$14 Million Grant to Improve Math Learning Loss

DALLAS (SMU) ­– SMU professor Leanne Ketterlin-Geller was awarded a $14 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to nationally scale a math intervention designed to help students improve their fraction skills – the highest single total dollar amount in SMU’s history. The five-year project will provide support to 4^th and 5^th graders in rural settings and out-of-school programs across the United States.

“A limited understanding of fractions is a major problem in schools because fractions are the gatekeeper for future success in algebra,” said Ketterlin-Geller, professor of education policy and leadership in SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development and the Texas Instruments Endowed Chair in Education. An internationally recognized math and special education researcher, Ketterlin-Geller also leads Simmons’ Research in Mathematics Education program.

“Recent data suggests that compared to reading, more students struggle with math,” she said.

As principal investigator of SCALE UP, Ketterlin-Geller’s largest grant to date, the SMU researcher will work with partners at six universities to examine how a fraction intervention program can be used in rural schools and in community-based afterschool settings. This program, called Fraction Face-Off!, was developed by researchers at Vanderbilt University. Students work in small groups with their educator or tutor to learn about fractions during 36 sessions.

“Understanding proportions, ratios, algebra and higher levels of math begins with an understanding of fractions,” Ketterlin-Geller said. “Just memorizing procedures is not enough, students need to understand the ‘why’ of fractions.”

Before beginning the new SCALE UP project, Ketterlin-Geller and partner researchers worked with Fraction Face-Off! In diverse settings through the project. They found students who completed the program showed measurable improvement in their understanding of fractions. The new project expands the intervention to include more students and educators in additional settings.

“Educator training and coaching is a key part of the program’s effectiveness,” Ketterlin-Geller said. Rural school educators and community-based providers often have limited access to effective interventions and professional training. The program provides them with online training and ongoing coaching, she said. 

SMU will lead the SCALE UP project with implementation partners including the University of Missouri and The University of Texas at Austin. Collaboration partners include the University of Virginia, the University of Hawaii, Georgia State University and the University of California, Riverside. WestEd is the independent evaluator.

Simmons Dean Stephanie Knight says the research is much needed. “This history-making grant to develop more effective ways of supporting fraction learning is essential to the ever-growing number of students who struggle with math. I am appreciative that Ketterlin-Geller’s work is being rewarded and proud that her research at SMU Simmons has the potential to make a significant impact in improving the math trajectories for students across the country.”

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