Math Perspectives Teacher Development Center

What Math Perspectives Teacher Development Center does

Math Perspectives Teacher Development Center is a privately-held, founder-led education company founded in 1998 by Kathy Richardson and Sheryl Russell in Bellingham, Washington. The company develops and distributes research-based curriculum, formative assessments, and intervention materials for educators of transitional kindergarten through fifth grade mathematics. Its core product portfolio comprises three integrated pillars: Assessing Math Concepts (AMC), a nine-part formative assessment series built on the proprietary Critical Learning Phases framework that identifies how students develop number sense; Developing Number Concepts (DNC), a three-book TK-3 curriculum covering counting, addition/subtraction, place value, multiplication, and division; and Number Talks, a classroom discourse methodology co-created by Richardson and Ruth Parker in the early 1990s. A 2025 addition, Small Group Intervention Task Kits, extends the franchise into K-5 intervention.

The company monetizes through three distinct revenue streams. Book and curriculum material sales are routed via a core distribution partnership with Didax as well as direct e-commerce on its own website, priced as one-time purchases. Professional development courses — multi-day on-site, online, and open-registration institutes covering Number Talks, AMC, DNC, and Teaching for Understanding — are sold through direct outreach to school and district administrators coordinated by Administrative Director Sheryl Russell, generating services revenue. AMC Anywhere, the electronic/web-based version of AMC launched in 2017, introduces a subscription-based pricing layer for assessment administration with on-screen prompts in English and Spanish and web-based reporting. Customer acquisition is driven by a combination of website content, a YouTube channel featuring the Math Perspectives Table Talk series, a Q&A newsletter with Richardson, blog content, and direct district sales; no institutional venture capital, private equity, or acquisition activity is documented, and the company remains founder-owned with 1-10 employees nationally.

Name

Math Perspectives Teacher Development Center

Legal name

Math Perspectives Teacher Development Center

Website

https://mathperspectives.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Math Perspectives Teacher Development Center develops and distributes research-based formative assessments, curriculum, and professional development for TK-5 mathematics educators, serving US schools and districts via founder-led content, channel partner Didax, and direct professional development sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Mathematics Education Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Mathematics Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Math Intervention & Numeracy Support Programs (EDAJAGAG), Math Remediation & Numeracy Intervention (EDAKADAB), Math Enrichment Curriculum, Workbooks & Question Banks (EDAMAEAG)

Keywords

• Math education resources
• Teacher professional development
• Formative math assessments
• Elementary mathematics curriculum
• Math intervention programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bellingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book and Material Sales: Math Perspectives sells books, curriculum materials, assessment guides, manipulative kits, and resource materials through their store and partner Didax.
2. Professional Development Courses: The company generates revenue from conducting professional development courses and institutes for teachers. Courses include Number Talks (3 days), Developing Math Concepts (3 days), Assessing Math Concepts Institute (4 days), and Teaching for Understanding courses.
3. AMC Anywhere Online Assessment: Web-based subscription service for the Assessing Math Concepts electronic assessment platform.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Math Perspectives develops and sells research-based mathematics education products and professional development services for TK-5 educators. The portfolio includes formative assessment series (AMC), number curriculum books (DNC), the Number Talks methodology, intervention task kits, and multi-day professional development courses and institutes delivered on-site at districts and online. The offerings are anchored in decades of research on how young children develop mathematical understanding, led by program director and co-founder Kathy Richardson.

Product overview

Math Perspectives Teacher Development Center offers a comprehensive suite of mathematics education products and professional development for educators of grades TK through 5th grade. The core product portfolio centers on three interconnected pillars: (1) Assessing Math Concepts (AMC) — a nine-part formative assessment series that identifies Critical Learning Phases in young learners, available both as physical books and the AMC Anywhere online platform; (2) Developing Number Concepts (DNC) — a three-book curriculum series covering Counting/Comparing/Pattern, Addition/Subtraction, and Place Value/Multiplication/Division for TK-3; and (3) Number Talks — a classroom methodology for engaging students in mathematical discourse. Additional offerings include Small Group Intervention Task Kits for K-5 students needing support, Understanding Numbers 3-5 station series, Pre-K resources, and professional development courses taught by certified instructors. The company also provides AMC Anywhere, an electronic assessment platform, and maintains ongoing teacher support through Q&A newsletters and network groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Assessing Math Concepts (AMC): A nine-part series of formative assessments for TK-3+ that focuses on core math concepts and helps identify critical learning phases in young learners.
• Developing Number Concepts (DNC)
• Number Talks
• AMC Anywhere
• Understanding Numbers 3-5
• Small Group Intervention Task Kits

