The Actuarial Foundation Earns 2018 ASAE Power of A Summit and Gold Awards for Math Motivators Tutoring Program

The Actuarial Foundation (TAF) has earned 2018 ASAE Power of A Summit and Gold Awards for its Math Motivators tutoring program which provides free math tutoring to low-income middle and high school students who are paired with volunteer experts in the mathematical field.

ASAE honored the program, which is administered with support from the Society of Actuaries (SOA), for helping to close the achievement gap by connecting professional actuaries and college students majoring in actuarial science, mathematics, or math education with students who do not have access to, or cannot afford, the tutoring they need to succeed.

“Congratulations to The Actuarial Foundation for creating and implementing such a meaningful initiative to strengthen our society,” said Sharon J. Swan, FASAE, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics and chair of the Power of A Awards Judging Committee. “Their initiative exemplifies how no other sector helps improve lives as comprehensively as the association community.”

The individualized tutoring allows students who have fallen behind grade level in math to reengage with regular classroom instruction, increasing their chances of graduating high school and achieving the long-term economic benefits that come with academic success. Modeled after 2016 research by The Hamilton Project, which sought to find solutions for students who fall behind grade-level material and subsequently tend to stay behind, TAF’s Math Motivators program provides the two-to-one tutorial intervention proven to significantly improve math achievement. Tutors develop a relationship with each student and provide individualized instruction at each student’s level.

“An unexpected outcome of the program is that we are introducing young people to a possible career path while providing a needed service,” said Jason Leppin, executive director of The Actuarial Foundation. “Even the college students who serve as volunteer tutors reap the benefits of community service and can demonstrate to prospective employers a keen ability to explain their math knowledge to an audience in need.”

Math Motivators began with no outside funding, but instead with TAF Board’s financial commitment. A 2017 Board vote provided the seed money to scale the program in Hartford, Connecticut. With its continued success in Hartford and Chicago, Math Motivators recently received a two-year matching grant totaling $125,000 from the SOA. In addition to funding, the matching grant structure has allowed TAF and SOA to create a campaign that not only builds Math Motivators awareness among the actuarial field, but generously matches any contribution from SOA members to the Math Motivators Program. With this expanded funding, Math Motivators will replicate its program in Seattle and Minneapolis in 2018, and New York City and Omaha in 2019.

ASAE’s Power of A (association) Awards, the industry’s highest honor, recognize the association community’s valuable contributions on the local, national and global levels.  The Power of A Awards reward the outstanding accomplishments of associations and industry professionals who work tirelessly to strengthen lives, the workforce, our systems and structures, the economy and the world.