Today, we are proud to announce the launch of WithMathICan.org, a national initiative to transform student attitudes about math. Under the leadership of Amazon Education and TenMarks, a national coalition of non-profit education and educational technology organizations created “With Math I Can.” The initiative challenges schools, classes and families to take the pledge to stop saying “I’m not good at math” and approach math with a growth mindset, the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed which leads to an increased focus on the process of learning rather than the outcome.
By collaborating with the education community, Amazon is taking a bold step to transform society’s approach and mindset toward math so all students can reach their full potential and have equal access to college and career opportunities. Often, kids become discouraged and feel they aren’t good at math as soon as they struggle to solve a problem and this is precisely what we want to change. One of our first steps in doing this is With Math I Can's emotionally charged video, designed to be viewed with your children and students to spark a discussion about their attitude toward math.
Schools around the nation are joining the With Math I Can movement like Bayview Academy in California, which is investing in the development of a growth mindset across their faculty and student body. Bayview leaders are focusing on involving parents in the discussion so they are able to support students at home which is key to every student’s success. They welcome the growth mindset resources available for families and classes on WithMathICan.org.
And never has this effort been more important. In the US, more than 50% of young adults say they “can’t do math” and this attitude is particularly dangerous in lower income communities where scores from the most recent Nation’s Report Card show that 71% of average-income students achieved a basic understanding of math, while only 44% of low-income students achieved the same level.
It’s critical that all of our kids understand math, for a variety of reasons. Math is required for college readiness, most careers, even just everyday life, such as figuring out how much money to save or the score of a basketball game.
We invite you to visit www.withmathican.org to watch the video and take the pledge with your family. From there, you can access resources and tools to support growth mindset in your children. Please share the With Math I Can video with your network to help change our country’s attitude about math.
