Math Power! Prize - mEducation Alliance

Congratulations to our 2024 Math Power! Prize Winners

Grupo de Análisis para el Desarrollo (GRADE) - $10,000

GRADE for their Conecta Ideas Peru platform

Country of Impact: Peru

Since its foundation in 1980 in Lima, Peru, GRADE has been dedicated to undertaking economic, educational, environmental and social studies in areas relevant to the development of Peru and other Latin American countries.

Since 2018, GRADE, a private non-profit research center with the mission to develop applied research to stimulate and enrich public policy debate, design and implementation, has been implementing Conecta Ideas Peru (Facebook: ConectaIdeasPeru) in collaboration with the Center for Advanced Research in Education at the University of Chile (CIAE), the Inter-American Development Bank, the Ministry of Education of Peru, and with the support of the Old Dart Foundation.

The Conectaideas platform was initially developed by CIAE researchers.

Conecta Ideas Peru is a digital education program that provides teachers and students with free access to digital resources to promote the teaching and learning of mathematics, with a gender and equity approach. Their program aims to address current educational inequalities in math learning among third to sixth-grade primary level students, both in urban and rural schools, by providing EdTech resources tailored to public schools´ teachers and students´ needs.

Impact

During 2023, Conecta Ideas Peru successfully reached a significant milestone with over 112,000 students actively engaging with the application and 7,000 teachers nationwide registering on Conecta Ideas. Of these students, 11,443 belong to rural areas.

Reviewer Comments:

This looks to me like a creative way to reach many students and teachers. It already has a significant penetration in Peru. They have also done rigorous research showing positive effects on children’s learning of mathematics. The data concerning participation are impressive. But the application goes further. It outlines a variety of learning outcomes and specific tools. Methodologies include experimental design and non-experimental investigations. Very encouraging that the application mentions extension from early grades to high school.

MathKind - $5,000

Countries of Impact: Guatemala, Ecuador, United States

Founded in 2014, Mathkind was established to create summer travel opportunities for US teachers to support their peers in developing countries. Since then, they have grown from a small group of committed educators to a global network of researchers and local leaders collaborating year-round to transform mathematics instruction through high-quality, grassroots programs.

We focus attention on the innate creativity, curiosity, and capacity to learn that every child possesses from birth. We adapt our programs in collaboration with teachers, school leaders, and parents, to respond to their specific needs and interests. We model the use of math as a language to understand one’s community and solve its problems. This combination of collaborative approach, cultural adaptation, and outreach to vulnerable communities together comprise Mathkind’s true innovation in math education.

Impact:

Since its founding ten years ago by a lone math teacher interested in cultural exchange, Mathkind Global has consistently raised sufficient funds to engage with 250–1,500 educators per year, for a total of over 7,000 educators and 225,000 students to date.

Reviewer Comments:

The application shows a program grappling with the central question of connecting teaching with learning. Good evaluation methods, both for formative and summative evaluations.

The program, commendably, includes a teacher ‘coaching’ component, whose progress is notoriously difficult to measure.

Stellar approach for the training on ongoing support of math teachers. Excellent collaborations. Inspired leaders.

Care For Education - $1000

Country of Impact: South Africa

Care for Education (CFE) is a non-profit organisation (NPO) that is partnering with the LEGO Foundation (LF) to distribute LEGO play-based resources throughout South Africa.

CFE aims to impact early childhood development (ECD) and foundation phase education using concrete manipulatives which engage children and educators in playful teaching and learning. CFE does this by providing resources, namely LEGO DUPLO Play Boxes and Six Bricks. When teachers receive these resources, they participate in a hands-on workshop demonstrating how to use the manipulatives and how to integrate them into curriculum and lesson plans. This training also illustrates how teacher-facilitated, and child-led play-based activities can be part of teaching and learning.

CFE has continuously developed a variety of games, mats, and activities that leverage the Six Bricks tool to teach a range of mathematical skills. One notable innovation is the ‘Crossing the B-line mat,’ which helps teach spatial and mathematical concepts concretely.

Teach for Poland - $1000

Country of Impact: Poland

Get ready to be amazed by our two extraordinary STEAM projects.

First up is the Mathematical Map of Marki City. Imagine students becoming mathematical explorers of their own town! Armed with curiosity and clipboards, they embarked on a mission to uncover mathematical marvels hidden in plain sight. This project didn’t just stop at numbers. It embraced an eco-friendly ethos, weaving in issues on reducing carbon footprints and championing sustainability. Want to see more? Visit here.

Next on the roster is the Gingerbread School Project—a feast for the senses and the mind! Picture this: students, armed with rolling pins and icing bags, set out to recreate their school in delicious gingerbread form. Starting with architectural blueprints, students embarked on a mathematical adventure, scaling down dimensions and fine-tuning proportions. Armed with rulers and calculators, they delved into the world of geometry and spatial reasoning. And the icing on the cake? Literally, the icing! With frosting as their medium, students brought their edible masterpiece to life, infusing creativity into every corner. Want a taste of the action ot this project as an initiative of students, teachers, and parents as one team? Dive into these video and article links.

