Academy for Educational Development

AED’s After-School Math PLUS Materials Now Available

Program Provides “Real World” Math that is Engaging, Fun, and Rigorous

NEW YORK, May 13, 2008 – The Educational Equity Center at the Academy for Educational Development (EEC/AED) recently published its After-School Math PLUS (ASM+) materials set, in an effort to provide more resources for the rapidly growing field of informal education.

The materials, which are targeted to students from low-income families in grades 3-8 who attend after-school programs, include a user-friendly implementation guide and four individual activity guides.  The activity guides are organized around specific themes, and are designed to develop essential skills and help students find the math in everyday experiences. All of the activities meet National Council for Teachers of Mathematics standards.

The four thematic units include:

1. ArtMath, where students explore the connections between art and math using the elements of rotation, patterns and symmetry, for example, to create their own art in the style of M.C. Escher and Piet Mondrian;  
2. Built Environment, in which students measure, draw blueprints, and build their “ideal community” to scale;
3. Jump Rope Math, where students learn how to gather and present data while they have fun jumping rope and getting exercise; and
4. MusicMath, in which students learn about fractions as they use whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes to create their own percussion composition.

Within each theme, an emphasis is placed on careers, role models, strategies for family involvement, and inclusion of students with disabilities. 

“The After-School Math PLUS themes were chosen to fit into fun, after-school activities, said Merle Froschl, co-director of EEC/AED.  “This is a great program for students to reinforce the math concepts they learn in school.”

AED is a nonprofit organization working globally to improve education, health, civil society and economic opportunities. Focusing on the underserved, AED implements more than 250 programs serving people in all 50 U.S. states and more than 150 countries.

EEC at AED is an outgrowth of Educational Equity Concepts, a national not-for-profit organization with a 22-year history of promoting educational excellence for all children.  EEC’s ASM+ program is a unique partnership between after-school centers and science museums, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, and nationally replicated with the support of the Toyota USA Foundation.

ASM+ materials may be ordered online at www.edequity.org.

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