When the bell rings at 3:19pm at Thomas Starr King Middle School, Math Coach Tomoko Brooks packs up her things and heads straight for the school library, where she’ll spend the next two-and-a half hours volunteering with the LACER Afterschool Math Intervention program.
Math – and algebra in particular – has proven to be the stumbling block for many students trying to graduate from high school. United Way research recently showed only 12% of 9th graders in Los Angeles County are proficient or advanced in Algebra 1.
Thanks in part to United Way funding, LACER (Literacy, Arts, Culture, Recreation and Education) is able to provide free math intervention programs to help students increase their math and Algebra skills so they’re on course to graduate high school prepared for college or the workforce. LACER serves over 2,900 students at four middle schools and two high schools in the Hollywood area.
“I could see the kids were struggling and knew if they had only five minutes of one on one time, what a difference that could make,” says Brooks. “It helps that I’m in the classroom so I can see where they’re struggling and help them get focused.”
Between 60-70 students show up for LACER’s HomeWork Club every day, 30 of whom are there specifically to boost their math proficiency. (LACER also provides additional after-school classes at King Middle School in dance, theater, film among others, which are attended by over 170 students). At the heart of the Math Intervention program is CompassLearning, educational software provided by the Los Angeles Unified School District, which tracks students’ ability with math through online quizzes. Tomoko volunteers her time and was also able to involve her father, Bob Brooks, a retired doctor who now works as an educational consultant with LACER, under the supervision of Program Director Gary Brown.
“Each child does a test for their grade level on the computer. The computer determines what assignments they should work on. As soon as they finish the module, then they move on to the next one,” says Mr. Brooks. “The kids have to do more than 20 assignments before you start to see results. We have gotten kids to improve their math scores by 15% doing this program.”
Although he’s retired, Mr. Brooks shows no signs of slowing down. “This couldn’t be more ideal for a retired person. You can see that what you are doing makes a difference. The kids start to trust you. They start to tell you how they see the world. It’s like having 50 grandchildren. I’m really proud of the Math Intervention program. We have a great relationship with the kids.”
If the promise of better grades doesn’t hold much water for the students, the Incentives Table does. Complete at least three assignments a day and you get to take away a free gift – goldfish crackers, soda, stickers or comic books.
“Noah (a LACER staff member) also brings in his Nintendo GameCube in on Fridays and hooks it up to the monitor,” says Dr. Brooks. “The kids that have done three assignments that week get to play. The boys are coming out of hiding for that.”
Alongside Dr. Brooks and his daughter, there are usually another three to four staff members from LACER, plus other volunteers, such as Osnat Markos, who has two sons at King, both of whom are excelling in math. Mrs. Markos volunteers once a week with the LACER program.
“I used to go to Zach’s elementary school every day, but middle school is different. For me it was an easy way to see his friends, it has helped me to know the people he is around,” she says.
“I saw how much work they do for the kids and I thought, why not me? I really love it. And it’s a way for me to teach my son that it’s always good to volunteer, not just to work to get money. You can do things that don’t take money and still enjoy them,” she adds.
If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering with after-school programs, please e-mail info@unitedwayla.org.