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You recently stated that you are willing to look at "anything that works" in education. One only has to digest the empirical data and read the testimonials on this site to conclude that fantasy sports are making a major impact on math education. If you are serious about using innovative methods to increase math achievement, read on.
In 2009, University of Mississippi professor Dr. Kim Beason surveyed 342 middle school and high school students who used fantasy sports in math class. The results are compelling and support prior research. To see the results, click here
In fall 2009, I (Fantasy Sports and Math author Dan Flockhart) taught fantasy football to 80 student athletes at Humboldt State University in Northern California. Thirty-eight percent of the students received A's on the pretest. That number increased to 83% on the post-test.
Additional empirical data collected by the University of Mississippi (located below) indicate that fantasy sports are playing a major role in helping students to be successful. Teachers report that grades, enthusiasm, and test scores are all higher. The games are eliminating discipline problems, reducing absenteeism, helping teachers to be more effective, and changing student attitudes toward math.
Fantasy sports are being used in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and higher education. Amazing stories are taking place at schools throughout the country. Some of these stories are illustrated in my documentary film, which you can watch in segments on YouTube. The games are helping families to connect, as sons and daughters get help selecting their teams from their fathers, brothers, and grandparents. Basically, fantasy sports are changing lives, both academically AND socially.
At some schools, everybody is playing: Students, teachers, administrators, staff, and parents. New friendships are being formed. School community is promoted. Fantasy sports are also helping to empower girls and break down the gender gap. Girls report that fantasy sports are “cool,” and that the games help them to relate to the boys as equals. In short, I believe fantasy sports represent our best hope to reduce math illiteracy in the U.S.
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