NBA Math Hoops - Harnessing the power of the NBA to improve math literacy

Decribe your idea

Growing up, I attended public schools in an underserved community in Los Angeles, and I watched as my closest friends became disengaged from school, especially from math. Nationally, 83% of low-income 8th graders are not proficient in math, and failing a math class is one of the early indicators for dropping out high school. I tutored my peers in math, and struggled to keep their attention. They didn't want to do their homework, they wanted to play basketball. I knew that if I could bring the NBA into the classroom, I could make math fun and culturally relevant. NBA Math Hoops does just that, we've partnered with the NBA to create a supplemental math curriculum for middle school students, that is centered around a basketball board game.

Why do you want to share your idea with TEDxUChicago in 2013?

I am incredibly eager to share NBA Math Hoops with TEDXUCHICAGO because the Chicago community needs NBA Math Hoops! A recent study showed that some of Chicago’s public school perform as poorly as schools in the developing world. I hope to inspire action in the Chicago area, not only around math, but around public school reform in general.

How will you share your idea in a creative way?

In addition to the typical TED-style talk, I will give a demonstration of my innovative basketball board game, which is fun and competitive.

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