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Math matters because kids count! 
Students may ask why math is necessary. Why? Because people must have math skills to perform basic activities like following a recipe, managing a budget, deciding whether a sale item is a good
deal, and so on. Financial Analyst Mike Walker points out that kids must be proficient at math in order to buy a car without getting taken for “the wrong kind of ride.”

Math teaches both life and critical thinking skills such as logic and order. An example of mathematical critical thinking is when students are required to explain how they arrived at a solution to a complex problem or to describe the ideas behind a formula. Mathematical equations have predictable outcomes, and precise steps must be followed in order to attain that result. Discipline of mind is a byproduct, something that companies looking to hire understand and take advantage of. Some businesses will hire math majors based on the presumption that students who are good at math have learned how to think and will be able to learn and perform well on the job.

In mathematics, 68 percent of Oakland’s tenth graders passed the 2013 exit exam compared to an average of 84 percent statewide. That’s why Children Rising is recruiting a growing team of math tutors, to improve Oakland’s percentage so that more students are better equipped to live quality lives.

To learn more, email Margena Wade-Green.

Faz Restaurant in Downtown Oakland
1111 Broadway

Enjoy an evening of flavorful foods, entertainment, inspiring stories,
and opportunities to invest in our children.

For questions about tickets, event sponsorship, or volunteering,
contact us at 510.836.5100 or chelsea@children-rising.org.

More details coming soon!

His name is David and he’s in second grade. At the beginning of the year, he was so shy and so scared that he couldn’t answer any of the questions on our student diagnostic assessment. What would be the keys to unlock David’s excitement for learning?

On his first day of tutoring, we tried some beginning sounds picture puzzles. When David saw them, he got a little smile on his face, and he said very quietly, “I like puzzles.” One key!

The following week, David came to tutoring wearing a MONSTER TRUCKS T-shirt. It turns out that David likes to go to Monster Truck shows with his dad. Another key! We found a cool Monster Trucks! book, with lots of photographs, to read together. Ever since then, David has been growing in confidence and gaining skills on his way to becoming a reader.

Now David has completed many phonics puzzles, along with practicing sight words and reading books. He enjoys familiar stories like “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Three Bears,” and is proud of his progress.

Finding the keys–
that’s what volunteer tutors do at twenty Excel Reading Clinics in schools all over Oakland and beyond. Every week, over a hundred tutors sit beside students like David, practicing skills and providing support to help unlock students’ excitement for reading.

Join us! Email Rebecca for more information on how to get involved.