NYC launching new learning tool to help kids conquer ‘fear of math’ in public schools next fall
The Big Apple is trying out a new equation to help boost sagging math scores.
City officials unveiled a new public school math curriculum Monday aimed at helping students overcome their “fear of math” by emphasizing open-ended discussions.
“Students develop a fear of math from the earliest grades, and we have kids who will say, ‘I’m not a math person… but even worse than that we have teachers who say ‘I’m not a math person,’” Schools Chancellor David Banks said.
“We’ve got to turn this around.”
Starting in the fall, the initiative known as “NYC Solves” will have nearly all of the city’s more than 400 high schools and 93 of its 600 middle schools adopt a standardized “Illustrative Math curriculum.”
The curriculum differs from traditional mathematical learning by emphasizing classroom discussions of problems, so kids understand concepts, over technical terms and step-by-step equations.
It builds off the “NYC Reads,” the sweeping, phonics-based overhaul of elementary literacy instruction rolled out in half of city school districts by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration last May.
“With ‘NYC Solves,’ our classrooms will be focused on deeply understanding math concepts, connecting these concepts to each other, and applying these concepts to the real world,” Banks told reporters from the Samara Community School in the Bronx.
He noted that half of students in grades 3-8 were not proficient in math in 2023 — and that was an improvement from the prior year.
“And nearly 66% of black students and approximately 64% of Latino students scored below proficiency,” Banks added. “I don’t know about you, but I think that is wholly unacceptable.”
The troubling trend has persisted into high school, with 42% of students not passing the Algebra 1 Regents exam by the end of the ninth grade last year, Banks said.
The mayor drew on his personal experience as someone who “suffers from dyslexia,” saying he can empathize with struggling students.
“But the equation we’re announcing today is simple: When you take good policy and multiply it by hard work, the net result will always be positive,” Adams said.
The new uniform math curriculum — which is expected to cost the city $32 million over five years — has already rolled out to high schools for algebra instruction.
One teacher who participated in the pilot program called it “the most difficult year of my career.”
The teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, noted that students who don’t already have a certain understanding of math concepts had a hard time catching on, as did those who faced language barriers.
“Students who are English language learners struggle … Also, any kid coming in lacking prerequisite skills suffers because those skills aren’t covered,” the source said.
City officials on Monday also unveiled a new division to support multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
The Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL) comes as the city grapples with an influx of 38,000 migrant students into the school system.
Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti — who has been promoted to chief of special education — will be at the helm of the division of 1,300 staffers, with a $750 million budget.
