About Us | The People Behind Math Success by DMTI

More Than a Product

A Team of People

When you partner with Math Success by DMTI, you don't get a software subscription or a box of worksheets. You get the most comprehensively educated, research-familiar, and classroom-tested team in math education.

People who have dedicated their careers to understanding how children actually learn and bringing that knowledge into classrooms every single week.

Here to help and support you.

Much emphasis in fundamental math, both instruction and assessment, is on executing procedures rather than understanding why they work. Depth of understanding and reasoning are inadequately addressed, which stunts development of enriched thinking.

That's what we're solving.

40+
Years of Research
300+
Schools Transformed
14,000+
Teachers Trained
35%+
Avg. Test Score Increase

How We Started

Our Story

The Developing Mathematical Thinking Institute was born from a simple observation: too many students were memorizing math procedures without understanding the concepts behind them. They could perform calculations but couldn't explain why they worked. The result? By 8th grade, only about 15% of students retain the math facts they "knew" in 3rd grade.

Our founder, Jonathan Brendefur, PhD, spent 20 years as a Professor of Mathematics Education at Boise State University, working directly with teachers in classrooms every week. He saw that traditional PD wasn't working. Teachers would attend workshops, try new strategies, but rarely sustain the changes. The missing piece wasn't another curriculum. It was deep teacher knowledge paired with ongoing, embedded support.

Deep Mathematical Knowledge

Understanding the structure, connections, and progression of mathematical concepts across grade levels; so teachers can see where students are and where they need to go.

Integrated Pedagogy

Skillful alignment of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to meet diverse learners' needs; not a script, but a framework teachers can own.

Psychology of Learning

Applying cognitive science principles to support student reasoning, engagement, and retention; because how children learn is just as important as what they learn.

Today, our team of PhD researchers and veteran educators, who have taught at every level from kindergarten through university, continues to work directly with students and teachers in Title I schools every week. This ongoing classroom practice, combined with our university research experience, ensures that our support is grounded in real teaching contexts and informed by real educational research.

Proven Results

Built on Research,
Proven in Classrooms

This isn't theory that sounds good in a journal. It's a framework validated across 300+ schools, 14,000+ teachers, and hundreds of thousands of students with the data to prove it.

35%
Average SBAC Growth
43.5%
Average ACT Aspire Growth
2-3×
Typical Growth in Conceptual Understanding

The 6 Predictors Study

Longitudinal research identified six specific, observable cognitive and instructional factors that predict mathematics achievement from elementary through middle school. These aren't vague principles; they're measurable drivers of student success that teachers can act on.

Teacher PD Impact Studies

Studies show that teachers trained in DMTI principles demonstrate significant gains in pedagogical content knowledge and instructional quality. 87% of partner schools maintain or improve gains in Year 2 without intensive co-teaching support, the learning sticks.

Explore the Research →

What Makes Us Different

Not a product.
A Partnership.

Most companies sell you a curriculum, a platform, or a one-day workshop. We give you something different: a team of experts who stay with you until the transformation is real.

🤝

We Partner, Not Prescribe

Every teacher, school and district is unique. We listen to your needs, understand your context, and design support that fits your timeline and budget. Whether it's our program, a single workshop or district-wide transformation, we scale to match your goals.

👩‍🏫

We Model, Don't Just Tell

Our specialists are former K-12 teachers who work directly with students and teachers in classrooms every week. We demonstrate effective instruction with your students in your classrooms; practical, sustainable, immediately applicable.

🏗️

We Build Capacity, Not Dependency

Our goal is to make ourselves unnecessary. We develop teacher leaders, strengthen instructional coaching, and create systems that sustain effective practices over time.

📊

We Measure What Matters

Test scores matter, but they're not the whole story. We track student engagement, teacher confidence, mathematical discourse, and conceptual understanding; ensuring sustainable improvement beyond test preparation.

For District Leaders

See how our professional development and partnership models scale across schools with transparent pricing, flexible entry points, and measurable results.

Explore PD & Resources →

Our Pedagogy

The DMT Framework

Five research-based components that transform math instruction from procedural memorization to durable conceptual understanding.

Taking Students' Ideas Seriously

Value and listen to student thinking. When students share their reasoning, even if incorrect, you uncover their understanding and can guide them forward.

