What is Math Motivators?

The Math Motivators program pairs low-income high school students with professional actuaries and college students majoring in actuarial science, mathematics or math education. The students served do not have access to tutoring or cannot afford it, so Math Motivators provides free math tutoring in the high schools. The program’s tutors are all volunteers.

An important goal of Math Motivators is to further the actuarial profession. Actuaries who participate in the program help to raise awareness of the actuarial career and represent the profession as positive role models. Math Motivators also gives actuaries the opportunity to develop relationships with actuarial students at local universities, resulting in organic networking to recruit new talent.

Today, more than 70 tutors from the University of Connecticut and 23 corporate actuaries from four insurance companies volunteer to tutor students in three different Hartford high schools. (See photos from a Math Motivators tutoring session at Achievement First Hartford High School in Hartford, Connecticut, in the gallery below.) In 2017, the Math Motivators program expanded to Chicago, where students from two universities and actuaries from one insurance company tutor math at a Chicago high school. Math Motivators expanded to Seattle and Minneapolis/St. Paul in fall 2018 and has a goal of eventually becoming available nationwide.

Math Motivators: It All Adds Up

The data collected from schools involved in the program show that Math Motivators is making a difference.

To track student success in one Hartford school, students were given a pre-assessment and a post-assessment after the tutoring concluded at the end of the semester.

The results:

October 2017 (pre-tutoring)

• The average score on the pre-assessment was 5.5 questions answered correctly out of 23, which is 24%.
• 50% of students had an Algebra 1 grade lower than a C.
• The average score on the Chapter 1 test was a 61%.

December 2017 (post-tutoring)

• 63% who attended more than two sessions showed growth between their pre-assessment and interim assessment.
• 88% increased their Algebra 1 grade.
• 75% increased their grade by one letter grade or more.

In Chicago, a teacher shares that he had a student who was well behind the rest of the class. But after just one semester of having that student work with a tutor, the student is now receiving an A in the class.

But Without Your Support, It Doesn’t Add Up

The Math Motivators program will not be able to continue its growth without financial support from actuaries like you. Donations from SOA members and the SOA match will be used to provide the funding needed to administer the program, give achievement-based awards and recognition to the students, develop tutor training materials, and expand the program to more schools and communities. Please donate to the Math Motivators Program during the SOA Matching Gift Campaign to double the impact of your gift. We appreciate your support!