Products and services

• Assessing Math Concepts (AMC) A nine-part series of formative assessments for grades TK-3 that focuses on core mathematical concepts children must understand to be successful. The assessments identify Critical Learning Phases and help teachers determine each student's instructional level for maximum growth.
• AMC Anywhere Electronic/online version of Assessing Math Concepts. Web-based platform where teachers enter responses and observations from one-on-one student interviews. Features on-screen prompts in English and Spanish and immediate web-based reporting for teachers and administrators.
• Developing Number Concepts (DNC) A three-part series plus planning guide presenting a complete number curriculum for grades TK-3. Book 1 covers Counting, Comparing, and Pattern; Book 2 covers Addition and Subtraction; Book 3 covers Place Value, Multiplication, and Division.
• Assessing Math Concepts in Pre-Kindergarten Assessment resource uniquely focused on how young children learn number concepts. Four concepts addressed: Understanding Counting, Understanding One More/One Less, Understanding Parts of Numbers (Recognizing Small Groups), and Understanding Number Relationships (Changing Numbers).
• Developing Math Concepts in Pre-Kindergarten Learning activities and resources focused on creating a positive environment that supports Pre-K mathematics learning through play, active participation, and intentional learning tasks.
• Small Group Intervention Task Kits Sixty-four small group tasks for K-5 students needing additional math support. Organized by 8 core concepts aligned to Developing Concepts books. Includes game boards, spinners, dice, cards, and streamlined task cards with directions, guiding questions, and prompts.
• Number Talks Classroom methodology created by Kathy Richardson and Ruth Parker in the early 1990s. Engages students in meaningful mathematical discourse and sense-making through brief daily Number Talk sessions. Available for Pre-K, Primary (K-2), and Upper Elementary (3-5) grade levels.
• Understanding Numbers 3-5 Station series of 8 tasks for grades 3-5 providing meaningful practice for understanding the underlying structure of numbers, number relationships, and operations. Titles include Place Value, Addition & Subtraction, and Decimals stations.
• Professional Development Courses Courses for educators including Number Talks (K-2 and 3-5), Developing Math Concepts in Pre-K, Developing Number Concepts (TK-2+), Assessing Math Concepts Institute (TK-3), Assessing Math Concepts Grade Level Courses, Teaching for Understanding (TK-2+ and 3-5), and Understanding Numbers (3-5).
• Teacher Network Group Ongoing online professional development network group for Assessing Math Concepts/Developing Number Concepts facilitated by Kathy Richardson and the Math Perspectives team through the school year.

Quantifiable outcome

• The assessments help identify what children really know versus 'illusions of learning'

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DidaxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMath Perspectives has partnered with Didax to provide the best service when purchasing their books and materials. Didax serves as the primary distribution channel for all Math Perspectives publications and resources including Assessing Math Concepts, Developing Number Concepts, intervention kits, and other educational materials.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Didax: Didax is both Math Perspectives' distribution partner and an independent publisher of math manipulatives, curriculum, and PD resources for K-8. Highly comparable in subject area and customer base.
• Illustrative Mathematics: Illustrative Mathematics provides open-source K-12 math curriculum, professional learning, and teacher supports. Comparable in math-specific curriculum and PD focus, with growing national adoption.
• Heinemann: Heinemann publishes professional books and resources for educators, including significant math instruction titles. Comparable in publishing-driven PD content serving classroom teachers and curriculum leaders.
• Math Solutions: Founded by Marilyn Burns, Math Solutions provides professional development, books, and resources for K-8 math teachers — a near-identical go-to-market to Math Perspectives. Highly comparable in product mix, customer base, and PD-led business model.
• Origo Education: Origo produces elementary math curriculum, print and digital resources, and teacher professional development for grades K-6. Comparable to Math Perspectives in target customer (K-6 teachers) and integrated curriculum-plus-PD offering.
• ETA hand2mind: ETA hand2mind sells math manipulatives, activity kits, and curriculum-aligned resources for K-8 classrooms. Comparable in physical-product-led elementary math offering and school-channel distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Scholastic Education: Scholastic's education division provides literacy and math instructional materials plus PD at scale. A broad incumbent in K-12 instructional content with overlapping math curriculum and teacher resources.
• Curriculum Associates (iReady): Curriculum Associates offers iReady, a leading adaptive assessment and instruction platform used widely in K-8 math. A broader incumbent in the same K-8 math assessment/instruction category with greater digital scale.

Emerging players

• Box Cars and One-Eyed Jacks: Provides math games, manipulatives, and teacher PD for elementary classrooms with an emphasis on game-based learning. Comparable niche as a small math-PD and game-kit publisher serving K-8 teachers.
• Marilyn Burns Education Associates: Dedicated to extending Marilyn Burns' math education work, this entity offers books and PD for elementary teachers. Comparable niche expert-brand positioning to Math Perspectives' Richardson-led identity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/mathperspectives
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/math-perspectives-teacher-development-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Math Perspectives Teacher Development Center