NBA Math Hoops

As of 2023, only women only make up 24% of the STEM workforce in the United States and 28% worldwide. In a 2020 report published by UNICEF, gender gaps in STEM engagement, interest, enjoyment, and future career aspirations are shaped by gender norms, bias and stereotypes. 70% of individuals in 34 countries associated science with males more than with females. Globally, only 18% of girls are pursuing STEM studies — compared to 35% of boys. Even within the STEM fields, there lies a gender divide, with far more boys pursuing fields like engineering, manufacturing and construction. For these statistics to change, it is essential to introduce girls to STEM subjects at an early age to cultivate their achievement and passion for the subject matter and challenge gender norms. 

In the United States middle school math proficiency rates are at a near all-time low. According to the 2022 National Assessment for Educational Progress, students in the US in 4th-8th grade have seen the largest decline in math proficiency since 1990. Socio-economic status is also a key contributor; although male and female students achieve similar math proficiency rates in the US, when socio-economic status is considered males of a lower status are more likely than comparable girls to achieve proficiency in math. Math achievement in the middle school years is critical for all students' long-term academic success. Studies suggest that engagement and achievement in middle school mathematics is an essential condition for high school graduation. A longitudinal study conducted by Robert Balfanz reported that 81 percent of School District of Philadelphia students who failed their sixth grade math class had still not graduated one year past their scheduled high school completion date. To see long-term academic success for all students in the United States, we must intervene during these critical middle school years.

Since our founding, Learn Fresh has explicitly focused on achieving equitable representation across the STEM pipeline for girls, students of color, and those living in low-income communities. Women, people of color, and those from low-income backgrounds are historically underrepresented in STEM fields.  We know that success in middle school STEM classes has a direct correlation with highschool graduation rates and eventual entry into STEM forced careers. Offering engaging and culturally relevant STEM programming to students during the critical middle school years can have a transformative impact on their long-term success and the landscape of STEM.

To date, our programming has engaged over 750,000 students across the US and beyond. Nationally, our gender breakdown is 47% female and 53% male identifying students, with 93% of our educators serving low in-come communities.

Learn Fresh aims to challenge and change the narrative around STEM education and academic success for students of color, girls, and those living in low-income communities; offering a new paradigm for relevant, engaging learning. Our flagship program, NBA Math Hoops is specifically designed to address the achievement gaps among students in the middle school years. This program has become the largest and only league-adopted education program in the NBA. The experience is built around a physical and digital NBA Math Hoops board game, which feature the real-life performance statistics of NBA and WNBA players, providing an exciting, culturally-relevant “hook” to engage students of all genders and ethnicities. Our program represents a highly diverse community of athletes in a data-rich learning environment. NBA Math Hoops includes a 12-lesson curriculum mapped to Common Core and 21st Century Learning Standards that develops students’ algebra readiness prior to entering high school, while strengthening important skills including self-regulation and executive function.

The program develops students’ algebra readiness prior to entering high school, while strengthening important skills including self-regulation and executive function. This free experience primarily engages low-income students and students of color in grades 4-8 across in both in-school and out-of-school environments. Students who complete the program demonstrate a 30 percent increase in math achievement over their peers in a traditional math curriculum and an overwhelming 93 percent of educators report that their students now find math to be more accessible, relevant, and engaging. 

The NBA Math Hoops experience begins with the educator. Learn Fresh staff host trainings each fall to fully equip educators to bring the program into their classrooms. From there, Students then begin the experience with their educator by signing a Sportsmanship contract, committing to a set of shared values as they enter the “NBA Math Hoops season”. Then, students act as Coach and General Manager of their own fantasy basketball team; drafting a team of real life NBA and WNBA players. Gameplay simulates the game of basketball as students switch from offense to defense in a fast-paced, timed setting. Students are incentivized to think critically and craft strategy using number sense and statistical analysis. As they work through the season, students have the opportunity to participate in local activations and events with NBA team partners, including STEM workshops and experiences, culminating in a regional tournament. 

Nationally, our student demographics are over 80% students of color, with 93% of our educators serving low in-come communities. The current beneficiaries of Learn Fresh programming compose the following cultural demographics: 6% Asian-American/Pacific Islander; 27% Black/African-American; 22% Hispanic/Latinx; 11% Multiethnic/Multiracial; 12% Native American/Alaskan Native; 22% White. More than 90% of the students served reside in lower-income communities. Our programs are offered across the United States and beyond with programming in Africa, Australia, Columbia and Mexico. Our reach extends even further through our mobile apps which have been downloaded in over 125 countries. 

Our programs’ gender breakdown is 47% female and 53% male identifying students. This is important to note; offering a program that is sports focused, we often receive comment that our programs are geared towards male students. Over the ten years of our organization we have consistently seen a near even gender divide in program participants. This has held true from when the program started with 500 students to today serving approximately 200,000 students a year. We have found female students to be equally enthusiastic sports fans. The implication that sports are only for boys in a similar societal gender norm we work to fight against. 

We connect with student populations through their educators in both in-school and out-of-school learning environments. In the afterschool space we work with organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Girls, Inc., YMCA, and City Year. At the state level, we seek to work with statewide afterschool programs and education agencies, an example of this model is our programmatic work in Texas where we are an endorsed program with Texas ACE and the Texas Education Agency. 

