About

The Math inquiries Project (MiP) is an exciting new initiative exploring the challenges facing math education in California and, more importantly, algebra education.

MiP began with the questions:

• Why do nearly 50 percent of adolescents get left behind as they make the transition from the concrete application of arithmetic to the abstract form of algebra?
• What are the attitudes of teens, parents and teachers toward this dilemma?

Rather than relying solely on available statistics, studies and papers to examine these issues, MiP decided to use consumer-marketing techniques to get beneath the surface. Focus group discussions among eighth-grade boys and girls, their parents and teachers became the primary tool in the discovery process.

Observing teens, parents and teachers speaking in their own voices, with deep conviction and emotion, has provided the inspiration, texture and depth to help MiP move forward in its mission to make algebra more relevant to its target audiences. It has allowed MiP to identify the need among teachers, schools and parents for support in delivering the “algebra product” more efficiently, and with greater meaning and incentive, to California teenagers.

Combining consumer marketing with social marketing, MiP now has the impetus to be a major part of the change in the ongoing conversation about algebra in the media, in our homes and in our schools. The benefit of a solid algebra education must be available to all teenagers and useful not only in its practical application, but as a system of thought that enriches their lives and enlivens their minds.

To sum up, The Math inquiries Project is an agent for change in the ongoing evolution of math education in California, dedicated to redirecting the conversation among teens so they may begin to comprehend the profound role of algebra in their lives.

We Are A California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation

The Math inquiries Project, which sponsors www.mathmirror.org, is a California non-profit public benefit corporation organized for the purpose of advancing research and education regarding math in California with a focus on algebra education. As is required by California and federal law, the property of MiP is irrevocably dedicated to charitable purposes and no part of the net income or assets of MiP shall ever inure to the benefit of any director, officer or member or to the benefit of any private person. The Math inquiries Project has tax-exempt status as a charitable and educational organization under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and under California law.