Math Help: ASAP!

The After-School Achievement Program (ASAP) is a collaborative project between Southeastern Louisiana University and a variety of community partners to enhance the preparation of both college and elementary students by utilizing the talents of teacher candidates to provide an after-school support program for at-risk students.

It began last February as the brainstorm of Southeastern mathematics professor Tena Golding, who wanted a hands-on service-learning component for her students, and the Tangipahoa Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council (TADAC), which saw an after-school support program as a way to combat the risk factor of low school performance.

ASAP matches Southeastern students in Math 367, a mathematics content course for junior-level teacher candidates, with elementary and primary school children in need of extra help in math. The program was successfully piloted in spring 2009 with funding from JCPenney Afterschool and Learn & Serve America through the Kentucky and Louisiana Campus Compacts. The pilot included 21 teacher candidates and 45 students in grades 1-8.

"This was really an eye-opener for my students," Golding said. "They all think they know enough math content to teach elementary school. In class, they tend to tune you out, thinking 'I'm never going to use this!' This has shown them that being able to do the math is a lot different from being able to explain it to someone else. Communication is one of the most important things in the math classroom."

This fall, ASAP will transition from its "pilot" status to an improved and established program, thanks to the Learn and Serve grant, which will fund a mobile math lab compete with six laptop computers, math manipulatives and other math skill-building supplies. Over the next three years, asap will partner 150 teacher candidates with 300 at-risk elementary school students to provide mathematics tutoring and mentoring.