The cost of four TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculators is $480, including shipping and <a target="new" href="http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm" onclick="g_openWindow('http://www.donorschoose.org/html/fulfillment.htm', 300, 800, 'fulfillwindow');return false;">fulfillment</a>.
In rural North Carolina, algebra is a unique challenge that very few students have the opportunity to tackle in middle school. My 8th grade algebra students, however, are working hard every day to master this math and put them on an equal footing with their peers across the country. They are actually completing two years of math in one: 8th grade mathematics and high school Algebra I. At KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory (GCP), our students attend classes from 7:45AM to 5PM every day and one Saturday a month. Our entire focus is on college--how each student will get there and how they will take what they learn in college to make the world a better place.
Having the opportunity to take algebra in 8th grade, an opportunity not always available to minority students (95% of GCP students are African-American), is setting my students up for success in high school, college, and on into better career options. For them to really succeed in upper-level math courses, however, we are in need of graphing calculators. Day-to-day work in the classroom is calculator-free, and any of my students could tell you that this is because they ?have their own brains.? As we really delve into algebra and then further in geometry, trigonometry, and calculus, though, graphing calculators are an important supplemental tool also required for state tests.
In an area with high poverty and at a school where the vast majority of the students receive free or reduced lunches, these calculators are prohibitively expensive. This proposal will fund graphing calculators (TI-83+) for four students. The TI-83+ is an upgradeable calculator that my students will be able to use throughout high school and into college. Providing each student with his/her own calculator will not only allow more freedom in assignments and projects, it will also foster personal responsibility, a vital skill in today's world. As my students take these calculators through high school, college, and into careers which, we hope, will work to make the world a better place, you can know that you had a hand in that process. Thank you.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Drake and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.