"Celebrating its 25th anniversary, MATHCOUNTS is one of the most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors & students.”

“Thousands of teachers use the free MATHCOUNTS curriculum materials to supplement classroom materials or as an extracurricular activity. Those wishing to fully capitalize on the ability of the creative MATHCOUNTS materials to challenge students & motivate them to develop strong math skills also participate in the MATHCOUNTS competition series.”

The Alexandria, Virginia-based organization has used competition to increase interest in mathematics across the United States. However, in 2007, MATHCOUNTS is adding a non-competitive program to its arsenal of programs.

It is introducing a “club-in-a-box” package of resources for teachers and students in grades 6 to 8. Challenge problems are posted each month on its website. Clubs with at least twelve members that do well on the challenge each year will received a banner.

According to the Science News article (October 27, 2007, page 269) “Math clubs get national sponsor,” the MATHCOUNTS organization states that they are introducing the package because by the middle school students “tend to either lose interest [in math] or lose ground and ability compared to counterparts overseas.” Its executive director, Louis DiGiolia, says, “Our mission is to increase enthusiasm and achievement for middle school math.”

The founding sponsors of MATHCOUNTS is the National Society of Professional Engineers, the National Council of Teaches of Mathematics, and the CNA Foundation.

MATHCOUNTS is one of the largest and most successful education partnerships in the United States. It consists of educataors, sponsors, students, and volunteers. President George W. Bush and former Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Reagan have all recognized MATHCOUNTS in White House ceremonies. The MATHCOUNTS program has also been awarded two White House citations as an outstanding private-sector initiative.

Some of the corporations and organizations currently sponsoring MATHCOUNTS are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Lockheed Martin, Texas Instruments, 3M Corporation, and Northrup Grumman Foundation.

All of these groups realize how important the study and understanding of mathematics is for exciting careers in the sciences, engineering, and the many other fields taught in colleges, universities, and trade schools across the United States.

Again, this important website is located at: http://www.mathcounts.org/.


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