Getting their math on: Enrichment program fills educational gaps for students

More than three dozen Black middle school students from Charlottesville and Albemarle County are attending a nine-day math enrichment program.

At Albemarle County’s Community Lab School from June 20 to 30, M-Cubed Summer Math Academy is presented by 100 Black men of Central Virginia. The academy helps to fill continuing gaps in students’ educational and social development created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instructors from area schools lead the rigorous algebra-intensive curriculum to prepare the students to take upper-level math classes when they reach high school. School data shows that Black students are tracked toward advanced math courses less frequently than white peers.

The program was created by Dr. Bernard Hairston, recently retired Albemarle County Schools assistant superintendent for school community empowerment. Year-round weekly mentoring, tutoring and enrichment programs are also available. M-Cubed (Math, Men and Mission) has been offered every summer since 2009 by 100 Black Men of Central Virginia to address systemic obstacles that often deter black students from enrolling in advanced mathematics courses.