Ted Dintersmith
Education Advocate, Author and Filmmaker
Dream it
〰️
Dream it 〰️
New Book out March 26th
Aftermath
The Life-Changing Math That Schools Won't Teach You
In Ted’s new book, Aftermath (coming March 2026), Ted reframes math for everyone. He shows how the math we use in life—statistics, probability, estimation, and problem-solving—can unlock curiosity, creativity, and confident decision-making.
His mission: to help people of all ages understand and apply the math that truly shapes our world, preparing them for careers and life in the AI era.
Steve Levitt, co-author of Freakonomics, says “In the age of AI and data, we badly need to rethink the way we teach math in U.S. schools. Dintersmith has joyfully illustrated how we can pull the subject out of irrelevance in the eyes of our students—a must read for teachers and parents alike.”
About Ted
Ted Dintersmith is an education advocate, author, and filmmaker who has spent the past 15 years working alongside educators to rethink what learning should look like in the modern world. He has visited more than 200 schools across all 50 states, listening to teachers and students and studying approaches that prepare young people for real life beyond tests. His work earned him the NEA Friends of Education Award for his support of educators and public education.
Earlier in his career, Ted earned a PhD in mathematics and became an influential business leader at one of the world’s leading venture-capital firms. There, he carved out a niche investing in math-intensive startups, including companies building the systems that quietly shape daily life, from personalized news feeds and social-media algorithms to logistics optimization and healthcare simulation models. That experience gave him a firsthand look at how modern, revealing math actually operates in the real world, far beyond classrooms.
New Film out Now
Multiple Choice
What if Schools Prepared Kids for Life?
For decades, America’s data-driven college-for-all agenda has created a no-win choice for most high school graduates: take on the risk and expense of college or work a low-wage job. But in an economically-challenged Virginia community, one superintendent is demonstrating the immense power of career-based learning—not as a last-chance resort for some, but as foundational for all.
The film Multiple Choice immerses viewers in the district’s Innovation Center, where all students explore diverse careers, collaborate, and master traditional and new-economy skills. Amid political turmoil and tech upheaval, Multiple Choice offers an inspiring vision of kids finding purposeful paths, with a community united toward the goal of prosperity for all.
For all press inquiries, please contact dintersmith@ledecompany.com
Ted’s Work
Ted’s work focuses on bright spots across America where empowered educators create learning experiences that help students find their strengths, develop their distinctive set of skills, and move ahead in life with conviction and purpose.
