BEAM Announces New Initiative in Collaboration with Art of Problem Solving to Increase Diversity in STEM Fields
BEAM National plans to reach thousands of students from low-income and historically marginalized communities nationwide.
Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) is excited to announce a new initiative in collaboration with The Art of Problem Solving to support students from low-income and historically marginalized communities nationwide in pursuing advanced mathematics.
BEAM National will provide access to advanced mathematics learning for students from second grade through college graduation, and in particular will provide continuous mentoring and advising from middle school through college. Our goal is nothing less than to change the landscape of achievement by both reaching students from a young age and providing access to the most marginalized students no matter where they are.
In BEAM National's Entry Points program, thousands of students will receive free access to the highly-regarded Beast Academy Online program in elementary school, as well as guided support from teachers, community organizations, and families; BEAM will provide training and support for their work with the students. Students who do well will receive free enrollment to online Art of Problem Solving courses in 6th and 7th grades, and can then continue to a national, residential summer program in the summer after 7th grade --- BEAM's Summer Away program, which will introduce them to beautiful and challenging topics in math.
Students who attend Summer Away will be a part of our Pathway Program from 8th grade-college graduation, which will include individual mentoring and advising, online classes, and a continuous community of all their friends from the summer. While the community will be online for most of the year, each year students from all years of the program will come together for a conference/reunion to reconnect and share their learnings, with a focus on older students mentoring their younger peers.
See below for answers to frequently asked questions. Those who are interested can get involved in a number of ways:
Apply for our new Executive Director of National Programs role, or share the role with your network.
If you are connected to a school, district, university, or community organization and want to make the program available to your students, sign up here to receive updates.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When will the program launch?
Academic year 2020-2021 is a learning year for us, during which BEAM staff will work closely with small groups of students to understand the most effective support for us to offer with Beast Academy. During academic year 2021-2022, we expect to pilot a school-led program (with professional development provided by BEAM) for around 500 fifth graders. The program will continue to scale based on initial outcomes, reaching students in both younger and older grades.
What support will BEAM provide to schools or others implementing the program with their students?
While we plan to iterate on the design, we expect to offer professional development, recommended activities to run with students, and easy access to student progress on the Beast Academy platform. For those near to some of our staff, we will also offer a monthly classroom visit to engage the students with fun activities and connect them to the broader BEAM community.
What commitment is required from partners?
Partners will commit to providing students with needed technology, giving them dedicated time to work on the platform, and providing support to students. While we recommend forming a separate class for students using Beast Academy, it is also possible for students to work independently with period check-ins from a teacher.
What support will BEAM provide directly to students?
In addition to Beast Academy, students will have access to videos from BEAM that will feature interviews with STEM professionals from diverse backgrounds, engaging demonstrations of mathematics, and special problems.
What support will BEAM provide to families?
We expect to provide families of participating students with monthly games and activities that family members can do together with the students. Parents/guardians will also be able to get reports on student progress.
What students are eligible? How much will the program cost?
Students must meet BEAM's criteria for being low-income and low-access (based on family income and the community/resources of the school they attend). The program will be free to all eligible students. Schools will be eligible to participate if the overall population is predominantly within BEAM's target audience.
What if my student/school is not eligible?
Individual students can sign up directly for Beast Academy. Schools can similarly acquire the curriculum for their use.
What will the mentoring look like during the Pathway Program?
Once students complete BEAM Summer Away, they will communicate regularly with a BEAM advisor to help them navigate high school, attend other summer programs, apply to college, and more.
How many students will ultimately be served by BEAM National?
While there is a lot we're still figuring out, when the program reaches scale we hope to be reaching tens of thousands of students per year.
What will happen with BEAM's local programs?
BEAM remains fully committed to our programs in both Los Angeles and New York City, and in fact we're looking at expanding those programs or opening in new cities. BEAM National affords us a new way to reach more students, and to ensure that geography isn't a barrier to students' access to advanced math. We expect there to be a robust exchange between the programs: local programs can learn from BEAM National's work with elementary-aged students, while BEAM National will learn from our mentoring program in high school and college. Our local programs will always be able to reach those students in the greatest need with our direct on-the-ground work, and if anything, our commitment to that work will only get stronger.