Author: Erin Rist

Check out our November 2023 Newsletter here.

2023 has been a very eventful year for CABPES. Because of our generous supporters, we offered all our programs this year at no cost to students—a record number of students registered for our programs. CABPES pilot Corporate Volunteer Program allowed us to decrease our student-volunteer ratio to 1-3:1 (students to volunteer). The pilot accomplished our goals, so we are continuing the Corporate Volunteer Program for the 2023-2024 program year.         

For the first time in our 41-year history, we had to run our programs in two different locations. In addition, we paid for some of this space. This school year, the goal is to have the programs in one place. Currently, this is space that CABPES must pay for. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” To continue our mission, CABPES needs to move forward in a big way. The move forward is that CABPES is working toward purchasing our own space.

You will hear about the capital campaign we need to purchase this space. Many of you cannot help us with large donations to buy this space. However, we learned from President Barack Obama that small contributions can also fund a campaign. Additionally, the needs of purchasing this space are more than just financial.

CABPES families, this move forward requires help from each of you. Your children have benefited from our math tutoring and the SAT/ACT College Preparatory Program. CABPES Future City students won second place in the regional competition this year. JETS students have learned about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math careers. As a result of the Future City Competition and JETS, students have acquired teamwork, presentation, and speaking skills. Students attended field trips to Google and the Parker Water Treatment Plant. Summer Math Bootcamp students were able to improve their math weaknesses and take part in a field trip to Lincoln Hills. Summer Math Quest students solved over 80,000 problems and practiced 1650 math skills.

CABPES is committed to the continued exposure of the students. However, we must make some changes to get the funding to buy our space! We must document that our math programs are working. This documentation requires students to take diagnostic tests and provide us with math scores and grades that can reflect improvement. SAT students must take the tests given to them to help us document improvement. Students must use their IXL accounts. Funders want data, not just stories. As parents, you must ensure your students have good attendance in the programs they sign up for. We must follow up with former CABPES students. These are ways all our families and parents can help us obtain funding. Bring your students to programs consistently and on time, provide us with information about what your student(s) is doing in school and how they perform.   Tell us about your former CABPES students or families you know previously had students in our programs. Together, CABPES and your student(s) can move forward.

Blessings,

Dewey F. Brigham, Jr., Ph.D.

CABPES President and Executive Director

Regarding math and science, the public school system nationwide desperately needs to help our students dig themselves out of a terrible situation that will negatively impact them and society for a lifetime. According to a recent article by Governor Jared Polis, “math scores have dropped in Colorado and the nation after three severely disrupted school years during the pandemic.” The late televangelist and author, Robert Schuller wrote a best-selling book in 1983 titled “Tough Times Never Last But Tough People Do.”  The CABPES organization is answering the call to the dilemma Governor Polis has described regarding students struggling in math. CABPES is revamping its math tutoring program to address the need to help underrepresented minority students overcome the deficits they are experiencing in math and science. We are rebuilding our Math Enrichment Program (MEP) with the support of many of the outstanding engineering companies in Colorado.

CABPES is in the process of implementing a pilot “Corporate Volunteer Week” initiative to get companies to provide 15 to 20 volunteers per night in the MEP program. The MEP program is designed to tutor students in grades 5 through 12 in math on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 pm. We aim to have approximately 30 math tutors in our math tutoring program every night. This approach allows CABPES to move from a student-to-volunteer ratio of 5:1 (students: tutor) to a 2:1 ratio. We encourage companies to bring swag to give to the students. Companies can provide the students with a light dinner (pizza or sandwiches). Companies can take photos to use as marketing and promotional material to demonstrate how they serve traditionally marginalized communities needing math help. So far, the companies already participating in the “Corporate Volunteer Week” initiative love the idea. They are telling other companies about our strategy. The beauty of this process is a company can volunteer once per year or as many times as they would like. Most companies plan to volunteer for one week in the fall and one week in the spring during the upcoming school year.

Parents, the ball is in your court, plain and simple! CABPES and our corporate partners are ready to serve the students needing help in math and science. Our pilot study has shown that our new strategy will work. Parents, this is what we need you to do to help your student(s) catch up in math and science. Please bring your student(s) to our facility Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 pm. We recommend you be on time. Our data show regular attendance is critical to your child learning math. Play an essential role in your student(s) academics by getting with their teachers and finding out what they are learning in school when it comes to math. We are not asking you to teach math; just let us know what they are learning in school. With the Governor‘s support, Colorado engineering firms, and CABPES‘ vision, we can turn these students around in math and science. We have the village!

Blessings,

Dewey F. Brigham, Jr., Ph.D.
CABPES President and Executive Director