Math is becoming a little more magical for Dallas ISD’s youngest students.
Through Operation: Math Magic, a returning districtwide initiative, first through third grade students are building fluency in foundational math facts through consistent practice, engaging incentives, and schoolwide encouragement. With support from the Dallas Education Foundation, Dallas ISD is helping students develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed in math throughout their educational journeys.
Math Magic provides elementary schools with pacing, resources, and benchmarks aligned with the district’s curriculum. Each participating campus also identifies a Math Magic champion who helps bring the initiative to life in a way that resonates with its students and school community.
At Stephen C. Foster Elementary School, educators have taken Math Magic to the next level by creating a mentorship program that benefits students across grade levels. Each Friday, fifth grade math mentors visit classrooms to help younger students practice addition, subtraction, and other foundational math facts.
Fifth grader Daniel H. believes building these skills early can make a lasting difference.
“Because I feel like if at a younger age they know more math, then at older ages they can succeed and get good grades,” Daniel said.
The program gives younger students additional opportunities to strengthen their math fluency while empowering fifth graders to become teachers, role models, and campus leaders. “They always say that if you can teach somebody else that means you really understand it,” said fifth-grade teacher and Math Magic champion Emily Reynosa. “And so, they’ve been empowered to help others and to show what they know.”
For Foster Principal Adriana Campos Low, giving teachers the opportunity to shape the initiative for their campus was essential. Rather than prescribing how Math Magic should look, she invited educators to determine how they could make it meaningful for their students. “It’s about having that buy-in and teacher input because at the end of the day they’re the ones experiencing the impact of this initiative,” Campos said. “And so for them to be the ones rolling it out, I think it’s just made it a more genuine and authentic experience for us.”
That teacher-led approach has helped create a collaborative culture around math at Foster. Younger students are excited to learn from the fifth graders, while the mentors gain confidence by sharing their knowledge and seeing their students succeed.
“What’s cooler than a fifth grader coming to your classroom to work with you?” Reynosa said.
A colorful Math Magic poster helps students track and celebrate their progress. Students receive stickers and prizes as they complete monthly assessments, turning each new math skill into a milestone worth celebrating. Students complete assessments throughout the year, celebrate progress at key checkpoints, and work toward earning an “I’m a Math Magician” T-shirt. But the most meaningful reward may be the pride students experience when math begins to click.
“The fun part is success,” said Aaron Daffern, Dallas ISD’s director of mathematics. For students, he explained, understanding a concept and “feeling like I am a math person” can be rewarding in itself.
Developing strong math fluency in the early grades also prepares students for increasingly complex coursework. When students can recall basic facts automatically, they can focus more fully on learning advanced concepts in later grades. That foundation can ultimately help students access Algebra I in middle school and pursue Advanced Placement, dual credit, and International Baccalaureate courses in high school.
The Dallas Education Foundation invests in early learning because the knowledge, skills, and confidence children develop in their earliest years can shape what they believe is possible throughout their education.
Through its partnership with NEC, the Foundation is helping bring Math Magic to life by funding materials and incentives that motivate students and celebrate their progress, turning the district’s vision into a meaningful experience.
“The Dallas Education Foundation is essential for this work because what we have is just the beginning of an idea,” Daffern said. “But when we’re trying to scale this out for over 150 elementary schools to really make it meaningful for students, that’s where we need partners and we need donors to walk alongside us.”
By supporting Dallas ISD’s Math Magic program, the Dallas Education Foundation and NEC are helping students build more than math fluency. They are helping children see themselves as mathematicians today and preparing them to become the educators, engineers, innovators, and leaders of tomorrow.
About the Dallas Education Foundation
The Dallas Education Foundation (DEF) is a registered 501(c)(3) organization and serves as the direct and designated philanthropic partner of Dallas ISD. With a mission to inspire community investment to accelerate student success, DEF focuses on economic mobility by supporting early learning, advancing literacy, driving postsecondary success, and championing educators. Learn more at dallasedfound.org and follow @dallasedfound on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads, and YouTube.
About Dallas Independent School District
The Dallas Independent School District is continually preparing its students for college or a career. The district offers a competitive mix of innovative programs, choice programs, and instructional initiatives that support the increased academic achievement and the social and emotional development of its students. To learn more, visit www.dallasisd.org.
