First-of-its-Kind Survey Spotlights Middle-Schooler Math Problem
MathMovesU Seeks Solution by Making Math Cool
WALTHAM, Mass., Nov. 10, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- America has a math problem.
Most American middle school students (84%) would rather clean their rooms, eat
their vegetables, take out the garbage and go to the dentist than sit down
with their math homework. Yet these same students, sixth to eighth graders in
a new national survey conducted on behalf of the Raytheon Company, say they
want to do better in math (67%) and that doing well in math is important to
them (94%).
"These young students said they would be more interested in math if they
saw how those skills could lead to exciting careers," said William H. Swanson,
Raytheon Chairman and CEO.
"Our challenge was to show them how math and science could be exciting in
their own worlds and on their own terms."
MathMovesU Enlists Celebrities, Makes Math Cool
To meet this objective, Raytheon decided to build on its long-time support
for MATHCOUNTS, a math enrichment and competition program, by introducing
MathMovesU, a new program that tackles math education issues in a unique way.
Targeting middle school students who are at an age when interest and
achievement in math drops, MathMovesU enlists celebrities like skateboard
legend Tony Hawk and soccer star Mia Hamm to get the young students attention
and show them how math can play a surprisingly important role in their future.
Raytheon selected the celebrities as key math spokespeople as a direct
result of the Company's research. According to the vast majority of middle
school students surveyed by KRC Research for Raytheon, math would be more
interesting to them if they were shown how people in music, sports and video
games use math in their jobs (81%).
Program Offers Celebrity Substitute Teachers
MathMovesU takes math to where middle schoolers like to get their
information, the Internet, then offers them awards and education grants for
answering math questions related to the celebrities' professional activities.
Students who figure out the degree turn of Tony Hawk's skateboard signature
trick and Mia Hamm's yearly scoring average, for example, are eligible to win.
In addition to Hawk and Hamm, mathmovesu.com includes math questions
related to other celebrities involved in the program, including BMX champion
Dave Mirra, WNBA star Lisa Leslie and basketball legend Bill Russell. Math
equations related to the creator of the popular Ratchet and Clank video game,
a roller coaster inventor, fashion designer, concert tour manager for Avril
Lavigne, and an ER doctor are also featured on the site.
Beginning this month, MathMovesU celebrities will also go into classrooms
across the country, starting with a Dave Mirra visit to a New York City school
to kick off MathMovesU and the program's "Surprise Celebrity Substitute
Teacher" component. Students can log onto mathmovesu.com to register to win a
celebrity visit to their school.
In commenting on Raytheon's new program, Tony Hawk said, "MathMovesU wants
to change kids' image of math by flipping it on its head. As action sports
enthusiasts, we are familiar with this technique. The same goes for other
sports stars and creative people."
Dave Mirra, BMX star, commented on his visit as a surprise substitute
teacher to a math class in New York City: "The students were shocked to see me
in their math class, but they were also surprised that math plays such an
important role in so many cool careers," Mirra said.
Mia Hamm adds, "I love to see young athletes get excited about soccer, but
I also have a real interest in seeing young students really getting into math.
I use math everyday, on and off the field."
Lisa Leslie, another MathMovesU celebrity, said "People don't realize the
important role that math plays in a sport like basketball, but it's something
I rely on every day."
MathMovesU Makes Scholarships and Grants Available
In addition to awards like autographed skateboards and soccer balls,
Raytheon is offering $1 million over the next year in grant and scholarship
money for students, teachers and schools. All applications are available on
mathmovesu.com, including money for middle school and high school students and
their schools. In addition, MathMovesU Heroes Award Grants are available for
math teachers and those who work with math groups and their organizations.
College students can also apply for funding to help math teachers in
classrooms.
Sponsored by the Raytheon Company, MathMovesU is a unique project designed
to "elevate math to cool" by combining middle school students' interest in
celebrities with grant money, awards and a robust MATHCOUNTS curriculum to
encourage excitement about math. The company supports MATHCOUNTS, a national
math enrichment, coaching and competition program. You can learn more about
MathMovesU and its sponsors by visiting http://www.mathmovesu.com ,
http://www.mathcounts.org , http://www.raytheon.com , and http://www.bhef.com.
Contact:
Theresa Renaldi
312-988-2367
trenaldi@webershandwick.com
James Fetig
781-522-5111
james.fetig@raytheon.com
SOURCE Raytheon Company
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Related links:
http://www.raytheon.com
http://www.mathmovesu.com
CONTACT:
Theresa Renaldi of Weber Shandwick,
+1-312-988-2367, trenaldi@webershandwick.com, or James Fetig of
Raytheon, +1-781-522-5111, james.fetig@raytheon.com
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