[Source: Frank Morris, West Valley View] — Math: Hardly a favorite topic among most schoolchildren, but principals at five West Valley schools are hoping to change that with a new math program that was implemented just a month ago: the Math Achievement Club by Rodel, called MAC-Ro. “We call it a club, because a club invites students to be excited about the program. In reality, it’s a systematic, innovative, well-structured program to improve student achievement,” said Carol Peck, president and CEO of the Rodel Charitable Foundation. Peck designed the MAC-Ro program while superintendent of the Alhambra Elementary School District. In 2003, Rodel piloted the program in 10 Arizona schools in five districts. Since then, the program has resulted in nothing but success, Peck said. “Student achievement has improved significantly in the schools involved in the program.”
The program was initially created for schools “serving the highest student needs in the state,” such as those where 70 percent of the student population was receiving free or reduced lunch, but has since expanded, Peck explained. With a $75,000 donation from DMB Associates Inc., the developer of Verrado, the program now includes second-graders at Verrado and Scott Libby elementary schools in the Litchfield Elementary School District, second-graders at Ruth Fisher Elementary School in the Saddle Mountain Unified School District, and third-graders at Rainbow Valley and Liberty elementary schools in the Liberty Elementary School District. “Several of those schools are already above average in student achievement. We’re hoping to take them even higher so they can become leaders in the state,” she said. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]