In an exciting new effort to boost math skills among students, East Oakland Pride Elementary School is training local parents and residents to become math tutors.
This initiative aims to provide much-needed support to students who are struggling in this critical subject.
Tutoring Sessions in Action
Recently, during a tutoring session, fifth graders experimented with colorful plastic counters.
They were trying to arrange them into two rows of four, leaving three counters aside.
Amid the fun, one student began stacking the pieces instead, sparking giggles from a classmate watching.
Volunteer tutor Yvette Munguia seized the moment to engage the group by asking for feedback on their exercise. “What’s two times four?” she queried, eliciting a tentative response of ‘eight’ from a student.
When she introduced the additional three counters into the equation, a hush fell over the room.
With her guidance, Munguia supported these fifth graders—who were well below grade level in math—as they navigated their task.
Together, they delved into essential concepts like order of operations, pausing periodically to reinforce foundational addition and subtraction skills.
Community Engagement and Feedback
Munguia is one of over 20 tutors referred to as “Liberators” who joined the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) this year.
Their training was developed through a partnership between OUSD and the nonprofit organization Oakland REACH.
This new math tutoring initiative builds on the success of the Literacy Liberator program, which has previously shown impressive results in improving reading skills among students, as noted in a 2023 report.
The motivation behind this initiative stems from the feedback received in 2021, when a survey conducted by Oakland REACH revealed that over 80% of families expressed a strong desire for math tutoring for their children.
In response, both Oakland REACH and OUSD focused on a tutoring model that not only engages parents in the district’s math teaching methodologies but also empowers them to reinforce these methods at home.
To facilitate this, parents participated in evening workshops, where educators encouraged them to discuss their apprehensions about mathematics.
The emphasis was on building confidence in their math abilities, especially among students of color, as data indicated troubling disparities—only one in ten students of color in Oakland met grade-level expectations in math.
Results and Future Plans
In light of these challenges, the MathBOOST initiative was born, aiming to recruit and train community members as math tutors, regardless of their prior experience.
This program had a dual focus: providing tailored math support for students while also creating paid opportunities for parents and caregivers.
An OUSD STEM coordinator highlighted the district’s commitment to meeting the needs of all students and noted the potential to harness the existing knowledge within families to enhance educational outcomes while offering income solutions to parents.
The training for tutors included techniques from the National Student Support Accelerator’s high-impact tutoring framework.
This framework prioritizes small-group instruction on a weekly basis, consistent monitoring of student progress, alignment with the curriculum, and active participation from school staff.
Munguia and her fellow tutors met twice a week for five weeks, sharing communal meals and attending additional professional development days.
Now a tutor herself, Munguia accesses diagnostic assessments and tailors lessons from the district’s math curriculum to aid her students’ learning journeys.
Her strong rapport with the students is evident, as many arrive early just to interact with her.
Munguia’s deep connections to the community, coupled with her fluency in Spanish and her experience as a former OUSD student, enhance her effectiveness and relatability as a tutor.
The principal of East Oakland Pride emphasized that the trust Munguia has built with her students is crucial for their educational success.
Munguia cherishes the opportunities this program provides and aspires to a career in education, leveraging her two associate degrees from Laney College in Oakland as a foundation.
Originally launched in four schools, this tutoring initiative has expanded to eleven sites this academic year, with plans for further growth.
Importantly, the program not only focuses on tutoring but also pledges continuous coaching and professional development for its tutors.
In conclusion, the Math Liberator initiative represents a forward-thinking model for community engagement, empowering parents and caregivers while effectively addressing the urgent educational needs of students struggling in mathematics.
Source: The74million