In a 1996 study, Webb found that IMP students demonstrated particular proficiency in statistics, problem solving, and quantitative reasoning. According to Resek and Fendel, IMP students also tend to continue their math education longer than those enrolled in traditional skill-based courses. Resembling the inquiry method of scientists, the IMP demands a more active role from students and teachers alike. Students are challenged to search for patterns and connections among mathematical ideas, and to state and test their own ideas. Teachers, too, must delve deeper into familiar material and present it in a more interactive way.
Most American classrooms have teachers in front of a chalkboard reciting exercises.
Three Bay Area high schools with diverse student bodies provided the initial pool of IMP students, and a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation in 1992 allowed the program to expand. IMP courses now take place in more than 100 California high schools and in a total of 350 schools in 21 states. High schools in Denver, Honolulu, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia and Phoenix have adopted the program, as have schools in suburban and rural communities. Curriculum materials have been translated into Spanish, French and Hawaiian. The program operates from an office in Sausalito, California and has 11 regional centers around the country.