Special Thanks to Our 2024 Math Power! Prize Co-Sponsor

PLT Health Solutions

We’d like to extend a special thank you to PLT Health Solutions for co-sponsoring the 2024 Math Power! Prize through their People and Planet Initiatives and their commitment to Mindspark: Empowering Children Around the World.

With a 70-year legacy in promoting human health and well-being through plant-based and botanical solutions, PLT Health Solutions is deeply committed to equitable and sustainable practices. This commitment extends beyond business, inspiring them to support high-quality educational opportunities in communities where they source essential raw materials, including India and South Africa.

Through their partnership with the MINDSPARK Learning System, PLT has provided vital funding and organizational support for digital learning platforms that empower young learners. We’re grateful for PLT’s dedication to advancing education and fostering positive change for communities worldwide.

Big Thanks to Our 2024 Math Power! Prize Judges

Dr. David Crombecque - American Institute of Mathematics

Dr. David Crombecque is Associate Director of Special Projects at the American Institute of Mathematics in Pasadena, where he works on supporting equitable and accessible mathematics outreach programs throughout the country. Dr. Crombecque is also Professor of Mathematics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His interests have focused on broadening participation in mathematics in particular for people coming from historically marginalized communities. He is one of the co-directors of the LA Math Teachers Circle and the project leader of Math On the Border, a program that offers joyful mathematics after school activities to unaccompanied migrant minors. Dr.Crombecque is also a founding member of Spectra, the LGBTQ+ association of mathematicians.

Dr. Deborah Stipek - Stanford University

Deborah J. Stipek, Ph.D. is the Judy Koch Emeritus Professor of Education and the former I James Quillen Dean of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Her doctorate is from Yale University in developmental psychology. Her scholarship concerns instructional effects on children’s achievement motivation and early childhood education. In addition to her scholarship, she served for five years on the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the National Academy of Sciences and is a member of the National Academy of Education. She also chaired the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Increasing High School Students’ Engagement & Motivation to Learn and the MacArthur Foundation Network on Teaching and Learning. She currently chairs the Heising-Simons Development and Research on Early Math Education Network and serves as a senior consultant to California Education Partners, working with districts to improve P-3 alignment. Dr. Stipek served 10 of her 23 years at UCLA as Director of the Corinne Seeds University Elementary School and the Urban Education Studies Center. She joined the Stanford Graduate School of Education as Dean and Professor of Education in January 2001.

Mary W. Sichangi - Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)

Mary works at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) as the head of Partnerships & Linkages Department and Senior Teacher Trainer, Mathematics Education. She has extensive experience as a Mathematics Education expert with close to twenty years training teachers from Kenya and other African countries. She has presented papers and given advocacy talks in local and international conferences and workshops in areas of mathematics and science education. Mary is a member of the executive committee of the Strengthening of Mathematics and Science Education in Africa (SMASE Africa) a continental platform for educators and implementers that focus on addressing challenges in mathematics and science education. She holds a ministerial appointment as the coordinator of ADEA’s Inter-Country Quality Node on Mathematics and Science Education (ICQN-MSE) that spearheads policy dialogue in this thematic area.

Dr. Mark Saul - mEducation Alliance

Dr. Mark Saul has touched the lives of thousands of students around the world through his work as a teacher and author. He has served as Executive Director of the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival, as Director of Competitions for the Mathematical Association of America, and as Director of the Center for Mathematical Talent at the Courant Institute of Mathema tical Sciences, New York University. He has been President of the American Regions Mathematics League (ARML), Director of the Research Science Institute, and editor of Quantum, The Mathematics Teacher, and the AMS Notices.

Mark has also served as Senior Scholar for the John Templeton Foundation, and as a program director for the National Science Foundation. His portfolio there included directing the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. He is a 1984 recipient of that award, the nation’s highest honor for work in the classroom.

Paul Flowerman - Chairman Emeritus and Executive Director, PLT Health Solutions’ People and Planet Initiative

Paul Flowerman boasts five decades of international collaboration experience and a strong background in education and social entrepreneurship. As Chairman Emeritus and Executive Director of PLT Health Solutions’ People and Planet Initiative, he has led efforts to develop innovative programs in education, particularly through his work with Mindspark. With an academic foundation from Princeton, Harvard, and NYU, Paul has developed educational initiatives in Peru, Malaysia, India, and South Africa. His expertise in scaling educational programs globally and translating them into different languages underscores his suitability as a judge.

