What Mathematics Education Collaborative does

Mathematics Education Collaborative (MEC) is a Washington State-based non-profit organization founded in 1990 by Ruth Parker and Patty Lofgren, dedicated to improving mathematics instruction for in-service teachers across grades 4-20. The organization delivers customized professional development that engages teachers as learners of mathematics rather than as recipients of procedural training, mirroring the inquiry-based classroom environment it seeks to cultivate in schools. Its core technology is a portfolio of proprietary pedagogical frameworks, most notably the Number Talks methodology — a 10-15 minute mental math routine created in the early 1990s — and an eleven-principle Principles of Design framework that underpins all instructional design.

MEC's product portfolio consists of three pillars: (1) Math Workshops, intensive five-day on-site professional development engagements covering topics such as Ratio & Proportional Reasoning, Rational Numbers, Expressions & Equations, Probability, and Data Science; (2) the Number Talks Online Series, a companion offering to MEC's published books that supports teachers implementing the methodology in real time; and (3) a forthcoming Fraction Talks Online Series extending the methodology to fraction concepts. Supporting content includes two commercially published books via Stenhouse/Routledge — Making Number Talks Matter (2015) and Digging Deeper: Making Number Talks Matter Even More (2018) — co-authored by Cathy Humphreys and Ruth Parker.

MEC generates revenue through quote-based workshop fees paid by school districts, paid online series enrollments, and book royalties. Its go-to-market is primarily organic: word-of-mouth through education networks, conference facilitation, published books, and direct district partnerships, with a facilitation team that has extended its reach from Washington State to Montana reservations. The organization operates with a lean team of approximately eight named staff and instructors, most of whom maintain concurrent K-12 or adjunct faculty roles. Leadership includes CEO Jana Dean (Presidential Award recipient, Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching), COO Debbie Olson, Executive Assistant Amanda Hargreaves, and co-founder Ruth Parker (retired CEO). There are no external investors, no funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue figures — consistent with a mission-driven non-profit operating at small scale.

Name

Mathematics Education Collaborative

Legal name

Mathematics Education Collaborative

Website

https://mec-math.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mathematics Education Collaborative (MEC) is a Washington State non-profit founded in 1990 that delivers customized 5-day professional development workshops, online series, and published books for in-service mathematics teachers in grades 4-20, centered on the proprietary Number Talks methodology and an eleven-principle Principles of Design framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Mathematics Professional Development

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Mathematics Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAG)

Keywords

• Mathematics professional development
• Teacher training workshops
• Number talks methodology
• K-12 mathematics education
• Math instructional coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mathematics Education Collaborative (MEC) provides customized professional learning for in-service mathematics teachers grades 4–20, delivered through 5-day immersive workshops, online series (Number Talks, Fraction Talks), and supporting published books. The offering centers on the proprietary Number Talks mental-math methodology and an eleven-principle "Principles of Design" framework, engaging teachers as learners first to transform their instructional practice toward inquiry-based mathematics.

Product overview

The Mathematics Education Collaborative (MEC) offers a portfolio of professional learning products and services for mathematics educators. The core offerings include Math Workshops (5-day intensive professional development sessions on topics including Ratio & Proportional Reasoning, Rational Numbers, Expressions & Equations, Probability, and Data Science), the Number Talks Online Series (companion to the Number Talks methodology books), and the upcoming Fraction Talks Online Series. Supporting the programs are two published books: 'Making Number Talks Matter' (2015) and its companion 'Digging Deeper: Making Number Talks Matter Even More' (2018), both co-authored by Cathy Humphreys and Ruth Parker. The Number Talks methodology, created by Ruth Parker and Kathy Richardson in the early 1990s, forms the foundation of the instructional approach MEC promotes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Number Talks Online Series An online professional learning series designed to help mathematics teachers implement Number Talks as a vibrant and essential part of their everyday classroom practice. Accompanies the Number Talks books and provides real-time support for teachers new to or experienced with Number Talks; available to individual educators or district groups.
• Math Workshops A 5-day intensive professional development workshop series for mathematics teachers grades 4-20, designed to deepen teachers' content knowledge for teaching by engaging them as learners of mathematics. Workshop topics include Ratio & Proportional Reasoning, Rational Numbers, Expressions & Equations, Probability, and Data Science. Customized on-site delivery at school districts is available.
• Making Number Talks Matter (Book) A book published in 2015 by Cathy Humphreys and Ruth Parker, serving as a guide for implementing and making the most of the 10-15 minute daily Number Talks mental math routine in classrooms serving grades 4-10.
• Digging Deeper: Making Number Talks Matter Even More (Book) A companion book published in 2018 by Ruth Parker and Cathy Humphreys, designed for teachers already using Number Talks to dig more deeply into the practice. Features access to an extensive collection of classroom videos; intended for grades 3-10.
• Fraction Talks Online Series An online series focused on Fraction Talks, extending the Number Talks methodology to fraction concepts and reasoning. Currently marked as 'Coming soon' on the MEC website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Teachers experience learning mathematics with frustration, 'aha' moments, and deep understanding—mirroring the desired classroom experience for their students
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Math Solutions: Founded by Marilyn Burns, Math Solutions provides K-8 mathematics professional development, coaching, and workshops for teachers — directly comparable to MEC's workshop-based, teacher-focused math PD model.
• Illustrative Mathematics: Illustrative Mathematics offers open-source math curriculum, teacher professional learning, and is mentioned on MEC's own participant resources page — making it a directly comparable peer in K-12 math teacher PD and instructional content.
• CPM Educational Program: CPM provides math curriculum and accompanying teacher professional development for middle and high school grades — directly comparable to MEC's grades 4-20 teacher workshop model and classroom-transformation focus.

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Learning: Carnegie Learning combines MATHia adaptive software with professional learning services for math teachers — a broader incumbent that competes with MEC for district math PD budgets while offering a much wider product portfolio.
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM): NCTM is the professional association for math educators, offering conferences, publications, and resources that overlap with MEC's community-and-conference-based dissemination of teacher PD.

Others

• Heinemann: Heinemann publishes professional books and offers PD for math and literacy teachers — adjacent to MEC as both a publisher-channel and a competitor for district math PD adoptions.
• Stenhouse Publishers: Stenhouse (an imprint of Routledge) publishes MEC's Number Talks books and many other K-12 math/literacy teacher PD titles — an ecosystem partner and indirect competitor for the same teacher professional library dollars.

Emerging players

• Dana Center (UT Austin): The Charles A. Dana Center at UT Austin delivers systemic math teacher professional development and supports district math improvement initiatives — comparable to MEC's district-level systems-change work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mecmath

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mathematics Education Collaborative