Musical Math Rocks!

SMYRNA, Ga. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Urban schools in the United States have a challenge. With dropout rates nearing 50 percent, and even higher for minority students, how can they keep kids motivated and in school? One woman thinks she's found at least part of the answer, but she's had to overcome some pretty big challenges herself.

"The students would look at me when I came in and say, 'are you the instructor?'" teacher Clemmie Whatley recalled to Ivanhoe.

The year was 1973. Whatley was about to break a barrier, becoming one of the first two African American women to graduate from Georgia Tech.

Now, with a Ph.D. in math, Whatley's mission is to break down a different kind of barrier -- teaching inner city kids that mathematics doesn't have to be hard

"They don't have those people in their lives that have that appreciation for mathematics and what it can accomplish for them so that's why I want to be there for them," Whatley, the founder of Educational Dynamics in Smyrna, Ga., said.

She created this unique program that teaches kids basic math using music they can relate to -- from hip hop to Latin.

"We're building on all the different learning styles as we work with the children," Whatley explained.

"Sometimes I have to sing my songs just to get my math," student Yoanna Blackwell said.

Understanding math is key to these kids' future as well as the future of the U.S. American students fall behind students in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and England in standardized math scores. In fact, American students come out 29th out of 33 in mathematics and problem solving. Kids in the musical math class have improved their test scores 50 percent.

"I made all As and Bs," student Daisha Goodwin said.

"They have confidence in math," Whatley described. "They know that it’s enjoyable and it’s something that’s going to help them in the long run."

Musical lessons that can add up to a brighter future.

According to the U.S. department of education, only 22 states require high school students to finish at least three years of math. Since Whatley started the musical math program two years ago, it's become so successful she's working to expand it to community centers and schools across the nation.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Educational Dynamics, info@eddynamix.org, http://www.eddynamix.org