There is a significant perception acquired anecdotally, that these types of minority focused academic enrichment programs are palliatives designed to calm disgruntled elements. These programs have arisen in part in response to demands for action from disenfranchised elements so there is a grain of truth to that assessment.
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Of importance, at least to this author, is that the Math-Dunk program be effective in bringing about statistically significant improvement in academic performance. There are a substantial number of university level education schools and black studies departments in the Bay Area. These programs will be contacted prior to the start of the Math-Dunk program to see if any scholar might be interested in providing a third-party perspective and a degree of academic rigor in the analysis of the success or lack thereof of the Math-Dunk program.
VALIDATION
The Math-Dunk program has a superficial “freakonomics” aspect to it by combining two disparate elements, physical and mathematics training. On a deeper level, the pedagogy underlying this has a solid in basis in that the research shows that all other things being equal, participation in extra-curricular activities particularly sports is a correlate of increased academic performance and student retention.
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The freakonomics aspect can used to attract press coverage to the program. This should appeal to both print, television and internet media sources. YouTube offers a way to publish video and with a GoPro camera, the participants in the Math-Dunk can be put on-line. Good visuals can be obtained on the physical training part and successful test grades can also be posted for participants reinforcing the linkage between the two activities. Such internet posting may have a positive impact upon participant retention in the program, as the video posting will allow participants, in their own way, to become internet mini-celebrities.