FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Daniel Zaharopol, Executive Director, The Art of Problem Solving Foundation
888-264-2793
danz@artofproblemsolving.org
Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics Launches New Summer Program to Extend Mathematical Pipeline for One Hundred NYC Underserved Sixth-Graders
New program will more than double students exposed to advanced mathematics each summer
New York, NY (June 24, 2016) – Building on years of experience providing science and math pathways to underserved NYC middle-school students, Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) is launching a pilot program to provide 100 underserved sixth-graders the opportunity to explore advanced mathematics. The new program, BEAM 6, will more than double the number of students BEAM serves directly each summer and give students in BEAM’s programs access to challenging mathematics from a younger age.
“Often, students have learned that math is about memorizing procedures and passing tests,” says Daniel Zaharopol, Executive Director of the Art of Problem Solving Foundation, the nonprofit that runs BEAM. “We have four weeks to change their lives and change their whole idea of mathematics.”
BEAM 6 is a free summer program for current NYC sixth-graders that will introduce students to logical thinking, abstract reasoning, and fundamental mathematics, preparing them for advanced study in future programs. During the four-week summer program, running July 11-August 5 and hosted in partnership with the Urban Assembly Maker Academy, BEAM 6 participants will be immersed in mathematical thinking that challenges them and is unlike anything they have encountered in schools.
After the summer, students in BEAM 6 will have access to free online courses and math books during 7th grade. In the following year, they will be invited to apply for BEAM 7, which includes a free residential program on a college campus and five years of continued advising and support.
BEAM 6 is supported in its inaugural year by a $200,000 grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation.
“BEAM is a successful, rigorous math education program that enables the low-income students it serves to reach impressive new heights of achievement,” said Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Executive Director and former New York City Schools Chancellor Harold O. Levy. “The program opens new doors of educational opportunity to bright students, will benefit them throughout their years in school, and can pave the way for successful careers.”
BEAM alumni have attended the most selective high schools in New York City, including Stuyvesant High School, the Bronx High School of Science, and Bard High School Early College. They have also continued on to highly selective programs for advanced study including the Center for Talented Youth and the Mathworks Honors Summer Math Camp. BEAM 6 represents the first time that 6th grade students will have access to BEAM’s programming.
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About Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics
Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) makes it possible for low-income New York City students to achieve at the highest levels. Through world-class intensive summer programs and year-round mentoring, our students prepare to break barriers to entry in math, science, engineering, and related fields. BEAM is a project of the Art of Problem Solving Foundation, and was founded to create a pathway for highly able students that are not yet aware of or ready for other opportunities, “plugging them in” to a wider, national network of mathematics activities and resources. The program is open to students who attend high-poverty schools.
Website: http://www.beammath.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beammath/
Twitter: @BEAMmathNYC
About the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. It offers the largest scholarships in the U.S., comprehensive counseling and other support services to students from 8th grade to graduate school. Since 2000 it has awarded about $147 million in scholarships to more than 2,000 students and $90 million in grants to organizations that serve outstanding low-income students.
Website: http://www.jkcf.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JackKentCookeFoundation/
Twitter: @TheJKCF