Multiple Strategies & Models

Students need both physical and visual models. DMTI uses only four core visual models across all topics: Number Line, Bar Model, Area Model, and Ratio Table.

Conceptual Before Procedural

Students must see the how and why before algorithms. Progression: Enactive → Iconic → Symbolic. Build procedures on understanding, not the other way around.

Structure of Mathematics

Six foundational words empower students across all math topics (K-12): Unit, Compose, Decompose, Iterate, Partition, Equal.

Embrace Misconceptions

Use conceptual understanding, models, and structural language to resolve misconceptions. Celebrate students sharing thinking; that's where real learning happens.

Varied Practice

Multiple representations of every concept. Students see math from different angles, building flexible thinking that transfers to new situations.

What Teachers Say

Teachers Love Teaching

"I used to dread teaching math. Now it's my favorite part of the day. My students are engaged, confident, and actually understanding concepts instead of just memorizing procedures."

- Emily, Grade 2 Math Teacher

"I have never loved teaching math as much as I have this year. Learning all of these teaching strategies from DMTI has made math come alive in my classroom."

- DMTI Partner Teacher

"If I had been taught math this way I think I would have loved it and actually been a math teacher. I never thought I would say this, but I actually look forward to math."

- Elementary Teacher

"My entire 1st grade class was at grade level by the end of the year. Had never happened before!"

- 1st Grade Teacher

More Teacher Stories →

The People You Get

Meet the Team

When you work with Math Success by DMTI, these are the people you get. PhD researchers. Master coaches. Classroom veterans. All dedicated to one thing: making math make sense.

Jonathan Brendefur, PhD
PhD Researcher

Jonathan Brendefur, PhD

President & Founder

For 20 years, Jonathan served as Professor of Mathematics Education at Boise State University, where he directed professional development for over 14,000 teachers and administrators. Named BSU Foundation Teacher of the Year in 2019, his research focuses on mathematical learning progressions, student thinking, and curriculum design.

Unlike many researchers, Jonathan has never left the classroom. He continues to work directly with students and teachers every week, because the best research is tested where it matters most.

View on LinkedIn →

Research Team

JI
PhD Researcher

Jackie Ismail, PhD

Director of Research & Curriculum

Jackie brings deep expertise in mathematics education research and curriculum development. With a PhD focused on how students build mathematical understanding, she leads DMTI's research initiatives and ensures every resource, assessment, and instructional framework is grounded in evidence of what actually works in classrooms.

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Sam Strother, PhD PhD Researcher

Sam Strother, PhD

Director of Professional Development

Sam leads DMTI's professional development design and delivery, ensuring that research insights translate into practical, classroom-ready strategies. With a PhD in mathematics education and extensive experience working alongside teachers in real classrooms, Sam bridges the gap between research and practice.

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Math Specialist Coaches

Keith Krone Master Coach

Keith Krone

Math Specialist Coach

Keith is a seasoned math specialist who works directly in classrooms alongside teachers, modeling lessons and co-teaching to build instructional capacity. With years of experience across elementary and middle school settings, Keith has a gift for making complex mathematical ideas accessible and engaging for both teachers and students.

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Jana Estes Master Coach

Jana Estes

Math Specialist Coach

Jana is a dedicated math specialist with deep experience in elementary mathematics instruction. She works side-by-side with teachers in their classrooms, demonstrating effective strategies and building teacher confidence through modeling and co-teaching. Her warm, supportive approach helps teachers embrace new methods and see immediate results.

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Mathpreneurship

JD
Mathpreneur

Jason Dodd

Mathpreneur

Jason here :) I am on a mission to bring successful math instruction to as many students and educators as I can. I started managing the software and digital systems for DMTI, and after seeing fundamental math taught this way, I joined the team in an entrepreneurial capacity to get this to the teachers, parents, and students who need it.

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JM
Math Artist

Jessica Miceli-Dodd

Director of Art and Videography

Jessica leads art intitiaties as well as videography. She's in classrooms recording, advising the marketing team, keeping the development efforts in alignment, and all matters with helping connect with others and grow Math Success.

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Are you ready for Math Success?

Schedule time and explore a partnership with the people you'll be working with.

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