Balance the Equation: The Young People's Project

The Young People's Project (YPP) in the U.S. will develop a formal certification program and online learning platform to support high school students experiencing poverty to create and use interactive math games to more effectively teach algebra to their younger peers. YPP developed a program for teaching algebra whereby middle and high school students are employed as Math Literacy Workers to develop interactive games to improve their own math literacy, and to use them to improve the literacy of their peers. In doing so they also learn to develop their voices as agents of change in education. The Math Literacy Workers will use a formative diagnostic assessment tool, Math Mapper, built on a foundation of validated learning trajectories, to strengthen topic areas that need further development, and to develop a deeper understanding of mathematics and how students learn it. This system will enable the provision of formal credentials, through the Territorium platform, that can facilitate access to funds for paying the workers. Partners on this project include: The Math Door, Broward County Public Schools, Boston Public Schools Teacher Cadets, Territorium, and the Center for School Climate and Learning.