Irvine, Calif., Sep 15, 2015 Today the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics named MIND Research Institute a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education. The announcement was made by Alejandra Ceja, executive director of the initiative, at the launch of Hispanic Heritage Month in Washington, D.C.
“There has been notable progress in Hispanic educational achievement, and it is due to the efforts of these Bright Spots in Hispanic Education, programs and organizations working throughout the country to help Hispanic students reach their full potential," said Ceja.
WHIEEH released a list of 230 programs, models, organizations and initiatives in the Bright Spots in Hispanic Education national online catalog. These Bright Spots support and invest in the educational attainment of Hispanics, from cradle-to-career.
MIND’s programs include award-winning game-based ST Math® software for students, teacher professional development, and year-round school support from educational consultants.
Developed by neuroscientists, MIND’s ST Math program provides visual, computer-based math games that support deep understanding of concepts covered by state math standards at each grade level. Because the program doesn’t rely on language proficiency or prior math success, it’s accessible for English Language Learners and children with learning disabilities. Students use ST Math on computers or tablet devices in a blended learning environment. This approach has been proven repeatedly to double or triple the growth in math proficiency at schools.
Nationwide, approximately 44% of the 800,000 students who use ST Math are Hispanic. Nearly one in four students in public schools is a Hispanic youth, and within the next few decades, Hispanics will represent nearly one in three American workers, according to the WHIEEH.
“ST Math’s impact can be seen in both schoolwide and individual student achievement,” said Lisa Solomon, principal at Madison Elementary school in Santa Ana, Calif., who has used MIND’s program for eight years. “It is a program that has truly had a positive impact on both students and staff.”
The WHIEEH seeks to leverage Bright Spots like MIND to encourage collaboration between stakeholders focused on similar issues in sharing data-driven approaches, promising practices, peer advice, and effective partnerships, ultimately resulting in increased support for the educational attainment of the Hispanic community.
To learn more about the Initiative and to view the Bright Spots in Hispanic Education national online catalog visit www.ed.gov/HispanicInitiative.
MIND Research Institute
MIND Research Institute is a neuroscience and education social benefit organization, dedicated to ensuring that all students are mathematically equipped to solve the world’s most challenging problems. MIND's distinctive visual approach to math and problem-solving is the basis of its innovative, research-proven ST Math® programs for elementary and secondary schools. The visually-based ST Math program has been shown to double or triple schools’ growth rates in math proficiency. MIND's programs currently reach 800,000 students and 31,000 teachers in 2,500 schools in 40 states. For more information, visit www.mindresearch.org.
Media contact:
Christine Byrd
MIND Research Institute
949-345-8636
cbyrd@mindresearch.org
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