Report from RAND
| Policy Currents- The newsletter for policy people June 24, 2025 |
According to new RAND survey data, 49 percent of students in middle and high school are losing interest during their math lessons about half or more of the time. Seventy-five percent lose interest at least some of the time. Further, 30 percent said that they have never considered themselves to be a “math person.”
“Although boredom is not unique to math, routine boredom is a problem,” says RAND’s Heather Schwartz, lead author of the study. “These findings emphasize the importance of boosting student engagement to improve academic outcomes.”
So, what could lead to high-quality, engaging math instruction? RAND researchers suggest a mix of activities that include face-to-face interactions between teachers and students, offline and online lessons, and real-world math problems. “It may sound surprising in today’s high-tech environment,” says RAND’s Robert Bozick, who coauthored the report, “but online math activities might be less motivating than face-to-face instruction.”
These findings come from the first-ever survey fielded for the new RAND American Youth Panel, which asks young people ages 12–21 about school, college, entering the workforce, and more.