Charlotte, NC - Learn Fresh tipped off a partnership with the Charlotte Hornets this year to bring NBA Math Hoops programming to students across Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets Math Hoops program delivers math and social-emotional learning to students in grades 4-8 in Charlotte and the surrounding region through a basketball-themed game, curriculum, and community program experience.
The NBA Math Hoops game features the real-life statistics and identities of all NBA and WNBA players, representing a highly diverse community of athletes in a data-rich learning environment. Students solve quick math problems using player stats to score points while crafting and implementing strategy with a teammate.
During the 2022-23 school year, the Hornets Math Hoops program served 1,950 students and 43 educators in North Carolina, and a student from the Carolinas Metro Reds program, Alexander Kenion, will represent the Hornets at the 2023 NBA Math Hoops Global Championship. Students at this year’s Global Championship, which will be held in New York City in conjunction with the NBA Draft, are drawn from over 200,000 program participants across the U.S., Australia, and South Africa.
The initiative in Charlotte helps to combat long-standing gaps in opportunity and achievement for low-income students and students of color, and also to confront an immediate and profound crisis in math education. According to recent data published by the National Assessment of Education (NAEP), math scores declined for nine-year-old students between 2020 and 2022 as a result of the pandemic’s effect on student learning. These results represent the first decline in math scores since the NAEP first began administering tests in the 1970s. While the declines spanned almost all demographic groups, they were worse for the lowest-performing students, exacerbating the divides that existed before the pandemic.
The NBA Math Hoops program develops students’ algebra readiness prior to entering high school and strengthens important self-regulation and executive function skills, while exposing students to the real-world applications of math and pathways to STEM careers.
About Learn Fresh
Learn Fresh is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire students’ STEM and social-emotional learning through sports and entertainment. Learn Fresh programs use community, play, and rigorous exploration to achieve these goals, and to date have engaged over 750,000 students across the US and beyond. Programs include NBA Math Hoops, MLB Players STEM League, STEM Goals, and the Fellowship For Culturally Inclusive Education. To learn more about NBA Math Hoops or sign up for a free training session, visit learnfresh.org/programs.
