A website supporting parents in helping their children learn and enjoy math.

The goal of Becoming a Math Family is to bridge research and practice by providing free, research-based activities, findings, and ideas for parents to help children ages 3-6 learn and enjoy math.

Program Impact

The website has more than 40 research-based activities for ages 3-6 and numerous practical videos for parents on current research in math education and psychology.

Funder

National Science Foundation

Website

becomingamathfamily.uchicago.edu

A summer and school-year STEM program for young children and their families.

The goal of Ready, Set, STEM! is to develop parents’ and children’s confidence and enthusiasm for STEM. The program includes a free 5-week STEM summer program for rising kindergarten students, school-year STEM curriculum projects for PreK and kindergarten classrooms, and various family-focused supports, including home activities and a family website.

Program Impact

The following are some outcomes from the year 1 project evaluation:

• 74% of children in the summer program improved their numeric and/or spatial skills during the program.
• All of the summer program teachers and assistant teachers increased their knowledge, confidence, positive attitudes, and expectations related to STEM for young children.
• 500 adults and children attended Ready, Set, STEM Family STEM Events over the course of the 2018-19 school year.
• 84% of parents attending the spring Family STEM Event “agree” or “strongly agree” that they know more about their young child’s STEM learning than they did before the school year and program started.

Funder

The Boeing Company

Website

www.ucreadysetstem.com

Activating public spaces to support early math learning.

The goal of Math Talk is to foster increased community and family efficacy, agency, and engagement related to early math learning using “MathScapes” installations in the everyday environment and a paired MathTalk App.

Program Impact

Multiple community co-design sessions including local businesses, families, and schools have taken place in Boston and Cambridge, with more than 8 MathScapes installations. New funding has recently been awarded, and work is underway to expand the project to Chicago.

Funders

NSF and the Heising-Simons Foundation in partnership with MathTalk, McCormick Foundation

Since 2013, UChicago STEM Education has supported teachers in Chicago Public Schools as they transition to the Next Generation Science Standards. Through this collaboration with CPS, Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, and the Big Shoulders Fund, we have been building and expanding capacity to implement the NGSS in school systems, participating Networks, schools, and classrooms. Supports provided each year include quarterly Teacher Leader Institute and Professional Learning Community sessions, Study Groups focused on topics of particular interest to participants, and classroom coaching and school-based supports for teacher leaders in a subset of schools.

Funder

Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust