Encouraging students to use their first language helps them make math connections, increasing their understanding and engagement.

Math also has its own grammar—decimal points, commas, parentheses, and brackets, for example, all have meanings distinct from those in an English/language arts class.

The David Douglas School District has gotten national recognition for its approach to language instruction. That includes OPB's Class of 2025 main school, Earl Boyles Elementary.

This new approach allows languages to be treated like vector spaces with precise mathematical properties. Now the study of language is becoming a problem of vector space mathematics.

Several of its examples appeared in a draft of the California math framework, a guidance document Boaler co-authored about how math should be taught in K-12 schools.