Be an early Co-Sponsor of the Math Power! Prize 2025 and Beyond

The Math Power! Prize, part of our suite of Math Power! activities, is designed to draw attention to the importance of mathematics and numeracy skills and to publicly recognize the amazing work of exceptional non-profit organizations working in their communities and globally to promote the joy of math. Prior to our 2022 award, there did not exist a dedicated prize for this type of global recognition as there is with literacy, such as the Library of Congress Literacy Awards.

Your support will enable us to:

1) Run the Math Power! Prize for three years;

2) Support more awards and with higher funding levels, and to provide additional forms of technical support to exceptional organizations which are competitively selected through a juried review process;

3) Showcase the work of these organizations at in-person (e.g., our annual Symposia) and virtual events, and through other promotional opportunities (e.g., video interviews in one of our Pulse Media Channel playlists);

4) Develop an annual Math Power! Good Practices Guide based on the work of top-ranked applicants; and,

5) Build out the network and activities of organizations involved in our Math Power! Community of Practice.

We welcome individual and organizations interested in being Math Prize! co-sponsors, including for a 2025 award. If you are interested, please email us at medalliance@meducationalliance.org.

Congrats to our 2022 Math Power! Prize Winners

On November 3rd, 2022, at our 12th annual mEducation Alliance Symposium, we were delighted to announce the winners of the 2022 — and first — Math Power! Prize. Please find profiles below of the winners, along with links to other top candidates.

The 2022 prize purse was divided into 2 Math Power! Prize Winner awards of $25,000 each and $5,000 for a Good Practices Honoree.

2022 Math Power! Prize Winners - $25,000 Prize Awards

talkSTEM

talkSTEM is a nonprofit organization, based in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Texas, working to empower children from all income levels, ethnicities, genders to see Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) as an intriguing and vital part of their daily lives.

They believe that every child is a STEM child.

Through their walkSTEM initiative, they depict math as a foundational language that forms the bedrock of STEM disciplines and work in partnership with a wide range of youth-serving organizations to effect a cultural shift when it comes to youth’s development of mathematical identity.

The walkSTEM initiative, consisting of math walking tours, co-developed by founder and CEO of talkSTEM, Dr. Dhingra, together with Dr. Glen Whitney, founder of the National Museum of Mathematics in New York, represents the largest arm within the talkSTEM organization.

walkSTEM uses place-, observation-, and inquiry-based learning strategies to provide immersive community experiences where students from underrepresented populations can dive into mathematics via local heritage, landscapes, opportunities, and experiences without even leaving their own neighborhood.

The freely accessible talkSTEM YouTube Channel contains hundreds of short videos of walking tours at over 200 public landmarks in DFW, highlighting key concepts and including downloadable educator guides and student worksheets to aid in active learning.

Click here to learn more about walkSTEM and here to view their guides.

Congratulations, talkSTEM!

From left to right: David Barth (Save the Children), Benjamin Feinstein (talkSTEM), Anthony Bloome (mEducation Alliance), and Alexis Bonnell (Google)

onebillion

onebillion is a UK-based non-profit developer of comprehensive EdTech solutions for children to become numerate and literate.

onebillion was an early pioneer of using tablet technology to enable marginalized children to unlock their potential.

From its first pilot of its numeracy content with one school in Malawi in 2014, there are now over 300,000 children using its software to attain numeracy and literacy in their own language.

onebillion’s onetab solution has been extensively scaled in school settings – including in USA, Malawi, South Africa and Canada – with the design principle that it must deliver learning for a child who may have no access to school.

By focusing on the needs and realities of these children, onebillion has developed EdTech that also works effectively for children who have more scaffolding to support their learning. Looking ahead, onebillion intends to focus more on supporting partners in refugee and emergency education contexts, where adult scaffolders may be unavailable, or available inconsistently.

A core goal of onebillion is that children are never left unsure what to do at any stage of their learning, and this has led to powerful innovations such as adaptive learning pathways without personal login, hardware resistant to daily usage in tough conditions, and lessons in digital literacy so that any child – or adult – can immediately start engaging with the content.

You can read about onebillion’s onetab solution here.

Congratulations, onebillion!

From left to right: David Barth (Save the Children), Andrew Ashe (onebillion), Anthony Bloome (mEducation Alliance), and Alexis Bonnell (Google)

2022 Good Practice Honoree - $5,000 Prize Award

CLT India

CLT India (Children’t LoveCastles Trust), founded in 1997, is a not for profit working in the field of education to help remote teachers and students in government schools while addressing the challenges of: teacher shortage, lack of subject matter expertise in STEM, lack of connectivity and access to the internet, and limited educational resources in rural schools.

CLT India has built a large repository of 20,000 STEM videos in English, Kannada, and Hindi with additional resources such as lesson plans, real-time experiments, and assessments which get loaded onto the plug & play Android device, the CLT Lab in the Box, along with data analytics for tracking usage.

CLT India is driven by the philosophy that every child – no matter their circumstances – deserves access to a rich educational environment to be able to build their aspirations and dreams. Visit their site to learn more!

Congratulations, CLT India!