FRONTLINE - College of Engineering - North Carolina State University

NC State and Shaw students are the cornerstone of the
program. Approximately 40 graduates and undergraduates
who are studying engineering, computer science, mathemat-
ics and education are placed in eight Wake County schools
(five elementary schools, two middle schools and one high
school) to act as resources and to collaborate with teachers to
create “hands-on” activities that foster enthusiasm for math-
ematics among K-12 students.
Jaimi Neuf, fourth grade teacher at Bugg Elementary, is
excited about the RAMP-UP program. “The kids get excited
about working with college students, which gets translated
into getting excited about math. The [RAMP-UP] fellows are
very prepared. We teach, and the fellows reinforce the con-
cepts. The kids now want to know how to get into Math Club
— it’s considered cool. Parents are very supportive, too.”
For Parry, who directs the fellows, RAMP-UP is her “passion.”
“I absolutely love what I’m doing. I tell people I would do this
for free, but I don’t have to, which is really nice,” she said.
Family Math Night is a new tool among many that RAMP-UP
uses to tap the math and science potential of students who
may be left behind. The goal of Family Math Night is to reach
children through their parents. According to Parry, parents’
attitudes, especially those of mothers, have a tremendous
impact on their children’s views toward math and science.
If the parents do not have confidence in their own math
and science skills, then their children tend to lack confidence
as well.
“Parents are really key,” Parry continued. “In North Carolina,”
she explained, “children are tested in third grade to determine
if they are academically gifted. The academically gifted chil-
dren are then on track to take algebra by eighth grade and cal-
RAMP-UP fellow Tania Coleman
helps fifth grader Alice Adebari
with a Family Math Night activity.
culus by twelfth.” According to Parry, the children who are not
deemed academically gifted are at a disadvantage unless they
have strong advocates. Parry said, “Parents can be that advo-
cate. Part of our mission is to educate them about doing that.”
On Family Math Nights, Parry and her fellows take six bins,
marked K through 5, to the elementary schools. Each bin con-
tains five activities tied to the math curriculum of the grade.
The fellows explain the rules of the activities, and the parents
and children participate in the activities together. Activities
range from kindergarten patterning exercises, such as stringing
a necklace with items to match a drawn card, to fifth grade per-
centage exercises, such as fishing items from a bowl of water
and then determining the percentage of what was caught.
Family Math Nights are extremely popular. When Parry held
a Family Math Night at Willow Spring Elementary School, 400
parents showed up. “It was the largest parent event in the
school’s history,” Parry said.
For the children, part of the attraction of Family Math Night
and other RAMP-UP activities is interacting with the college
students. One of Parry’s NC State students, Travis Williams,
an African-American who is working toward his master’s
degree in electrical and computer engineering, tutors four
African-American students each week.
No one can deny that RAMP-UP is a positive influence in the
schools. Sometimes the benefit is profound. A fellow from
Shaw collaborated with one math teacher to teach Algebra I
to students who were not supposed to be ready for that level
of math, yet the entire class passed the end-of-course exam.
At other times, the effects are subtle but equally powerful.
Ann Thiani’s daughter, Stephanie, is in fifth grade at Bugg
Elementary and “loves” the RAMP-UP fellows. Thiani said
of her daughter, “She is a bright girl and an excellent student,
but before [RAMP-UP] she talked about becoming a dancer,
a lawyer or a doctor. Now she talks about engineering. It has
opened up a new world for her.”
For Parry and the fellows of the RAMP-UP program, opening
up new worlds is their goal and passion. �
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