How much is 5 + 3? At the First People’s Center for Education, they know that a significant group of young Native American children would try to count their fingers to find the answer, even if they should be old enough already to add the numbers up in their head. Educators would say that they don’t have “number sense,” lacking the ability to “compose” and “decompose” numbers. Many American Indian students are lagging when it comes to proficiency in reading and math. The First People’s Center for Education, a small nonprofit, has found a way to change this. They train teachers at poor, mostly Native American schools to use different approaches in numeracy. With good results. Before 2006, when First People’s came to schools with a lot of Native American children, less than a quarter of the school’s third-graders were rated “proficient” or higher on the state’s standardized math test. Since then, more than 60 percent have achieved this benchmark annually.
A unique approach to math helps boost achievement for children in school
More of Today's Solutions
Barbie debuts first doll with type 1 diabetes, boosting visibility and inclusion
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Mattel introduced its first-ever Barbie doll with type 1 diabetes in an effort to improve representation and produce ...
Read More8 weekend rituals successful people embrace to recharge and thrive
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Weekends often arrive like a sigh of relief after a long, demanding week. And while the idea of ...
Read MoreJigsaw puzzles: A hobby that’s great for your brain
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In our ever-increasing digital society, puzzling is the perfect activity to unplug and improve your mental and physical ...
Read MoreHow meditation helps the mindset of people coping with disease
Keeping our spirits up is important for all of us, no matter the task at hand, and that's easy to forget sometimes as we ...
Read More
