Leadership Education in Algebraic Development

LEAD is an algebraic development tutoring program that will be implemented at King-Drew high school starting fall 2015. The Program hopes to build not only math learning skills but confidence and endurance so that the students involved in the program will continue to use the skills that they have developed in their math classes. The LEAD program will target primarily African American 9th and 10th grade students who did not pass algebra in middle school or their previous year in high school. The students will take a diagnostic at the beginning and end of the year to monitor growth in specific concepts for each student and the group as a whole. Based upon these tests the curriculum for the program will be organized around the concepts of greatest struggle as highlighted by the diagnostic. The first approach that LEAD will take will attempt to counter the present learning style in a typical math classroom, as it will encourage asking questions, working in groups, and a growth mindset. The program will attempt to execute the following three elements: basic skills, conceptual understanding and problem solving. LEAD will use real life application relevant to the students and by motivating students to work together and to think out loud, we hope to build leadership skills and development. The second approach includes having activities and discussions that allow students to examine the intersections of race, class and math to get a greater understanding of the disparity of African American students in high level math classes and to combat the stigma of inadequacy.

http://leaducla.wixsite.com/algebra
leaducla@gmail.com

Signatories: Andrew Ovakimyan, Ariel Taylor, and Mara Miyashiro

Advisor: Carissa Leanne Requejo