December 2005
Dear Friends of The Algebra Project:
I am writing to ask for your help.
The Algebra Project stands at a critical juncture. Our work has reached considerable maturity in recent years and is ready to play a significant role in overcoming the historical under-education and mis-education of young people in our target populations — something we have referred to as "Sharecropper Education."
The concept of Sharecropper Education is one in which entire populations of youth — in this case, African American, Latino/a and under-resourced communities — receive a spectacularly poor education. And while we appreciate that many aspects of public education in America have improved since the Jim Crow era, we still see too many young people as unprepared for today's economy as another generation was 40 years ago. Low-paying jobs today are little different from those of day laborers picking cotton in the 1960s.
I know you share with me the view that the work we did during the Civil Rights movement is unfinished. Hurricane Katrina dramatically demonstrated that, not only to our country, but to the entire world.
More than ever, I need you to join me by contributing as much as you can to The Algebra Project.
With your help we will be able to increase the number of sites in which The Algebra Project is established.
With your help we will increase the number of staff who can provide professional development support to classroom teachers as they learn to incorporate our new ways of teaching and learning.
With your help we will be able to continue developing innovative curricula and teaching materials that can transform the way students of color think about themselves and their ability to do math.
With your help we will be able to build a communications and research capacity in our national office in Cambridge, Massachusetts that can promote our work while also keeping our nation informed as to the enormous inequities of school funding that perpetuate the divisions in our society.
The Algebra Project has always tried to incorporate the critical lessons learned in the early 1960s as we worked so hard to ensure voter registration in Mississippi. We still recognize that true educational change can best result from a movement that acknowledges the dignity and strengths of our communities, while building on the desire of students and ordinary people to have control over their lives.
Support us, and together we will continue to build upon our legacy and pass it along to the next generation.
Sincerely,
Bob Moses
President
Please feel free to contact us.
We want you to have an active role as we move forward! The Algebra Project Inc. is a tax-exempt, non-profit organization under IRS code 501(c)(3).
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The Algebra Project, Inc.
99 Bishop Allen Dr.
Cambridge, MA 02139
Thank you for all your support!!
Copyright © 2005
Last Modified: December 4, 2005.
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