Summer Algebra Institute contacts:
Rhoda Stephens, SAI Administrator,
rbs200@aol.com
Cherylnn Pope, SAI Instructor,
cyptutor@aol.com
CSU Public Affairs contact:
Erik Fallis, (562) 951-4800, mobile (562) 477-7317,
efallis@calstate.edu
Media Advisory:
Sunday, Aug. 23, 2 p.m. –
How did they spend their summer vacation?
At church in CSU algebra institute. Go figure.
Sunday’s ceremony to fete middle- and high-school students;
Note to editors and news directors:
Here’s a big math problem: Not enough underrepresented students enter
high school ready for Algebra 1; thus they risk not being ready for
college when they graduate high school.
One solution: Consider x is middle- and high-school students,
y is African American churches in Southern California, and z
is the California State University (CSU); then 500x + 16y
+ z = 16 CSU Summer Algebra Institute programs. The programs are
set in church facilities where teachers present summer sessions focused
on important math concepts.
Reporters and photographers are invited to cover a Sunday, Aug. 23,
ceremony to honor the roughly 75 student participants. The ceremony will
begin at 2 p.m. at Faithful Central Bible Church of Inglewood. It will
honor students from that church’s program along with those from West
Angeles Church of Los Angeles. On display will be math-project pyramids
and a student-created timeline of African and African American
achievements in math and science.
For details about the ceremony and to arrange interviews with students,
reporters may contact the sites’ instructor, Cherylnn Pope, at
cyptutor@aol.com; or the SAI site administrator, Rhoda Stephens, at
rbs200@aol.com.
In many communities, the Summer Algebra Institute partnerships helped
fill a void created as school districts cut summer classes out of their
budgets.
According to Tony Ross, vice president of student affairs for California
State University, Los Angeles and coordinator of the CSU African
American Initiative, “The algebra institutes are helping students
overcome one of the largest hurdles to gaining college acceptance: math
skills. Math skills are an access issue and a key to prosperity. With a
solid foundation in math, students will have more career options when it
comes to the fastest-growing sectors of our economy – including jobs in
research, technology, engineering and medical services."
WHAT: CSU Summer Algebra Institute culminating ceremony
to honor middle-school and high-school students who went to church to
study math this summer.
WHEN:
Ceremony begins at 2 p.m., Sunday, August 23, 2009. Interviews
may be arranged in advance. Best time for student interviews will be
immediately after the ceremony, which is expected to last two hours or
less.
WHERE:
Faithful Central Bible Church, 333 W. Florence Ave., Inglewood,
CA 90301
WHO:
About 75 mostly eighth- and ninth-grade
students, along
with teachers, administrators, and others.
WHY:
To highlight how crucial algebra is for preparing
children for future success, and to showcase a church-CSU partnership
that boosts math skills to foster educational access in
underserved communities.
# # #
CSU news release:
Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 210,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds—reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six
Colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12.
Programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, housed in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center. www.calstatela.edu
Faithful Central Bible Church, Inglewood
on display
will be their pyramids, math/science timeline, pride
CSU and Church Partners Provide a Gateway to College through Summer
Algebra Institutes -
http://www.calstate.edu/PA/News/2009/summer-algebra.shtml
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