At the end of each quarter on the MIND blog, we share stories of how our organization, our partners, and educators across the country are advancing the mission to mathematically equip all students to solve the world's most challenging problems.
Welcome to the MIND Blog Rewind! With 2020 safely in our rearview mirror, we wanted to take a minute to recap all of the exciting news and events from the final quarter of one of the most memorable years in our lifetimes.
MIND was honored to announce our continued partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District to bring ST Math to the largest school district in California and the second-largest school district in the nation. The program will impact over 240,000 students and 18,000 teachers across 600 schools.
Our partnership with LAUSD began over 20 years ago when 95th Elementary School implemented ST Math. In 1999, ST Math's first efficacy studies with that school were published. From there, ST Math expanded to other schools in the district, which began to show improvements on California Standards Tests. Through the years, math scores continued to grow, and philanthropic partners took notice. More than 30 foundations and companies have provided financial support to bring ST Math to LAUSD students and educators over this partnership's history.
In December, Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced that our ST Math supplemental math program will be available for grades K-5 to school systems through TEA's Texas Home Learning 3.0 (THL 3.0) initiative.
"ST Math is an effective and engaging program that will help students stay on track whether they are in a classroom or learning virtually," said Governor Abbott.
Read the official press release and check out our brand new Texas page.
We were honored to be named a "2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit" by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews of charities and nonprofits.
Providing consumer insights for more than 1.6 million different organizations, the GreatNonprofits Top-Rated Awards are the only awards for nonprofits determined by those who have direct experience with the charities – as donors, volunteers, and recipients of aid.
"MIND Research Institute is a great example of a nonprofit making a real difference in their community," said Perla Ni, CEO of GreatNonprofits. "Their award is well-deserved recognition not only of their work, but the tremendous support they receive, as shown by the many outstanding reviews they have received from people who have direct experience working with MIND."
Read the press release.
The ST Math program earned the Learner Variability product certification from Digital Promise. The new certification is a reliable signal for educators and families looking for evidence that edtech products support their learners' unique needs.
To earn the certification, MIND submitted evidence to Digital Promise describing ST Math features and design elements that support learner variability, including some that can be manipulated by learners themselves. ST Math is one of 15 products to be recognized with the new certification.
"Across over 100 efficacy studies, we have seen ST Math make a difference for students from all backgrounds. We are honored to be recognized for our efforts to support students, educators, and families," said Brett Woudenberg, CEO of MIND.
Finishing out the quarter on a high note, we announced the promotion of Twana Young, M.Ed., to Vice President of Curriculum and Instruction. In addition to Twana's many talents, she brings over 20 years of experience in education, including multiple district administrator roles with Columbus City Schools.
"At MIND we are working hard to empower students, showcase their brilliance, and support them in building identity and agency in mathematics," said Young. "I am excited and honored to join the MIND leadership team as we continue to advance our mission to ensure that all students are mathematically equipped to solve the world's most challenging problems."
There was a little bit of something for everyone in this quarter's roundup, so hopefully, you found a story that resonated with you. If you did, let us know! You can comment below, and you can also share this (and all) of our blogs on your favorite social media channels by using the sharing buttons at the top of each post.
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Parker Erickson was MIND’s Content and Community Specialist. As a digital storyteller, Parker is passionate about building strong communities through technology and social media. Off the clock, you can find him buried in the latest issue of The New Yorker or experiencing different cultures through food.
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