Sylvan Learning Franchisees Offer Free Math Resource to North American Schools

By: Sylvan Learning Center | 1 Shares 188 Reads

SchoolMathPrep.com, Online Resource for Grade 7-12 Teachers and Students

BALTIMORE, Aug. 19 // PRNewswire // -- As the new school year begins, North American educators continue to face a persistent struggle with students' mathematic achievement. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 23 percent of high school seniors are considered proficient in mathematics(1). Yet many educators, despite needing additional mathematics resources, will be forced to do more with less because of unprecedented budgetary challenges. Sylvan Learning, North America's leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, is responding to educators' need for additional math tools by offering SchoolMathPrep.com, a free new supplemental mathematics resource for grade 7-12 teachers and students to use at school.

Created by educators, SchoolMathPrep.com delivers more than 2,000 instructor-led videos covering 750 lessons in Pre-algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and math test preparation programs for the SAT and ACT. Each lesson includes sample problems, summary notes, a quiz, a worksheet and a deep thought question. Teachers in grades 7-12 and their students can use www.SchoolMathPrep.com to strengthen time-on-task learning during school hours - for remediation, enrichment, or test preparation. Participating Sylvan Learning franchisees are visiting their local middle and high schools and offering SchoolMathPrep.com free-of-charge. Though just recently launched, more than 1,000 schools across 36 states and provinces are already taking advantage of this program.

"For the past 30 years, our Sylvan Learning franchisees have helped more than two million students achieve academic success and discover the joy of learning," stated Jeffrey H. Cohen, President and CEO of Sylvan Learning. "We understand how challenging math - particularly algebra - can be for middle and high school students. In too many of our school systems, the freshmen failure rate for Algebra I hovers in the 20 to 30 percent range. As engaged community partners, our neighborhood Sylvan Learning centers saw an urgent need to act, making SchoolMathPrep.com available free-of-charge to their local middle and high schools, which are strapped for resources in today's tough economy. We hope to spread this partnership so that SchoolMathPrep.com will be accessible in every middle and high school classroom throughout North America."

Educators and schools interested in securing the free math resource from their neighborhood Sylvan Learning center are encouraged to visit www.SchoolMathPrep.com.

"SchoolMathPrep.com is a rich resource. We especially like the wide variety of topics and examples. It provides an alternate way for us to introduce new topics, and to display practice and assessment questions for an entire class," said Dr. Mel Ross, principal of Stephen Decatur Middle School in Berlin, Maryland. Stephen Decatur Middle School is a "Blue Ribbon School" for the Maryland State Department of Education.

Research reveals participation in higher level mathematics is a strong predictor of college completion and future income levels. Successfully completing a high school math course beyond the Algebra II level (Trigonometry or Pre-calculus) more than doubles the odds that a student who enters postsecondary education will complete a bachelor's degree(2).

Instructor-led videos and educational techniques that feature step-by-step assistance help students develop conceptual understanding and crucial problem-solving skills - and build the core math skills needed for lifelong success. SchoolMathPrep.com features a variety of rich tools and resources for grade 7-12 mathematics teachers and students alike. A powerful search function enables users to search by concept, keyword and textbook (for a majority of U.S. middle and high school math textbooks). It is easy for teachers to find lessons linked to content they're currently teaching, and for students to obtain extra support for math concepts they may have missed in class - especially as they prepare for the rigors of college-level courses.

Because SchoolMathPrep.com is an Internet resource, no special software or hardware is required by the school. Additionally, student identification is guaranteed to remain private.

At the same time Sylvan Learning's franchisees are participating in this initiative to provide SchoolMathPrep.com to local students and educators during the school day, Sylvan is also launching a sister site, www.SylvanMathPrep.com, for students to use at home for anytime, on-the-spot math homework help. SylvanMathPrep.com complements Sylvan's superior in-center math programs and supplements SchoolMathPrep.com. Parents interested in a free trial of this cost-effective, "just in time" math homework help resource are encouraged to visit www.SylvanMathPrep.com.

About Sylvan Learning:

Sylvan Learning is the leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels. Sylvan Learning is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2009 and has approximately 1,100 centers located throughout North America. Sylvan's proven process and personalized methods have inspired more than 2 million students to discover the joy of learning. Sylvan's trained and certified instructors provide individualized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test prep for college entrance and state exams. Sylvan helps transform unique kids into uniquely inspired learners with the skills to do better in school and the confidence to do better in everything else.

(1) The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2005. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.

(2) Adelman, C. (1999). Answers in the Tool Box: Academic Intensity, Attendance Patterns, and Bachelor's Degree Attainment. Washington, DC: Office of Education Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. Available at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Toolbox/index.html.

SOURCE Sylvan Learning

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