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State of Rhode Island Department of Education

McKee, Commissioner Infante-Green to Hold Math Extravaganza: Math Matters RI – Count Us In! Event on May 31

Published on Thursday, May 15, 2025

Free, family-friendly event features special guest, Zearn CEO and Co-Founder Shalinee Sharma, and aims to promote statewide Math Matters RI initiative with fun activities, prizes, professional development opportunities, and more 

PROVIDENCE, RI – Governor Dan McKee, Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green, and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) today announced the state will host the Math Extravaganza: Math Matters RI – Count Us In! event on Saturday, May 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the RI Nursing Education Center, 350 Eddy Street, Providence. The free event is open to all students, families, and educators, and will offer prizes and fun, family-friendly activities including math games for all ages, a special Counted Out movie screening, a fireside chat with special guest, Zearn CEO and Co-founder Shalinee Sharma, and workshops for parents and educators.  

“With our Math Matters RI campaign, we’re helping students across the state improve their math understanding with the goal of promoting greater academic achievement,” said Governor Dan McKee. “From after school programs to April and summer vacation camps, Rhode Island has made strategic investments in math education that are helping students continue to sharpen their skills beyond the classroom. We encourage students, families, and educators to join us to celebrate math education in the Ocean State.” 

“Through our Math Matters RI initiative, we are all coming together to embrace math and build a statewide sense of excitement and enthusiasm around it,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “From manufacturing to engineering and other in-demand fields, students need math to succeed in a very competitive 21st-century economy. We are all math people and have a role in promoting it for generations to come. We invite all Rhode Islanders to join us for a fun event that will promote and raise awareness of the importance of math.” 

“As Rhode Island’s State Teacher of the Year, I know personally just how critical strong math skills are for students’ long-term success,” said Rhode Island State Teacher of the Year Milissa O’Neal. “We’re proud that Rhode Island teachers will play an integral role in this event and will be able to access important professional development opportunities. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, or student – come out to celebrate math with us!” 

The event will feature a fireside chat led by Commissioner Infante-Green featuring special guest Shalinee Sharma, a renowned math expert and the CEO and cofounder of Zearn, a nonprofit educational organization which launched a top-rated math-learning platform used by millions of K-8 students nationwide.  

“By launching the Math Matters RI initiative, Governor McKee and Commissioner Infante-Green have shown their commitment to educators who are working every single day to make all kids math kids,” said Zearn CEO and Co-founder Shalinee Sharma. “I am honored to join this important event celebrating how every student can succeed in math — and how to make math accessible and rigorous for all kids.” 

The event is part of the Math Matters RI initiative launched by Governor McKee and Commissioner Infante-Green in February when they announced the awarding of $2.85 million in Learn365RI state grants aimed to improve math skills. The funds invest in out-of-school time learning programs with an explicit focus on math programs for students currently enrolled in kindergarten through grade 8. Grant recipients could offer April break math camps, intensive afterschool and/or weekend math programming, and/or a four (or more)-week summer program.  

“The Math Matters initiative launched by Rhode Island is a perfect demonstration of state leadership to improve math achievement,” said Executive Director of the Collaborative for Student Success Jim Cowen. “Alongside the Collaborative for Student Success’ We’re All Solvers campaign, families will see first-hand how game nights are a great way to boost learning outside of the classroom. Just as parents read to their children every night to foster a love of reading, so too should they play games that develop fundamental numeracy skills. We look forward to bringing our ‘Solver’s Social’ to Providence in partnership with Governor McKee and Commissioner Infante-Green.” 

Rhode Island leaders emphasized the need to focus on improving math instruction and learning, citing positive trends in math RICAS results that have rebounded past pre-pandemic levels of achievement with 30.1% of students meeting or exceeding expectations in 2023-2024 results compared to 29.8% in 2018-2019. However, math SAT results remain below pre-pandemic levels, with 21.7% of secondary students meeting and exceeding expectations compared to 31.2% in 2018-2019. At the national level, NAEP, known as the “Nation’s Report Card,” underscored a need to focus on math with 2024 national math scores declining by 5 percentage points in grade 4 and 8 percentage points in grade 8 compared to 2019. 

The event will offer diverse professional learning opportunities for educators who can earn Professional Learning Units (PLUs). To earn PLUs, educators must fill out this registration form for sessions by May 23, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. 

Businesses and organizations interested in participating in the event must fill out RIDE’s event partner form by May 23, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.  

RIDE continues to engage partners interested in promoting math. Event partners and sponsors include: 

  • Age of Learning 
  • Always Learning RI
  • American Mathematical Society
  • Collaborative for Student Success (CFSS)
  • Dave’s Market
  • Fidelity Investments
  • Gooseneck Vineyards
  • Khan Academy - Khanmigo
  • Knead Doughnuts 
  • Mathnasium of Portsmouth
  • McGraw Hill Education
  • New Classrooms
  • Nuestro Mundo Public Charter School 
  • Prisms
  • Providence Children’s Museum
  • Providence Oyster Bar 
  • Rhode Island Computer Museum
  • Rhode Island Education Collective
  • Roger Williams Park Zoo
  • Savvas Learning 
  • Sneaker Junkies
  • The FLY Initiative
  • United Skates of America 
  • University of Rhode Island
  • Winners' Circle XR Academy, Inc. 

While the event is open and free for all, registration is required on Eventbrite. 

A more detailed schedule will be available soon. 

Flyer in English. 

Flyer in Spanish.