Our Mission
OrangeMath Tutoring is a youth-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which aims to provide free, high-quality math tutoring, mentoring, and foundational study skills to underprivileged students across South Florida.
Issues with STEM Education
The US placed 38th of 71 countries in math, and 24th in science (Pew Research Center, 2017)
Of the 35 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the US ranks 30th in math and 19th in science (Pew Research Center, 2017)
In 2015, 24% of fourth-graders, 32% of eighth-graders, and 40% of 12th-graders were rated “below basic” in science. (Pew Research Center)
Members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science found that just 16% considered American K-12 STEM education above average; 46% said it was below average.
Socio-economic disparities in STEM
Children from low socioeconomic status families are less likely to have experienced that encourage the development of fundamental skills of reading acquisition, such as phonological awareness, vocabulary, and oral language (Buckingham, Wheldall, & Beaman-Wheldall, 2013).
Students from low-income backgrounds often perform poorly and fail high school STEM courses, which are a necessary step in pursing fast-growing and lucrative STEM careers, graduating high school, and matriculating to college.
Issues with STEM Employment
Half of STEM workers believe limited access to quality education is a major reason why blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in STEM jobs.
Only 17% of students earning STEM bachelor’s degrees are underrepresented minorities.
About half of STEM workers believe limited access to quality education is a major reason why blacks and Hispanics are
underrepresented in STEM jobs.
Issues with URMs in STEM
Black and Hispanic workers are underrepresented in the STEM workforce.
Blacks make up 11% of the U.S. workforce overall but represent 9% of the STEM workers (PEW Research Center, 2017).
Hispanics comprise 16% of the U.S. workforce but only 7% of all STEM workers (PEW Research Center, 2017).
Around a third of people working in STEM attribute the underrepresented of blacks and Hispanics to these groups not believing in their ability to succeed in these fields (34%) and the lack of black and Hispanics role model in these fields (32%)
Our Motivation
OrangeMath Tutoring is a student run organization. As high schoolers who were fortunate enough to form strong foundations in mathematics at an early age, we understand how important this is to future academic success. Indeed, math performance as early as third grade can indirectly influence placement in high school. While affluent students may have access to tutors and robustly funded schooling, we recognize that it is categorically more difficult for the less fortunate to excel. With that in mind, we would like to give back to our community and ensure that all students have access to the same opportunities for academic excellence.
Our Goal
OrangeMath Tutoring is interested in concrete improvements for underprivileged youth. As such, we have developed a comprehensive curriculum aligned with Florida’s mathematic standards and tailored towards filling gaps in 1st – 5th grade education. We are currently focused in Palm Beach County, FL with plans to expand in the near future. Moreover, we have tutors that speak Haitian, Creole, and Spanish, so that we are able to help students who are not proficient in English. These efforts have been taken so that less fortunate students can perform better on the FSA Mathematics Assessment, which is administered annually in May.
How It Works
OrangeMath Tutoring offers both in person and online tutoring. In person tutors are provided with math games, worksheets, and other resources to ensure that students have an educational and fun experience! Virtual tutors are provided with drawing tablets and specialized software to help display worksheets and games to students!
Tutors are placed with groups of 1-4 students to maintain a collaborative and focused session. Sessions start with tutors helping the students complete any homework they have. Then the session will cover our curriculum content through fun activities to reinforce learning!