The Algebra Project was born of one parent’s concern with his children's mathematics education in the public schools of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Bob Moses spent years experimenting in middle school classrooms, first in Cambridge in the '80's and then as classroom teacher in Mississippi from '90s to present. Early funding for his work came from a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship for his work in the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.
Moses observed that students learning algebra need to consider not only the question of “how many”, but also “which way”, as is the case for an algebraic number line. These insights led to the development of a curriculum intervention based on experiential learning, utilizing the natural language of students, then methodically leading to the language of mathematical features, and finally to symbolic language.
Later, in Mississippi, Bob Moses initiated a new generation of Algebra Project curriculum for high school algebra and geometry, through funding from the National Science Foundation.
Algebra Project principles were utilized by the Southern Initiative of the Algebra Project (SIAP) from 1992 to 2004. SIAP worked across seven Southern states to provide teacher training and professional development, community and school site involvement activities, classroom mentoring, and youth and community organizing for math literacy. SIAP personnel and programs are now merged with national Algebra Project Inc. efforts.
The Algebra Project also spun off the Young Peoples’ Project, Inc. which trains high school and college-age Mathematics Literacy Workers (MLWs) who seek to create a new culture around math literacy for youth in our targeted school communities through peer education and mentorship in after-school, in-school, Saturday programs and summer program settings.
During the mid and late 1990’s, Algebra Project efforts targeted middle schools in 13 states, 23 school districts, reaching over 10,000 students. This reach was made possible in large measure by the Open Society Institute.
Since 2001 the project has been retooling, initiating research and development of materials for early high school programs, reconfiguring its middle grade curriculum, and partnering with the expanding Young Peoples’ Project.
The Algebra Project is currently positioned to play a leading role in the movement for educational reform and social change. Its demonstration sites are designed to be models of how young people, who for generations have been tracked to lives of deprivation and poverty, when given the right conditions can reverse all expectations and achieve a proficiency in math and science vital to enjoying the full benefits of citizenship.