MARTIN HADLEY

Teachers at Pathways Elementary School mentioned the idea of a program to help students with their math skills. Martin Hadley was the first parent approached through the PTA, and he thought of an innovative way to help fourth and fifth graders become proficient. Within two weeks of the discussion, Hadley had converted a classroom into a math lab. This lab consists of 16 stations focusing on specific math competencies tested by the state assessment program. Hadley works with more than two hundred students and is at the school daily for at least six hours.

The students visit the lab daily for 45 minutes. Hadley changes the stations each day, grades the children’s papers and charts their progress. He also works with the eight elementary teachers to ensure the areas needing additional instruction are covered in the classrooms. Because of his commitment to the children, Hadley spends about 120 at the school weekly and has done so for the past two years.

This program has proven successful. Last year’s fourth and fifth grade students showed a dramatic improvement in their state math assessment scores, and the teachers believe this is a result of Hadley’s program. The students demonstrate a greater sense of confidence when approaching math due to the personal encouragement and math expertise they have gained in the math lab.

In addition to the Math Lab, Hadley serves with the Boy Scouts of America. He has gone above his duties there and assisted one of the special education teachers in establishing a pac for some of the handicapped students at Pathways Elementary School. He also has run a summer camp program at the school for 50 scouts around the area.

Hadley’s initiative and actions have significantly affected elementary aged children. The need for additional math instruction for fourth and fifth graders was met when he volunteered to establish and operate a math lab.