I’m delighted to report that my town, Westport, CT, threw out their algebra books and built their own online math lessons.
According to The New York Times, Westport’s school system felt that existing textbooks zoom through too much material too fast, which results in superficial understanding of just about nothing. By creating their own lessons, the high school was able to go into greater depth on a shorter list of more important concepts.
It cost the system about $70,000 to develop the new math curriculum, with half going to teachers and half going to HeyMath!, which hosts the 24×7 lessons. But the town expects to save $25,000 a year on textbooks.
Some students report they prefer the interactive lessons – which often include images – to the two inch thick textbook collection of words and numbers.
Even if you don’t live in Westport, you can still sign up for a 14 day free trial of HeyMath! lessons.
