To understand the impact of the Kentucky Center for Mathematics (KCM), you first need to understand the impact that struggling with mathematics has on a child.
Most are miserable as they experience a day by day erosion of their confidence and sense of self-worth. However, the transformation when children get the help they need is truly wondrous. As they realize that there is a structure to quantity and that with a little work, this structure is accessible to them, low self-esteem gives way to determination and they begin fighting for their future.
How do we know this? Even when a child we have helped is classified as a novice on Kentucky standardized tests, long term follow-up has shown that while it may take several years, they are up to four times more likely to advance beyond a novice rating than other novice students in Kentucky that did not receive our help. They don’t give up.
How do we achieve this?
First we work with math education stakeholders across the Commonwealth to develop a collective vision for the entire P-12 math education experience of a child in Kentucky. We then coordinate professional development for teachers and on-site school support to assure sustained school-side implementation of productive math teaching practices.
As a result, the entire math education experience of students at this school as they transition across grades is engaging and focused on the problem solving skills they need for success in school and in the workplace. In the eight northern Kentucky counties nearest Cincinnati alone, 679 attendees have received almost 9100 hours of professional learning from the KCM and the benefit to the children they teach is profound; especially for those that struggle with mathematics.
We at the KCM believe it is vital that neither the institutional knowledge (that has taken over 10 years to develop) nor the infrastructure that includes highly trained and experienced professionals should be lost to Kentucky. Starting this work from scratch would likely set the state back over a decade.
Funding the KCM is a small investment that pays huge dividends for the children of Kentucky.
Daniel McGee is Executive Director of Kentucky Center for Mathematics. The KCM facilitates the development of mathematical fluency for improving student success and enhancing the enjoyment of mathematics. The KCM staff, housed at Northern Kentucky University, consists of a diverse group of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, each of which shares a common dream of empowering teacher leaders and inspiring student success in mathematical fluency.
It’ll never happen; folks in Kentucky love STUPID