Significant issues regarding Mathematics preparedness in secondary and higher education are rising throughout the world. In our recently published 2025 Higher Ed Trends Report, DigitalEd found the highest foundational learning gap for student performance was in Mathematics (22%) regardless of the discipline taught. A 2017 Mathematics Readiness Assessment research article published by the Journal of Further and Higher Education also noted “faculty view first-year students as having poor Mathematical ability in terms of what they consider to be important topics for college preparation.”
In the United States, a 2022 article from Illinois Policy stated “Nearly 80% of Chicago Public Schools students cannot read at grade level. Just 15% met proficiency in math.” Additionally, a 2023 Fox News 5 article from Baltimore, MD reported that “23 Baltimore schools have zero students proficient in math per state test results.”
Ancedotally, my discussions with Higher Ed instructors and administrators across North America and Europe within the last 12 months have indicated that a large percentage of first- and second-year students have deficits in foundational mathematics, which is leading to poor performance in all STEM subjects, as well as heightened math anxiety.
EVEN HARVARD UNIVERSITY is now offering a high school basic math course (remedial math)!
Just ask a cashier to make change during a cash transaction, and you’ll see just how poor the most basic math skills are in our society. Mathematics is the core to all STEM-related studies not to mention everyday living skills, so what is the cure to this Mathdemic?
What’s Causing the Decline in Math Understanding?
Many theories explain the decline in foundational math skills, including the COVID-19 pandemic and widening income gaps. Other factors include single-parent households, tech distractions, and the shift away from classical education models.
Is there one cause for foundational gaps in math, or is it a combination of several factors impacting students today? Regardless of the causation, Higher Education institutions are compelled to provide assistance that improves student success.
Potential Solutions
The problem is complex and has many causes. Solutions fall into short-term student support and long-term systemic changes.
Short-term focus for current students may include:
- Remedial or foundational math courses (like Harvard University) that provides a path to revisit math topics required to move on to more advanced coursework.
- Tutoring services to help students on a 1:1 basis, building fluency in their current coursework and preparing them for future classes.
- Low stakes student practice and feedback loops to build stronger conceptual learning and preparation for current and future courses.
- Implement validated placement testing to appropriately register students for courses best suited to their skill level and continuously measure testing vs. student performance.
Long-term focus solutions can include:
- Building outreach programs with secondary and primary schools through online vehicles to enhance consistent teaching methodologies and required foundational concepts.
- Collaborating with local, regional, and national governments to provide additional outreach to economically disadvantaged students.
The serious challenge ahead of us is a prolonged and steady decline in mathematical skills in our society. The ramifications of a world without the basic understanding of math is not sustainable. Can you imagine a world where your pharmacist or a nurse can’t understand basic math principles when dosing medications? Or, an engineer who cannot calculate the load bearing capacity of a new bridge? What about a plumber who cannot calculate the proper drop for a soil drain in your new home? Math is everywhere. It is foundational to every STEM discipline, and extends beyond. The time to tackle this Mathdemic is now, and I hope we are up to the challenge.