The following was written by Thanh Le, a high school computer science teacher and DoD STEM Ambassador. DoD STEM Ambassadors work with the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) to advance STEM outreach for students who are underrepresented in STEM or military connected. Le was selected by Center for Excellence in Education as its DoD STEM Ambassador for the 2023-2024 school year.

My inspiration to teach in inner-city schools was kindled at the Princeton University Teacher Preparation Program. Our director frequently shared letters from a former student who was teaching at an inner-city school. Each letter described the struggles and despair of her first teaching position in the early 1990s. The young teacher did not ask for pity or sympathy; rather she matter-of-factly described some brutal realities, including crime, poverty, underprepared and underachieving students, challenges with family separation, and lack of resources. She never wrote about giving up but rather committed to staying the course. While listening to her letters, I felt a call to follow in her footsteps and teach underrepresented students in inner-city schools.

I started my internship teaching math at Trenton Central High in Trenton, New Jersey, a crime-ridden neighborhood in a poverty-stricken city with about 98 percent African American students. Fast forward 28 years. I am still teaching inner-city students, now at Montebello High School near East Los Angeles, California. During my career I have witnessed the achievement gap widening. Figuratively speaking, rather than seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I felt the tunnel getting darker.

However, my recent term as a DoD STEM Ambassador with DoD STEM and the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) has ignited a light in the tunnel. I see hope and real solutions for closing the achievement gap. DoD STEM and CEE funding and resources have allowed me to attend and present at conferences and retreats where I've met and learned from outstanding teachers and professors, administrators, and researchers from all over the world. They have shared relevant stories and fortified me to continue battling to close my students' achievement gaps. In this blog, I will share how using artificial intelligence (AI), specifically the MathGPT.AI program, has been effective in closing achievement gaps in mathematics among Hispanic students at Montebello High School.

In early 2024, I was fortunate to join a pilot program at Rice University in Houston, Texas, to use AI to teach math. Although I am not currently teaching math, I have a California math credential and have taught math in the past. So, I often find myself filling in gaps in student knowledge when they are unable to understand or solve math problems in my computer science, physics, and chemistry classes. Every day I witness most students struggling to pass their math classes, and I wanted to find a way to help them. It wasn't for lack of effort that they were having such difficulty. They put a lot of effort into their math classes—including studying math during other classes, having regular conversations with students about assignments, seeking tutoring—and yet they continued to receive the lowest grades among all their classes. Despite their hard work and dedication, they continue to fail gateway math classes at an alarming rate. Retaking these math classes reduces their chances of getting into selective colleges.

Not surprisingly, as a computer science teacher I was curious about AI's development in other academic disciplines. Initially I was doubtful about AI because I have seen many variations of its limitations across platforms. Nonetheless, I participated in the MathGPT.AI training via Zoom webinars and proceeded to pilot the program with my students. As a disclaimer, I do not receive monetary compensation from MathGPT.AI—I feel I must share its effectiveness because of the results I have seen in my own students.

First, I gathered information from my students to determine which topics they were struggling with in their math classes. Then I used MathGPT.AI to customize topics for each student and taught them how to use the program. To our great delight, we found that AI is excellent in explaining math topics! The AI tutor (nicknamed Benjamin Franklin) is very knowledgeable and patient, and it encourages student questions. AI Benjamin Franklin's supportive nature proved to be particularly important for students who were acutely aware of severe deficiencies in prior knowledge. They also understood this knowledge is essential to understanding their current math level.

In an open class they might not participate out of extreme embarrassment or fear of asking questions. However, AI Benjamin Franklin is constantly praising students for asking good questions and being willing to answer additional questions without being judgmental. AI Benjamin Franklin's explanation is thorough, comprehensible, accurate, and relevant to the student's level. Consequently, students were gratified that their knowledge gaps were being filled and they were becoming prepared to advance to the next level.

Thus far, I have observed the following critical points:

• Students previously scoring D grades are now getting B grades. One student received 100 percent on their most recent test.
• Students prefer math assignments generated by AI over those assigned by teachers, because they are customized to the student's specific needs. Students are constantly asking me to give them more relevant AI-generated math assignments to prepare them for their upcoming exams.
• Students are using the AI math program extensively to bridge the gaps in their knowledge.
• Students at all math levels (from Algebra 2 to AP Calculus) are using the program. Geometry instruction is not available.
• The AI program does not give students the answers directly but rather leads them to a deeper understanding of topics.

One student who scored highest in a recent math test said that she asked the AI to give her similar problems so she “could work them out and have complete mastery of the concept.”

In conclusion, although this is not a scientific study of using AI in math intervention, I have observed the tremendous support AI can provide to students in raising their performance in math. This is particularly significant and spectacular because math performance is a major weakness in our school—our students consistently score in the red/orange zone in the California math performance assessment. MathGPT.AI has been one of the most satisfying discoveries in my effort to close the achievement gap in urban schools. The program serves as an in-depth, customized tutoring supplement to classroom instruction. At a time when our school is cutting back on academic support services such as tutoring, having this available to our struggling students has been tremendously impactful. I believe that MathGPT.AI can be a game changer in urban education. It is a low-cost and effective approach to support math instruction.