Phoenix, AZ, Aug 31, 2011 The Cisco Foundation awarded a $250,000 grant to the non-profit education researcher MIND Research Institute to bring MIND’s innovative visual math education program to 4,000 students in Arizona. As part of the Arizona Department of Education’s (ADE’s) goal to improve student achievement through innovative technology, MIND will launch its ST Math® instructional software program this fall at 12 Phoenix-area schools primarily serving students from disadvantaged backgrounds and who have limited English language skills. With math content delivered over the Internet as game-based learning objectives, MIND’s unique visual approach has been proven to significantly improve math proficiency and increase student engagement and confidence with math.
The 12 elementary schools that volunteered and were selected by MIND for this phase will receive MIND’s program and represent the following school districts in Arizona: Yuma Elementary School District, Roosevelt School District, Balz Elementary School District and Paradise Valley Unified School District. The participating schools will launch MIND’s math education program for two grade levels starting in the 2011-2012 school year, with the Cisco grant supporting program implementation through 2014. Schools will receive teacher professional development; student and teacher access to the ST Math® instructional software; ongoing technical and curriculum support from MIND; and reporting and analysis capabilities to promote effective teaching.
“Cisco’s commitment to technology and innovation has borne fruit via our close partnership with MIND Research Institute, an innovator in math education,” said Peter Tavernise, Executive Director of the Cisco Foundation. “Through education partnerships such as this one between the Arizona Department of Education and MIND, we are making a significant impact on the future of America’s youth.”
“The power of MIND’s visually-based approach to learning math is potentially very powerful,” said John Huppenthal, Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction. “MIND’s track record in achieving math success in other states is very promising, and we are excited at the possibilities replicating that success for the students of Arizona.”
MIND has experienced rapid growth over the last several years, now reaching 320,000 K-12 students and 13,000 teachers in 24 states across the U.S. Philanthropic partnerships, such as that with Cisco, have been critical to maintain this growth and further the organization’s mission to help every child, no matter their ethnic or socioeconomic background, find success in school and in life.
This recent grant adds to the long history of philanthropic partnership between MIND and Cisco, which has invested more than $3 million in cash and in-kind product donations to MIND. Ted Smith, CEO and Chairman of MIND Research Institute stated that the grant marks yet another milestone in MIND’s partnership with Cisco and local educators across the country.
“Cisco’s continued and generous support of MIND has built the organization’s capacity to not only develop our technology-based math education programs, but also deploy our approach to serve more students in need of a proven way to learn math,” said Smith.
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