The G.R.E.A.T. Math Minds Program Changing The Way Girls Think About Math (Updated May 5, 2023)

There is a need to be met, especially in Prince William County, to build girls' confidence in math and give them the tools for future success. In Prince William County, the Math Standard of Learning passing rate for all fourth-grade students is 86%, but for Hispanic and Black girls, the passing rates drop to 81.73% and 79.33%. The passing rate further declines to 78.20% for girls from economically disadvantaged communities. 

Pink Space Theory wants to do our part to help girls build math skills and self-confidence early on through our G.R.E.A.T Math Minds program. We brought the first-ever G.R.E.A.T Math Minds Afterschool Program to Featherstone Elementary in December 2020 for nine girls using grant funding provided by Truist Bank. The program graduated 12 girls on May 4, 2023, three more girls than the nine that started the program in 2020.

This in-depth six-month program bolsters girls' confidence in math and allows girls to learn and grow outside of classroom pressures. This program aims to help bright young students with a flair for math excel and expand their learning.

G.R.E.A.T stands for: Girls who are Responsible for their thoughts, Excited to learn new things, not afraid to Ask questions and Take risks. The program welcomes girls in grades 3 through 6 from disadvantaged households who demonstrate math talent, achieving high percentages regularly. The program cohorts provide girls access to a 6-month after-school math enrichment "gifted" program to give them the tools to foster higher-level learning for future success in the STEM workforce. Participants meet twice a week for 1.5 hours each session for math instruction. Students also get an opportunity to hear from females working in and pursuing careers in STEM. These speakers range from cybersecurity engineers, naval nuclear engineers, soil scientists, biomedical engineering students, vets, teachers, and managers working in the banking industry. Some students also participate in monthly coding sessions taught by software engineering professionals. The program attracts female role model volunteers from local businesses and universities in the Washington DC metro area. 

Our goal is to offer the G.R.E.A.T. Math Minds program to the 34 Title 1 (disadvantaged) elementary and middle schools in Prince William County, Virginia. This program is offered to 3 of the 29 Title 1 elementary schools, including Featherstone, Neabsco, and Dale City. The program is currently not provided to any of the 4 middle schools.

We wholeheartedly encourage girls from all backgrounds to develop a deep love for STEM subjects, especially in areas they excel. We aim to create more equity in STEM areas in schools and later life by encouraging young girls to pursue the topics that excite them.

Math is an area that is a male-dominated area of study after high school, so we're determined to encourage more talented young girls to explore and grow in the field by offering them top-quality mentorship and the best curriculum available.

The program uses select units from the Project M3: Mentoring Mathematical Mindset curriculum, a research- and evidence-based enrichment and accelerated program that helps students gain a deeper understanding and develop their mathematical thinking. Project M3 has won multiple awards for being the "Best Curriculum" and is used in Prince William County schools and elsewhere in Virginia. We became aware of this innovative curriculum thanks to Dr. Melissa Edmonds, a gifted education resource teacher at Prince William County Public School.

The G.R.E.A.T. Math Minds program is a part of our Girl Power Program Series, which aims to create a pipeline of bright, exciting young girls and women who will continue and become the next generation of leaders in STEAM subjects.  

We look forward to welcoming the next generation of STEM professionals and leaders into our program! 

Check us out on social media and give us a like! You can also sign up to volunteer through our volunteer portal at www.PinkSpaceTheory.org

Here are some pictures from Isadora’s talk on her journey to becoming a structural engineer. The girls got a chance to design and draw their dream house and practice finding the area of a room.

Pictures from Celeste’s talk on career as a naval nuclear engineer working on the Navy’s Aircraft Carrier. The girls got a chance to make a catapult to mimic the steam catapult design which the aircraft carrier uses to launch airplanes from the ship.