A District That Moves Together

How Dublin Unified created a learning foundation with lessons for other California districts  

Walk into any Dublin Unified elementary classroom today, and you'll notice something: students raising their hands. That shift came from a district that chose to build something lasting.

At the center of that foundation is a historic milestone: for the first time, 100% of Dublin Unified's elementary teachers were trained on the same curriculum, a unified playbook that changed what learning looks like from classroom to classroom.

This was no small feat for a district with seven elementary schools, one TK–8 school, and hundreds of teachers. When Dublin Unified chose Eureka Math²®, a curriculum designed to give teachers a clear, coherent structure for every lesson, they committed to it fully.

When it came time to move from Eureka Math² to Eureka Math² California® Edition, the decision came naturally. 

To understand why a shift like that could feel seamless, it’s important to look at how the school got here.  

From Patchwork to an Aligned Playbook  

Before 2022, Dublin Unified’s math instruction was a patchwork, consisting of lightly adopted materials blended with teacher-created resources that varied from classroom to classroom. A few schools began working with Eureka Math® on their own. What they found was a curriculum built on a clear, research-proven progression, one that gave teachers a coherent structure from which to work.  

So the district made it official in the 2022–23 school year and adopted Eureka Math². What separated Dublin Unified's adoption from the typical rollout, though, wasn’t just the curriculum they chose but everything they built around it as well. Rather than diving straight into implementation, the district stepped back and grounded its professional development in research.  

“We weren’t just talking about curriculum,” Sahni told us. “We were talking about research-based instructional strategies, what makes the curriculum work, and how to teach it well.”  

In taking this step, Dublin Unified wasn’t just supporting their students in math instruction; they also were supporting their staff in recognizing how to teach a high-quality curriculum.  

Professional Development That Reached Everyone  

During the first year of implementing the curriculum, the district’s internal professional development team went to each school site and helped the leaders and teachers customize Eureka Math² based on their needs. That time and attention gave educators space to ask questions, get feedback, and feel confident.  

"Being able to see what it looks like in the classroom shifted how we entered classrooms as instructional leaders and how we could assist our teachers," said Lorianne Ventura, Director of Curriculum & Instruction at Dublin Unified.  

As implementation progressed, schools started opening their doors, hosting visits, observing lessons, and learning from each other.  

What It Looks Like When It Works  

On a recent school walk, Sahni and Ventura noticed multiple schools were on the same module and unit, building cohesion across the district, but something even more interesting was happening.  

"No two classrooms were the same, no two teachers facilitated the lesson the same, but the students were getting the same information," noted Sahni.  

That's the balance Eureka Math² is designed to strike. It's not a scripted curriculum but rather a guided one. The research-based framework maintains learning while leaving room for teachers to bring their energy, creativity, and relationships with students to the forefront.  

Something Shifted in Students  

Teachers knew this would be a different way of teaching math. Instead of memorizing procedures, students were asked to think deeply, to read a problem, write their reasoning, and solve it in multiple ways. Teachers believed in what they were asking students to do, and when students began to buy in, the change was noticeable.  

Ventura said, "I think about how nervous some of the students were in the beginning, and where they are now. What used to be one- or two-word answers and a 'please don't call on me' turned into the majority of the classroom raising their hand."  

Students grew so familiar with the routines of the curriculum—how it's designed, how questions are asked, what's expected of them—that when Dublin Unified's middle school began piloting Eureka Math² California Edition, it was the students who led the way.  

"In some ways, our students were coaching our teachers," Ventura said. "They had been so familiar with Eureka Math² over the last few years—it was really neat to see. That sense of pride, they felt so accomplished."  

What the Data Shows  

Since adopting Eureka Math² in 2022, Dublin Unified’s math proficiency rates in grades 3–5 have remained well above the California state average, with differences ranging from approximately 35 to 43 percentage points.

Advice for Other Districts  

When asked what they would tell other districts, Sahni said: "Oftentimes schools forget to back leadership. How can we guide them in becoming instructional leaders? How do we take some things off their plate so they can coach their teachers? That's the most critical point."  

The results didn't arrive on Day One. But neither did the foundation that made them possible.