Math for America Los Angeles provides math and computer science teachers with high-quality professional development, collaborative planning time, and meaningful financial support within a supportive community so they can grow as teacher leaders. Our program recruits and supports teachers in public schools throughout the greater Los Angeles area, helping them persist in the classroom year after year.
Great Teachers Inspire Students and Strengthen Schools.
Our Fellowships Provide the Professional Development and Community that Support Them.
Helping Teachers Thrive In Classrooms Where They Are Needed Most
Our education system struggles to provide students with the 21st-century education they deserve to succeed in school and in life. While many systemic factors contribute to this challenge, MƒA LA focuses on the person who has an outsized impact on student learning: the teacher.
Teacher turnover can be one of the most disruptive forces in public education, and it falls hardest on students in under-resourced schools. Every time an experienced educator leaves, students lose a vital mentor, schools lose institutional knowledge, and the pipeline to STEM careers shrinks for the communities that need it most.
We built MƒA LA to change this trajectory by ensuring teachers have the time, financial resources, deep community, and professional prestige to thrive, creating a sustainable, lifelong career path right inside the classroom.
The MfA LA Multiplier: Empowering Effective Teachers to Stay, Grow, and Lead
Voices from Our Teacher Community
We believe the most reliable way to elevate student learning is to invest in the educators already in the classroom.
"I can't imagine trying to start out in this profession not having the support of MƒA LA. [It] kept me in the classroom where I was pushed to develop independence and confidence."
MƒA LA Teacher Fellow
When our Fellows receive protected planning time, personalized professional development, and support for National Board Certification, they develop instructional expertise, strengthen leadership skills, shed professional isolation, and sustain their passion for teaching.
Our goal is to transform each school one by one, by empowering teams of school-based teacher leaders to shift school culture and practices that increase student learning and achievement in math and computer science.
Our long-term investment improves the lives of great teachers and drives lasting change in the schools that need it most.
“The strategies and practices I've implemented as a result of my involvement have contributed to an improvement in the passing rates for both Geometry and Algebra 2 classes, supporting overall student success and strengthening our department's instructional effectiveness.”
MƒA LA Teacher Fellow
“We feel like champions with all our MfA growth and we bring that back to the school and the teachers and the students!”
MƒA LA Teacher Fellow
Nearly Two Decades of Teacher Growth and Student Impact in Los Angeles
Great Teaching Starts With Supported Teachers.
With more than 15 years of rigorous research, data collection, and program evaluation to guide us, we have learned that when we invest deeply in the longevity of our teachers, the impact ripples directly into Los Angeles classrooms, including:
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Sustained Classroom Leadership: While public schools nationwide face 50% attrition, MƒA LA fellows are choosing to stay, grow, and build stable educational pathways for their students.
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Leaders Among their Peers: Nearly all of MƒA LA Fellows have achieved or are actively pursuing National Board Certification, giving them the tools to lead high-impact STEM policy and district networks.
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Amplified Student Success: Year over year, students in MƒA LA classrooms had overall higher pass rates on state math exams (SBAC) than their peers, improved scores of self-efficacy, and increased participation in AP math and computer science courses.
7 in 10
Fellows Remain in
the Classroom for
More Than a Decade
$17M
Grant Funding
Secured from the
National Science Foundation
9 in 10
Fellows Achieve or Pursue
National Board Certification
In 19 Years MƒA LA has Empowered
184
Teaching Fellows
Students
Impacting the Lives of Nearly
200K
The Power of Sustained Support
In Teachers and Their Communities Since 2007
Investing
$25M
It is widely understood that advanced mathematical and computational literacy are key gateways to higher education and the modern, tech-driven economy. In K–12 classrooms, strong learning in these subjects is often what determines whether young people build the confidence, skills, and academic rigor that translate into college readiness and access to meaningful careers. A large body of research indicates that high-quality, engaging teachers are among the strongest drivers of student achievement.
Investing
$25M
In Teachers and Their Communities Since 2007
Impacting The Lives of Nearly
200K
Students
Visionary Leadership Driving STEM Excellence
Darryl Yong, Executive Director of MƒA LA
Built on collaborative leadership, MƒA LA pairs rigorous research with deep classroom experience. Shaped by the foundational vision of co-founder and 2002 Presidential Awardee for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, Pam Mason, MƒA LA now enters its next chapter led by co-founder and Executive Director Darryl Yong.
The McGregor-Girand Chair in STEM Equity Innovation and Research, and Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, Darryl is the architect of MƒA LA’s professional development program, which has improved content, pedagogy, and leadership skills, increased job satisfaction, and had a positive influence on the industry for hundreds of math and computer science teachers throughout Southern California.
Make A Difference With MfA Los Angeles
Invest in More Equitable STEM Education in Los Angeles
When you support one MƒA LA teacher, you are investing in an entire department, a school's culture, and the futures of thousands of students, primarily in high-need schools. MƒA LA's school-based model is designed to create lasting systems change from within, including a clear growth strategy.
Join the Fellowship Community of Math and CS Teachers
If you are a credentialed math or computer science teacher working in the greater Los Angeles area, the MƒA LA Fellowships offer what the profession rarely provides: deep community, unparalleled professional development, leadership recognition, meaningful financial support, and a path toward lasting impact.