner says. “It bridged the gap between research and real classroom practice.”
Survey data confirms the ripple effect: teachers’ belief in the connection between professional development and student achievement rose from 3.5 to 3.9 out of 4, and 100% reported feeling prepared to share what they learned with colleagues. Learn more about the impact here.
Meeting Demand
Perhaps the clearest indicator of the program’s success is what comes next: a waitlist. Fifty-seven teachers—enough to double the program—are hoping for a chance to join.
“With additional funding, TRSA could expand to include more teachers from the waitlist and add a new cohort with a deeper geometry focus for grades 3-5,” Rahn says.
The demand is there. The need is urgent. And the model works.
From Confidence to Advocacy
For many teachers, what begins as professional development ends as a rekindled love for teaching.
“Dr. Parrott makes professional learning beneficial and fun,” says Bruner. “She helped me fall in love with teaching all over again.”
The program’s hallmark is transforming teachers from anxious about math into confident champions of discovery-based learning. Classrooms that once relied on worksheets now buzz with curiosity and collaboration. And in a state where 2 out of 3 students need more ambitious instruction to meet their needs, that kind of change is essential.
The name says it all: Exponential Growth. Growth in understanding, confidence, and the belief that investing deeply in teachers is the most powerful way to change student outcomes.