This content is sponsored by the Collaborative for Student Success.
For the D.C. region’s employers, the next decade will hinge on a workforce that can think analytically, adapt quickly, and solve complex problems. And according to local education leaders, that preparation begins far earlier than most people realize, often in the math classrooms of middle school.
Students typically encounter a key decision point in fifth through seventh grade, said Dr. Lance Collins, vice president of Virginia Tech in the greater Washington, D.C., area. At that stage, they may be placed on — or off — the pathway that leads to advanced math and, ultimately, to many of the area’s fastest-growing fields. “My view is to keep all your options open,” Collins explained. “It’s not that every student should end up in STEM, but you want them to have that option when they reach the point of deciding what they want to do.”
Yet those same years are also when math becomes more abstract — and more intimidating. Collins warned that students who step off the pathway often do so not because of ability, but because they lose confidence when math is taught without context. “Math is one of the most abstract things students learn,” he said. “If it doesn’t come naturally, teaching it in a purely abstract form can make it very hard to understand.”
That’s why educators across the region are rethinking how students first encounter mathematical ideas, grounding them in design challenges, experimentation, and data analysis that illuminate how math fuels nearly every modern profession.
At Arlington Tech, for example, ninth graders launch student-designed rockets, analyze flight data, and compare models in ways that make math visible. Dr. Michelle Van Lare, program coordinator at the school, said these moments flip the script for students who previously saw math as disconnected from real life. “It becomes a great class for learning how to problem solve,” she noted. “Students start talking about trajectory, data, percentages — and they realize they’re doing math in ways that actually matter.”
Van Lare also emphasized that these experiences build the durable skills that employers increasingly demand. “Math doesn’t stand alone,” she said. “It sits side-by-side with communication, teamwork, and understanding how you learn — skills that every industry needs.”
That combination is becoming even more essential as artificial intelligence transforms industries. Rather than displacing human work, Collins argues, AI will elevate the value of people who can design systems, interpret results, and innovate in ways machines cannot. Mathematical thinking, and the confidence to apply it flexibly, forms the backbone of that capacity.
Regional employers are already acting on this insight. Companies such as Amazon are partnering with local schools, offering scholarships, internships, and mentorship that help students build both technical and professional skills. At the graduate level, Virginia Tech sources real-world projects directly from area businesses, giving students hands-on experience with the kinds of challenges they’ll face in the workforce.
The message is clear: to build a strong regional talent pipeline, the work must begin early, with math education that keeps doors open and connects theory to authentic experience. When students understand the relevance of what they’re learning — and when families see the long-term impact — the region benefits from a broader, more diverse pool of future innovators.
This conversation is part of the “Math That Works” series from WTOP, the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and the Collaborative for Student Success.
