The José Valdés Math Institute is an organization whose mission is to improve students' skills in math and
close the achievement gap in San Jose and Silicon Valley.
The original vision of Mr. José Valdés was to ensure
that minority and underrepresented children be given equal
opportunities to succeed in mathematics. This ideal provides the
foundation of our philosophy at Valdés.
Founded by Andrew Hill High School math teacher Jose Valdés in 1988, the Jose Valdés
Summer Math Institute was originally started to improve the mathematical skills
of under-represented minority students feeding into Andrew Hill High School. The
program was a success and quickly grew in size and scope to eventually include
students from throughout the East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) as
well as its feeder districts.
After years of success with middle school
students, a few high school enrichment classes were added to provide for
students wanting to expand their knowledge and skills in math. At its peak, the Valdés Summer Math
Institute offered courses covering standards from 3rd grade math all
the way through pre-calculus and served as many as 1500 students each summer on seven
college campuses throughout Santa Clara County.
Program Description
Since
1988, the Jose Valdés Summer Math Institute has met its challenge to
improve the mathematics education landscape in the East San Jose
community. The goal of the program is for students to successfully pass
Calculus before graduation from high school.
Our first step is to prepare them for success in Algebra before
entering high school. We accomplish this by having students in grades 6
through 8 attend summer sessions for seven hours a day, four days a
week, for seven weeks during the summer. At least two hours of homework
are assigned each day.
We
also attempt to place as many students as possible on college campuses
to encourage them to see college as a choice. Each class has a teacher
and two assistants to provide as much individual assistance as possible.
The Legacy of Jose A. Valdés “The Man and His Dreams”
The
Jose A. Valdés Summer Math Institute celebrates the memory of its
founder, Jose Antonio Valdés. Mr. Valdés was born on July 19, 1928 in
Cuba, where he became a math teacher.
Mr.
Valdés believed that all students can learn mathematics and worked to
prove this true. He began bilingual classes at Andrew Hill High School,
thus advancing Spanish speaking students in mathematics while they were
learning English.
He
encouraged all students to aspire beyond math and into the more
demanding and rigorous classes of Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and
Calculus. Disappointed with the number of students, especially
Hispanics and African Americans, who started high school in arithmetic
classes, he developed a program of intensive mathematics for middle
school students.
The
Jose A. Valdés Summer Math Institute continues Mr. Valdés dream and his
commitment to his belief that all students can learn mathematics. It
was because of his dream that over 3000 students were given the
opportunity to move ahead into higher classes and to succeed in
mathematics and thousands more do so today.
Mr.
Valdés was an inspiration to all. His motivation, desire, and belief in
students is what makes his dream live on. Mr. Valdés passed away on
December 12, 1991 and is survived by his wife Silvia, son Jose Jr., and
daughters Sylvia Valdés-Fernandez, and Barbara M. Kinnon.
In his memory, a Valdés Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established. Donations may be sent to:
Jose Valdes Math Foundation
4848 San Felipe Rd #150-213
San Jose, CA 95135
Looking at where I am in life and career, I honestly believe that Valdes has been a huge contributor to my accomplishments. I took trigonometry with Valdes the summer of my incoming sophomore year of high school. If Valdes did not exist, I would have not been able to finish Calculus BC while still being in high school. Aside from the classes that were offered over the summer, I also had help during the school year as well in the form of weekly tutor sessions held by the Valdes Institute...which again, honestly, was one of the best things any kid could ask for. I studied math and econ in college and am currently working for one of the biggest investment companies in the US. I think Valdes is just a fantastic program to support. I don't know where my life would be if it weren't for this program.
---K. Ngo
The
Jose A. 
