Abstract

RSVP of Worcester, Massachusetts, initiated an innovative classroom program, Math Magicians, that assists local elementary schools in cultivating students’ appreciation of mathematics and enhances the district’s elementary mathematics curriculum. The program involves both service-learning high school seniors and RSVP volunteers with first-graders in the Worcester Public School District. This effective practice provides an example of an RSVP project providing training and program coordination to facilitate a school-based career and service-learning curriculum, and offers a practical approach for national service programs seeking ways, with the help of older adults, to support local elementary schools in a core discipline and high-school career and service-learning curricula. Submitted by SaYES/Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) in September 2006.

Back to top

Issue

When students in local schools score poorly on state standardized tests, national service programs and community agencies are often enlisted to help improve their performance. Schools appreciate the assistance, but frequently do not have staff to plan and implement volunteer programs. A partnering approach that includes significant responsibility for program planning and volunteer recruitment, training, and coordination on the community partner side is a way to bridge this staffing gap and to fruitfully harness community skills and talents to assist schools with academic improvement.

High school students interested in becoming teachers need opportunities to experience first-hand the careers they are considering. In addition, many high school students need to fulfill community service graduation requirements. By combining career exposure and community service in a service-learning opportunity in an elementary school classroom, students can gain valuable career insights and some experience in a teaching role.

Back to top

Action

In 2002, an RSVP in Worcester, Massachusetts, launched a mathematics enhancement program in the public schools. Math Magicians presents a promising approach to:

• Increasing student interest in mathematics concepts
• Providing high school seniors with valuable leadership/communication skills in public presentation
• Collaboration between RSVP and service-learning programs

According to the RSVP special projects coordinator, steps taken to develop and implement the Math Magicians program included:

1.  
   1. A collaboration was formed between Worcester RSVP staff and the Worcester Public School District.
   2. A planning committee was convened that included a part-time RSVP staff member and elementary school teachers to discuss how student interest might be ignited early on.
   3. The planning committee developed the following recommendations:
      • Making math fun was important
      • The program they created should align with the University of Chicago Everyday Math curriculum, already used by the district
   4. The RSVP special projects coordinator organized the math into sequential modules and (diligently) mapped the content to the school curriculum, making sure there was alignment between what students learned in class and what the Math Magicians covered.
   5. The RSVP coordinator recruited enough volunteers to staff one troupe, but found that he couldn't recruit as many volunteers as he needed to cover all Worcester first grades (there are 33 elementary schools in the district), so he posted an additional call for volunteers on a city e-mail discussion list.
   6. The Vice President of South Community High School, an ardent champion of service-learning, responded to the e-mail because the Math Magicians project seemed to be an ideal match for her South High seniors who were enrolled in a career exploration class and were interested in teaching.
   7. A partnership was established between South Community High and RSVP to add a Math Magician troupe made up of high school students.
   8. The students received training in public speaking to enhance their leadership abilities.

Back to top

Context

Worcester is located in central Massachusetts, approximately 45 miles west of Boston, and is the third largest city in New England with a population of approximately 176,000. Worcester has evolved into an education, medical and research center. By racial and ethnic makeup, city residents are approximately 77 percent White, 15 percent Hispanic, seven percent Black, five percent Asian, and less than one percent Native American, native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander (2000 U.S. Census).

Worcester School District is a Title I District with 33 elementary schools. South Community High School, one of seven secondary schools in the district, is a comprehensive high school serving about 1,570 students in grades 9-12. Students in the district include 36 percent whose first language is other than English and 62 percent who live in low-income households.

Back to top

Outcome

The partnership enabled the program to develop in a manner that aligns with the goals of both agencies, and RSVP coordination has enabled continued implementation. The students enjoy learning math with the Math Magicians and troupe performances provide an accessible format for reinforcing the classroom math curriculum. The program has grown from one troupe to two with the addition of the service-learning high-school troupe.

The students receive public speaking training to enhance their leadership/communication abilities, and acquire some real-world experience working in elementary classrooms.

Back to top

Evidence

More than 90 percent of teacher evaluations of the Math Magicians program report that it is "effective" or "very effective." Anecdotal comments on evaluation forms show that not only is the program appreciated by students, but that teachers are learning, too. One reported, for example, that the traveling troupe that came to her class showed her just how imaginative and fun teaching math could be. South Community High continues its participation with the program as a service-learning opportunity for its seniors.

Back to top

Posted On

Back to top

For More Information

Back to top

Source Documents

Related Practices

• Brokering collaborations to include seniors in service-learning
• Connecting baby boomer volunteers with K-12 service-learning schools
• Finding and keeping baby boomer volunteers through school partnerships

Back to top

Related sites

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

• Login or register to post comments
• 
• Print-friendly page
• Send to friend