The closing ceremony for the first version of the Matemática en Ruta Program took place at the San Luis Elementary School in Maipú. The event served to symbolically deliver the Evolutionary Learning Networks (REAM) and promote the use of Elementary Teaching Situations, marking the completion of the program’s inaugural phase.
This initiative, jointly led by Usach and Mineduc, was established in 2023. It directly addresses the school system's urgent need to reduce learning gaps, particularly those exacerbated by the pandemic.
Serving teachers across 864 schools nationwide, the program introduced new printed teaching resources at the gathering. These materials aim to enhance class planning and integrate more fun elements. All resources are now publicly available to the entire school system via the National Curriculum website.
Joaquín Walker Martínez, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Education's Educational Reactivation Plan, described the work as a "real luxury for school education in Chile." He praised the collaboration, stating: "The University of Santiago is a world-class institution. Specifically, its Felix Klein Center has regionally recognized expertise for its high-level support of our nation's teachers. This is material that is envied by many countries, so I want to thank Usach for the professionalism it has shown, which is reflected in these resources that we are sharing today with the entire country."
Dr. Lorena Espinoza Salfate, Director of the Felix Klein Center, expressed her satisfaction with the first edition's conclusion and the confirmation of the new edition launching this September. "We are very happy because we have received extremely positive feedback in the territories," she said. "For our team at Felix Klein and for Usach, it is recognition of what we have been doing and its impact on educational communities. The program's continuation throughout the country demonstrates the high level of care the ministerial authorities have given it."
Dr. Espinoza emphasized the program's dramatic success: "The results have been tremendous, with all schools scoring over 80% on the Simce test. It's a wonderful thing, not to mention the scores achieved on the Institutional Learning Assessment (DIA) tests."
Dr. Leonor Huerta Cancino, head of the Physical Education and Mathematics program at the university and a project team member, confirmed that Matemática en Ruta has been successfully meeting its objectives. She emphasized: "The program's implementation and its contribution to educational communities, especially to their students, seek to overcome gaps and learning deficits in mathematics. This fills the University of Santiago de Chile with pride and confirms our commitment to contributing to the strengthening of public education in our country."
Tania Carter, Principal of San Luis Elementary School in Maipú, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education and Usach for their work. "For us, the Matemática en Ruta program is a very important milestone, because this discipline is vital for anyone who wants to thrive in today's society," she stated. She concluded, "We appreciate your support because we are a community that has taken on the challenge of moving our school forward, greatly improving our DIA assessment results."