Math Recovery and Stimulus Plan Go Hand In Hand
Earlier this year, Congress approved the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), more commonly known as the Stimulus Plan. A large portion of the allocated funds, estimated at up to $100 billion, has been targeted towards education, especially to help bolster state and local school districts. Many of the objectives that have been identified to qualify for Stimulus money correspond directly with the services provided by Math Recovery and its programs.
Math Recovery was uniquely developed to provide teachers and educators with results-oriented assessment and intervention tools. By targeting students at the K-5 level, Math Recovery helps set the stage for remarkable success in their future mathematical development.
Some of the specific objectives of the Stimulus plan, which are directly met by Math Recovery’s programs, are listed here:
• Support for low-performing schools by helping identify the reasons for low-performance
• Develop and implement effective strategies and interventions to turn around low-performing schools
• Help all students attain proficiency in mathematics on State academic assessments and exit improvement status
• Improve student achievement and teacher quality in high-need schools and early childhood education programs
• Enhance teacher preparation and professional development activities
• Recognize local education agencies and the significant gains made in closing achievement gaps and enable them to expand their work
• Support the development of district-level interventions that incorporate multiple evidence-based strategies that have been proven to increase student achievement
• Evidence of the effectiveness of participating teacher preparation program models
Many of the education-related grants in the Stimulus aim to provide funds for programs that help schools identify causes for low performance and to develop intervention strategies that will demonstrate measurable progress each year. In many of the districts and states utilizing Math Recovery programs, these goals have been achieved with resounding success.
A large part of Math Recovery’s strength comes from prioritizing quality professional development for teachers and educators. With a variety of programs aimed at specific areas of teacher quality improvement, Math Recovery aims to equip and support substantive early education intervention, a perfect fit for the goals of the Stimulus plan.
Math Recovery programs are helping schools close the achievement gaps and raise students’ proficiency in math. For more information on Math Recovery and its programs, contact the Math Recovery office via phone (615) 369-0700 or email at info@mathrecovery.org. To get more information on the ARRA from the Department of Education, click here.
