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Up to 30 percent of people lack confidence in their math skills. And unfortunately, that math anxiety causes kids to perform worse in the subject. Even before the pandemic, 66% of U.S. students did not meet math standards. Black, Latino and economically disadvantaged students fare even more poorly. This is a crisis for our future workforce; almost all of the 30 fastest-growing occupations will require a STEM background.
The Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival (JRMF) knows that every child can enjoy math and be confident in their problem-solving abilities. We want all students to be able to say “I enjoy math” and “I know I can do math."
We make this happen by helping communities host math festivals. Math festivals are events where children explore math through puzzles. Through hands-on, manipulative-based math activities, children learn a new way to think about math. Trained volunteers, including parents, siblings, and community members, lead the math activities, showing kids that everyone is a mathematician. Kids also have the agency to choose their own adventures. Festivals allow kids to pick and choose games, and learn in a way that is unique to them.
To ensure kids increase their joy and confidence in math at a festival, JRMF provides three services: puzzles and games, volunteer training, and event planning support. For Title 1 schools and under-resourced communities, we provide all of these resources for free.
Since JRMF’s first math festival in 2007, more than 50,000 children and families have experienced joyful math. More than 500 events have taken place in 30 states. More than 80% of students say they would like to come to another festival. Even more telling: 36% of students increased their confidence in math, while 41% increased their positive attitude toward math — after just one hour of play-based math with JRMF.
