Hi, my name is Jennifer Bole and I’m a teacher in Saginaw Public Schools. I have been using an incredible program in my classroom called Algebra Nation and it’s a big reason for the success of my students in my classroom. I have been teaching for 16 years and I have NEVER seen success like this in a math classroom with any other program! Many teachers that I work with appreciate the support Algebra Nation has built-in that allows all students across Michigan to receive individualized tutoring at any time as well as unlimited in-person professional development for teachers.
Unfortunately, because of the 147 line-item vetoes by Governor Whitmer, Algebra Nation – Michigan will cease to exist soon if our state government doesn’t restore funding for the 2019-2020 school year. We MUST keep this program for our students!
If you’re reading this, you’re probably a teacher, parent or student and are familiar with this amazing resource and therefore you know there is nothing else like Algebra Nation! Not only are the videos very engaging for my students, but this program was built specifically for the Michigan Math Standards and also customized just for us! Unlike other resources available on the web, the Study Experts cater to a variety of learners, and a follow-along, write-in workbook is provided for EACH AND EVERY one of my students. There’s also the Algebra Wall which is a discussion board where students receive help every night and every weekend from certified teachers – no one I know has ever seen anything like this before! Students assist each other on the Wall and earn ‘karma points’ and community service hours for it. There is also a Teacher Wall which provides all teachers across the state a place to collaborate and share our best practices and lesson plans. Many Michigan schools only have one algebra teacher and the Michigan Teacher Wall is their only constant source of collaboration.
Best of all, students use this on the web and through iPhone and Android apps, so students have all of Algebra 1, Geometry, and SAT Prep in their pockets wherever they go! And because so many students do not have the internet at home, Algebra Nation even recently made it possible for our students to download the videos onto their cell phones at school and then watch the videos at home.
Please, PLEASE share this with other parents, teachers, and students so we can get as many people involved as possible. We need to work together across the state to improve SAT Math scores for our students. Currently, 65% of Michigan students aren’t College and Career ready in math. Algebra Nation is the perfect support for MI students as they prepare for the SAT since there are full instructional videos and online practice problems for Algebra 1, Geometry, and even a specific SAT prep course. This program is making a huge impact on student outcomes (Algebra Nation shared with me that in Detroit an analysis showed significant improvement in PSAT 8/9 exam scores – an average of 18 points higher for traditional schools and 42 points higher for test-in schools!). Because Algebra Nation is a state-specific program and not available for individual schools and districts to purchase on their own, we need this program funded by the State in order to get our workbooks, professional development, Michigan Teacher Wall (to collaborate across districts), and Michigan Algebra 1 Student Wall.
The bottom line: Unfortunately, because of the politics in Lansing, Algebra Nation – Michigan will cease to exist in a few short weeks if our state legislators don’t restore funding for the 2019-20 school year. We know Algebra Nation works for tens of thousands of our kids and supports hundreds of teachers in the classroom. Please act now by signing the petition below!
Thank you so much for helping us keep Algebra Nation alive. By signing below, we can thank our State Representatives for funding Algebra Nation, and show them how much their support means!
“Algebra Nation is an excellent resource for our students. It gives my special education students the extra reinforcement needed to improve grades and state test scores. It will be a great loss to our schools if this resource is cut.”
“Algebranation.com has provided the structure needed to help my alternative education students succeed with note-taking guides, multiple videos for each topic based on math background needs, and checkpoints throughout the program linked to our Michigan standards. Losing this resource would negatively affect those students that sometimes can’t make it to school for direct explicit instruction. When the students do finally return, they aren’t so far behind what is happening in our classroom.”