Volunteer as a coach and make a real impact
Volunteer coaches know that their impact will be clearly visible in our data on student learning and in their students' attitude and self-confidence. You can have a real impact on students with just a few hours per week.
Why volunteer as a coach?
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Build meaningful relationships with your students
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Work with a diverse, committed team of fellow coaches
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Measurable impact lets you go home knowing that you made a difference
What to expect
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Apply
Fill out a quick form to get started.
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Intro Call
Chat with a member of The Math Agency team to learn more about the program.
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Observe a session
This optional step allows you to see the program in action.
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Attend coach training
Our 2-hour training session will make sure you are successful on your first day of coaching.
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Choose site & schedule
We support multiple schools in the Seattle and Bellevue area and have a range of days/times available.
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Start coaching
You’ll have an immediate impact on your student and get regular progress reports. You’ll also have monthly check-ins with the site director to make sure you are feeling successful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a math expert to be a coach?
No. We use great digital learning tools to deliver math content. This lets you focus on providing encouragement and a strong positive relationship.
I’m a high school student. Can I earn service hours?
Yes. Your coaching work qualifies for the service learning hours that are required for graduation in both Seattle and Bellevue.
Do I need experience teaching?
Nope. As a coach, your focus will be on providing motivation and excitement to learn. You’ll also be working with a small group (2-4 students), so classroom management isn’t a required skill. Of course, if you have experience that is a great bonus:)
Can I be a coach if I’m not tech savvy?
Yes. We’ve worked hard to find digital tools that are easy to use for both students and coaches. Our live onboarding will get you comfortable with our tech, and if you have any questions, our experienced site-directors are always there to help.
What’s the time commitment?
Coaches typically volunteer between 2 and 6 hours per week. We ask that you can commit to regularly attending at least one day a week in order to build strong relationships with your students.
What schools do coaches work with?
For the 2023-24 school year we are partnering with schools in Bellevue and Seattle. The Bellevue schools are Stevenson and Lake Hills. The Seattle schools are James Baldwin (formerly Northgate), TOPS K-8 (done remotely via Zoom), and Whittier.
Hear from our coaches
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Coaching has a very high ROI. For the relatively small amount of time you invest, you walk away every single day thinking "I really helped out today, I really made a difference."
Tim A.
Coach & Community Member -
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Coaching is quite fruitful. It’s nice to see the students perform well, especially hearing them describe their thought process. Seeing their success is really satisfying.
Peteros K.
Coach & High School Student -
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Coaching is very fulfilling. I love seeing the students learn and grow, especially when hearing them describe their thought processes. It's really nice to see them succeed.
Juliet W.
Coach & High School Student -
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I decided to volunteer at The Math Agency because you can really change the lives of young students.
Bennet Y.
Coach & Tech Executive -
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As a coach you can directly help students in our community and make a demonstrable, long term improvement in their lives.
George F.
Coach & University Student -
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Math is not only an important part of the kids’ lives, but also an important part of my life and my interaction with the community.
Janice J.
Coach & Community Member
In the News
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“We desperately need more of this in our schools.”
Inside a Seattle data guy’s ambitious attempt to tackle education’s biggest problem
Seattle Times, March 2022
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“Northgate’s fifth graders improved in math more than all but one of the 1,100 fifth grade classes in the state, rich or poor.“
Inside the ‘Northgate miracle,’ which wasn’t a miracle at all
Seattle Times, October 2022
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“She loves math more now than she did two years ago…Now we drive on the road and everything she sees she gets a number in her mind and uses math.”
How two local tutoring groups are helping students catch up in math
Seattle Times, August 2023