Our team’s experiences are directly informed by the communities we serve. The vast majority of Learn Fresh staff (including two executive staff) are former educators who have extensive experience implementing programs with students before joining our organization. This team collectively brings over 100 years of experience living and teaching in the communities that we serve, ensuring our programs are uniquely tailored to benefit students and educators in the most efficient, supportive, and impactful way possible. Through our existing community-based program model, our staff maintain close relationships with educators across the United States. These educators provide essential feedback around the effectiveness of our programs and tools. 

All Learn Fresh programs are rooted in student passions beyond the education space. The authentic nature of the experiences allows for direct integration of teams, athletes, and entertainers into the learning. Youth voice is intentionally woven into curriculum design. In addition to our pre and post test to measure students’ math achievement; students complete a self assessment to measure their SEL growth and overall experience in the program. These responses greatly inform updates to the program, ensuring that the experience is culturally relevant to our students. 

Our Board is very involved with the refinement of all programs and how these programs directly relate to youth. They are all in attendance at several of our events throughout the year, engaging directly with our students. This year, we launched our Alumni Leaders Council, who will engage with the Board and share their experiences going through the program. These students will also have the opportunity to offer feedback and engage with our events. 

NBA Math hoops currently serves more than 150,000 children across the United States, Australia, South Africa, and Latin America.

Although Learn Fresh is a certified NBA and WNBA partner, we have not gained as much visibility as a nonprofit as other organizations our size. We are a best kept secret in some aspects. We would love the opportunity to connect with a variety of networks to gain more resources as we continue to branch out and pilot more projects on fronts such as climate education. Additionally, we always encourage staff, leadership and executive teams alike, to constantly looks for areas of improvement and growth. While all of the aspects of the support program interest us, the leadership coaching and network resources in particular drew us to this opportunity. 

Nick Monzi currently serves as CEO and Co-Founder of Learn Fresh. Nick has dedicated his professional career to serving students living in low-income communities. His passion for baseball had a profound impact on him as an adolescent. Growing up as a New York Yankees fan in the 90's with athletes like Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, Tino Martiez, Joe Torre --  their commitment to community greatly influenced his passion for making an impact. This shared passion for sport has become the universal language that connects our team and the communities we serve. Since the organization's founding, he has worked with global corporations, leading school districts, and national and regional after-school providers to develop the Learn Fresh community program model. Since its launch in Cleveland during the fall of 2013, the experience has expanded to include initiatives with 30 professional sports teams and over 700,000 students. He has also driven the invention of four new programs, which have been funded and supported by team and league partners in North America, South America, Africa, and Australia. Nick earned a bachelor's degree in Entrepreneurship and Marketing Management from Syracuse University, and completed his master's degree at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he took an active role in growing the presence of education innovation on Harvard's campus. He is currently completing an Executive MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, as a member of the program's London, UK cohort. Nick has presented at national conferences including SXSW EDU, ISTE, Beyond School Hours, and the NSLA National Conference. 

Academic equity through intervention programs like those Learn Fresh offers, empowers educators to engage students in STEM with new and innovative strategies that are culturally sensitive, relevant, and inclusive. To close the achievement gap and see long-term academic success for students in STEM education must be approached from a more culturally accessible and equitable lens. We believe by engaging student’s passions outside of the classroom for sports and entertainment we can create a culturally relevant link between their passion and education. Our program is a proven tool to improve student engagement and achievement within STEM subject matter.

Goals of the program within the next years include:

Students will improve their core math skills and concepts, such as number sense and statistical analysis, in pre and post program assessments. 

Students will demonstrate statistically significant growth in key social and emotional skills, including leadership, grit and resilience, as determined by educator feedback and student self-assessment. 

Students will have improved attitudes towards learning, with an increased interest in engaging with mathematics, as determined through educator feedback and student self-assessment. 

Students will demonstrate an increased knowledge of STEM career opportunities, and a greater interest in pursuing these fields, as demonstrated by educator feedback and student self assessment. 

Goals of the program and organization include:

Expand partnership to all professional NBA & WNBA teams. 

Expand student reach to over 1 million. 

Learn Fresh conducts both a pre-survey and post-survey with a representative sample of students participating in the traditional NBA Math Hoops experience to measure growth in key areas of STEM content knowledge and engagement. A representative sample will also participate in a social-emotional outcomes survey to measure growth over their involvement in the program. Additionally, our Director of Program evaluation, Dr. Megan Darnley, was brought on to conduct studies of the impact of our program as it relates to marginalized populations in STEM, particularly girls of color and living in low-income communities. Her established research agenda investigates the impacts of Learn Fresh programs using a multitude of quantitative and qualitative methods, starting with a large-scale impact evaluation of the NBA Math Hoops program.

Intervention programs like NBA Math Hoops not only improve fluency in core math skills but also raise leadership skills such as team building, grit resiliency, and raises class engagement and overall confidnece in STEM. Decreasing the anxiety surrounding math by making the matierial more approachable and relevant will lead to higher achievement in the subject, which has been directly linked to post-secondary and higher education success. 

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10 years 

Equity and Inclusion is at the core of the Learn Fresh mission and culture. We believe in the inherent value of all individuals regardless of race (including hair texture and hairstyles), color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, physical disability, mental disability, age, military status, veteran status (including protected veterans), marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition, genetic information, or sexual orientation. 

We are dedicated to serving the needs of our community with the intentional focus of uplifting underrepresented groups in STEM spaces. Our staff and Board of Directors reflect the diverse identities and experiences of the communities we serve.