Please join us at a summer PD institute and learn how to make your classroom ring with the sounds of "Eureka!"

Sincerely,

Lynne Munson

President and Executive Director, Great Minds

Eureka: A Top-Rated "Open Educational Resource"

An in depth article in EdWeek explores the rise of "open educational resources," including teacher-made Eureka Math. Writer Sean Cavanaugh explains that such free, high-quality resources appeal to "school officials dissatisfied with traditional commercial offerings and wary of absorbing hefty new instructional content costs." According to the article, Janet H. Blenheim, the K-5 math coach for the 4000-student Upper Dublin, Pa., school district, "reviewed numerous commercial programs in trying to find materials that reflected the common core, but found them offering the 'same-old, same-old.'" Upper Dublin began using Eureka last year and "credits the resources with building a deeper understanding of math among teachers and students." Using such a widely shared curriculum allows Blenheim to work with and learn from peers around the country, "including a Wisconsin district that recently asked for her input on the math content," according to EdWeek. "It's exciting because we're having conversations, not just across our schools," Blenheim said, "but across counties, and across states."

Research Proves "Curriculum Counts"

In this week's NY Daily News, Charles Sahm, the Director of Education Policy at the Manhattan Institute, writes on how selecting "content rich" instructional materials, such as EngageNY and Eureka Math, has played an important role in successful CCSS implementation. "The KIPP network, for example, used to leave curriculum decisions largely up to individual schools. Now it encourages principals to use Eureka Math - a new, highly rated curriculum produced by the nonprofit Great Minds." Sahm's report, "Curriculum Counts," proves that "well-designed, content rich instructional materials can have as positive an impact on student learning as can high-quality teachers."

Eureka Math Champions in NOLA

"For the first time ever, our teachers were teaching grade-level content. Did kids struggle? Yes, but they grew." -- Charlotte Boothe, director of the middle school math program in Rapides Parish

Tiffani Williams, a teacher from Highland Elementary School, East Baton Rouge, had a college student help her tutor elementary students. The student was struggling a bit with the concepts and "after a few lessons one of my students asked if he could show the tutor how to do Eureka Math? He had so much ownership and was so proud to be teaching a college kid."

A Eureka Math Champion offering a testimonial our Great Minds reception (left) after a full day of Eureka PD session at the Teacher Leader Summit in New Orleans (right)

Those were among the "Eureka Moments" shared by the more than 150 Louisiana educators who attended our Eureka Champions reception in New Orleans last week. The gathering, held in conjunction with the state's Teacher Leaders Summit, gave educators across the state a chance to share and celebrate their struggles and successes over the past year.

To find out more about becoming a Eureka Champion, visit Eureka-Math.org/Champion.

Summer Institutes: New Sessions Added!

Three new PD sessions have been added in Salinas, CA for July 21-22. For more information on these sessions and other Summer Institute sessions, visit our Eureka PD page.

Have something you would like to share? E-mail me at lmunson@greatminds.net.

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