Advancing STEM Pathways and College Readiness
We translate what actually works for learners
into academic excellence.
Founded by a mathematics educator with 15+ years of experience.
Our Approach to Learning Mathematics
Developing mathematical intuition is at the core of our approach. We believe it helps build meaningful connections with mathematics while creating a strong foundation for exploring new concepts.
We strive to bring math to life by connecting abstract concepts to real-world applications while also exploring the structure and elegance of mathematics.
Why College Factor
There is a bottleneck in the college-STEM pipeline: math. Years of experience and public engagement revealed why. Math learners struggle to recognize structure, to see the purpose and application behind the math.
College Factor helps learners uncover the math behind the math, understand the why, and see it applied, building the math intuition that lets them excel in STEM.
About the Founder
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Carl Cardenas is founder of College Factor, with over 15 years of experience teaching mathematics at the college and secondary levels. He has also worked as a math item writer and instructor for Kaplan's GRE, SAT, and ACT test-prep programs.
His expertise spans mathematics pedagogy, instructional design, curriculum development, and educational assessment. He has developed dual-enrollment math curricula, led transitions to open-source college course materials, and designed department-wide assessments to support institutional accreditation.
He holds a master's degree in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University.