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RETC + Boyle Scholars = Math Recovery
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A student from the Bronx Academy of the Arts learns about Project RISE at the William D. Walsh Family Library. The program is designed to help high school students recover math credits.
Photo by Bruce Gilbert
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By Gina Vergel
For most of his scholastic career, Bronx Academy of the Arts junior Raymond Rivera has been less than partial to the subject of math. Well, make that much less.
“I hated it,” the 16-year-old said.
But that was before Rivera got the opportunity to participate in a “math recovery” program at Fordham’s RETC: Center for Professional Development.
The program, called Project RISE, or Rediscovering Inspiration for Student Excellence, allows Rivera to take a computerized math course twice a week at the RETC, right outside the Rose Hill campus in the Bronx.
So far, Rivera likes what he’s learning. He even went so far as to describe the math program as “enjoyable.”
Rivera isn’t alone. Twenty six students from the performing arts high school are working to earn credits from math courses they once failed by using software from PLATO Learning, an Illinois-based firm that specializes in educational learning products.
The software is aligned with New York state standards and allows students to complete lessons, take tests and then move to the next level—all at their own pace. If the students complete the program, they will avoid attending summer school to make up the credits.
The RETC provides specialized professional development programs and tailored research services for educators. The center also provides research and evaluation programs for K-12 educators, resources for Fordham faculty and training for parents.
Steven D’Agustino, Ph.D., director for RETC, said the center has worked with nearly 200 New York City-area schools in various capacities over the past three years.
“But we wanted to form a smaller partnership with one of the high schools,” D’Agustino said. “Bronx Academy of the Arts had already been approached by PLATO Learning about the recovery program, but the school couldn’t support the software in its building. That’s where we came in. We provided the infrastructure and now we’re going to provide the mentors.”
In February, the high school students gained mentors in the form of Fordham Boyle Scholars, who are honors students from the College of Business Administration. Boyle Scholars must complete community service, and helping the high school students complete the program fits into their requirement.
“Part of the mission here at Fordham, and at RETC, is to reach out to the community,” D’Agustino said. “This is an innovative way to fulfill that mission.
“It’s also a way to address the digital divide that often plagues schools in the Bronx,” he added.
Iris Blige, principle of the Bronx Academy of the Arts, said some students initially were hesitant about participating in the program.
“But now I see that they are very involved in this project,” Blige said. “They’re beginning to take more accountability for their own learning. They are realizing that it is attainable. And in the process they are learning that just because you weren’t that stellar student doesn’t mean you can’t go to college.” |
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Copyright © 2008, Fordham University.
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