Success in algebra is critical to students’ high school graduation, college enrollment, and earning potential. Unfortunately, many students disengage with math over frustrations with algebra. By integrating algebra with computing, Bootstrap:Algebra fosters student growth in both subjects while helping schools meet logistical and staffing challenges. Using Bootstrap:Algebra as part of a standard algebra class ensures equitable access: since every student takes algebra, Bootstrap:Algebra reaches all students – not just those who self-select by race, gender, or income.

Students from Oakland to New York, Chicago to DC, and Minneapolis to Houston are discovering algebra and computer science through Bootstrap: Algebra. The course reaches more than 25,000 students each year (43% female, 46% URM), in 17 states and 5 countries, and has been recognized by Code.org, Google, Microsoft, the NSF, and the White House.

While some teachers use Bootstrap as a dedicated class, Bootstrap: Algebra is designed to be flexible, and can be taught with as little as 25 hours of classroom time. Most of these hours cover material that is already in the math curriculum. Implementations range from 1-2x a week for a whole semester to an end-of-semester module spread over 3-4 weeks. We can help individual teachers meet their needs. From there it scales up to a semester- or year-long course (Bootstrap: Reactive), and further (Bootstrap: Data Science, etc.).

Bootstrap: Algebra does not require full-time access to a computer lab. The class requires one computer for each pair of students, during one out of every four instructional hours. Our curriculum uses a paper-and-pencil workbook in which students design programs and functions before working on the computer. In addition, our software runs entirely on the Web; this requires internet access, but there is no software to install or maintain.