Who is involved?

There are grassroots organizations throughout the country that have been formed to increase math literacy within the public education system. They all have different methods for reaching this goal, but ultimately, they all feel that mathematics education is an important aspect of every student’s education. The people who get involved with these organizations varies from place to place. Sometimes they are created by parents who are worried about the way their community is teaching math. A number of organizations were founded by a group of parents that didn’t like the new math curriculum that their school district had created, so they got together to try and make a change. Other organizations get teachers, education specialists, and community leaders involved.

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The Baltimore Algebra Project3

The Baltimore Algebra Project was established to help increase math education for students. The project believes that students can learn better from student tutors rather than teachers, so they hire students and then train them to be effective math tutors. Over time, however, the program has evolved into something much more. They are constantly fighting for educational reform, and they help to show youth that they have the ability to take the lead and make a difference in the world. By doing this, the group has played a crucial role in reform with student bus passes, removing the idea of youth prisons, and more.

Fairfield Math Advocates4

This organization was created in Fairfield, Connecticut by a group of parents who were worried that the new math curriculum that was being taught to their kids was actually detrimental to increasing math literacy. The group lists their concerns about the selected math program, what programs they would want instead, and they also include ways that parents can get involved. The organization regularly posts links to important articles about why students are failing in math and what can be done to increase math literacy.

The Algebra Project5

The Algebra Project is fighting for a higher-quality public education through a stronger math curriculum. The project has spread throughout the United States, and in each community they are established in, the Algebra Project works with community leaders, educators, parents, and students to created a mathematics education reform that works for their location. Created by civil rights leader Dr. Robert P. Moses in 1982, the program uses the ideas that people used to protect everyone’s right to vote, but in this case ensuring that all students receive a quality public education.

The Young People’s Project6

The Young People’s Project (TYPP) was the child of The Algebra Project. The project was created in order to increase math literacy at all grade levels in order to ensure a good education and a good life. While working to make math education better, they help youth to see how they can make a difference and what they can do to remove the barriers that stop them from having a good education and a good life.

ME Coalition for World Class Math7

This is the Maine organization for the US Coalition for World Class Math. The group includes mathematicians, educators, and parents, and they are all fighting to ensure that every student has access to an excellent mathematics education. They claim that this is a requirement to keep the United States competitive and to make sure that US students will be able to work within the world’s economy. They want to create math standards that are in-line with those of the world, and they argue that we should look to some of the more successful countries when it comes to math education, such as Finland, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Where’s the Math?8

Where’s the Math? is a group of educators, parents, and community members that came together in order to ensure a quality math education for the state of Washington. They want to match Washington’s curriculum and assessments with the some of the most successful countries in the world when it comes to mathematics education. By doing so, they feel that they will be preparing students to be successful in the global economy.

Math Wizards9

Math Wizards is an organization in New Hampshire that is comprised of parents, educators, and community members that are working to better math education for the state. They want to create a curriculum that is competitive and challenging, ensuring that students are able to compete competitively with people around the world. Math Wizards attempt to keep parents in the know so that they are able to help their kids receive a quality math education.

OPTIMA10

Oregon Parents for Thorough Instruction in Mathematics (OPTIMA) believes that a number of school districts are simply not providing a quality mathematics education to their students. The organization tries to examine what is going wrong and how it can be fixed in order to make sure that students will not only succeed in their math classes, but also providing them the opportunity to advance into higher levels of mathematics in college and to have mathematical careers.