Agency Details:

Explorations In Math

Mission Statement
Explorations in Math is a non-profit organization with a mission to build a sustainable math culture in elementary school communities.

Description:
Helping Math Make Sense
Our programs encourage students to explore, question and experience math by using games, hands-on activities, group projects and technology to further establish math skills and concepts. Adhering to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards (NCTM) and Washington State's Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs), we strive to help students enjoy the process of mathematics.

Goals
Our goals are specific:

1. Create confidence and excitement for math in young children.
2. Start early in the educational lives of children.
3. Involve the entire school community, including teachers and parents.
   
   
We have a five pronged strategy:

4. Create high quality programs that adhere to state and national educational standards.
5. Work inside and outside of the classroom
6. Offer a variety of fun and interesting out-of-class activities.
7. Create confident teachers of mathematics
8. Build programs that can be sustained within a school over the long term.
   
   

EIM Programs
•Math Clubs: Provide an opportunity for students to practice their math skills and conceptual knowledge in a fun, non-intimidating environment.
•Monthly Math Bulletin Boards: Rally the entire school community together to work on different mathematical challenges each month, which are displayed on an artistically designed bulletin board provided by EIM.
•Family Math Game Nights: Bring families, students, teachers and administrators together one night per quarter to play math games, teach parents how to engage in fun math activities at home, and have a great time.
•Summer Math Camp: Minimize the learning loss that students experience over the long summer break by offering fun and engaging two-week long summer day camps focused solely on math. Topics such as Exploring Art and Architecture and History of Numbers are offered annually.
•Mathematician in Residence: Help teachers build their confidence in math and their repertoire of fun and educational math activities by providing an expert math coach in the school a few hours each week to work directly with teachers in their classrooms.

History:
Explorations in Math was founded as an organization in February 2003, however, the organization remained under the fiscal sponsorship of Powerful Schools until February 2007, when it applied for and gained its own 501c3 non-profit status. The organization found its beginnings in a Lake Washington School District school in which the PTA sponsored math programs in two Seattle schools. Word of mouth spread and the number of schools served grew 100% year-over-year for the next several years out of the need for more, high quality math education programs within elementary schools, especially in economically disadvantaged communities.
EIM’s experience of core competencies began with chess and after school math clubs which eventually grew to include staff development, community challenge boards, family math nights, a Mathematician-in-Residence program and consulting. From the beginning, the goal of the programs has been to engage the entire school community of students, teachers, parents and administrators to create a math culture that would sustain math achievement. Some of the landmarks by which EIM is known is its ability to galvanize schools around mathematics in order to build a math culture.
Some key moments of inspiration are when teachers say, “I want to teach math like Explorations in Math does,” to students who come to school asking if it is math club day, to parents asking for more information on how to help their children at home with math, to a gymnasium full of students, on the hottest day of the year, playing math for hours on end. These are all signs that a culture shift is beginning to emerge.

Contact people:

Carol Ryan, Communications Director, (phone), (email) Megan Nordeen, Development Associate, (phone), (email) Stephanie Cherrington, Executive Director, (phone), (email)

Main office number: (206) 325-0774
TDD number: (000) 000-0000
Office fax number: (000) 000-0000

Address:

1700 21st Ave. S., Suite 205 Seattle, WA 98028 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.explorationsinmath.org

Directions:

From Interstate 90, go south on Rainier Avenue to Massachusetts. Turn left on Massachusetts, and then immediately right on 21st Avenue S. Our building is on the corner of 21st and Massachusetts and you can park in the lot.. . . (more)

Miscellaneous Information

Liability
	No
Does your organization welcome court-ordered community service volunteers?
	Yes
Does your organization have volunteer positions for youth 12-18?
	Yes

Last updated on September 29, 2009