Our Mission
Our mission is to help educators and parents build the skills, confidence, and understanding needed to teach elementary mathematics.
We believe that with the right instruction, practice, and support, all students can succeed in math.
Why We Started
Too many students struggle in mathematics because they have gaps in foundational skills. Traditional professional development often focuses teaching teachers how to use curriculum materials, not how to actually teach our students.
We created The Proficiency Project to provide targeted intervention that helps students strengthen foundational skills, build confidence, and achieve lasting success in mathematics.
We’re educators who have spent years working with students who struggle in math. We created The Proficiency Project because too many children were falling behind without receiving the targeted support they needed.
Dana Frye-Thompson, Co-Founder
Dana brings over a decade of teaching experience to The Proficiency Project and has also served as a math instructional coach and most recently, as an assistant principal.
She received a Masters in Human Development and a Masters in Elementary Education at the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s in Education and Africana Studies at Temple University.
Meet Our Team
Takia entered the education field with a decade of experience in management and coaching. She is a 5th grade math and science teacher with a passion for helping students close achievement gaps.
She received her Masters in Education at Gwynedd Mercy University and her Bachelor’s in Political Science at West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
Selected as The School District of Philadelphia’s Teacher of the Month - October 2025