Field Experience Adds Up For Education Majors Helping with Math Intervention Program Monday, May 4, 2026
Pictured, from left to right, is Kelly Pascarella, assistant professor, and Nikki Bilodeau, instructional support teacher, pose with students from Jefferson Elementary School and Point Park education majors Elizabeth Neel and Kianna Fisher.
For two students in the School of Education, weekly trips to Mt. Lebanon School District's Jefferson Elementary School has added up to an amazing field experience.
Elizabeth Neel, a PK–4 major, and Kianna Fisher, a PK–4 and special education PK–12 major, spent each Tuesday at the elementary school implementing a math facts challenge that included lessons on math fact fluency, number relationships and problem solving.
"Math facts fluency can directly impact students' confidence and success," said Nikki Bilodeau, Ed.D., a graduate of Point Park's doctoral program and adjunct instructor.
Bilodeau, an instructional support teacher at Jefferson, was awarded a Social Impact Grant from the university's Center for Civic and Community Engagement, which provided funding to implement the math facts learning platform "DreamBox" and motivational prizes.
"A key component of the grant was the support of two Point Park students, Ms. Neel and Ms. Fisher, who helped organize and run the challenge," Bilodeau said.
Neel and Fisher coordinated the structure, tracked student progress and communicated across classrooms. Each Tuesday, they visited each classroom and determined which students had completed the required lessons. For every five lessons completed, elementary students could take a basketball shot; if they made it, they received a prize.
The motivation is working.
"These kids are excelling," Fisher said. "It's been surprising the amount of lessons they're willing to do to even try to get a shot."
"As a result, students demonstrated increased engagement, improved fluency, and greater confidence in their mathematical abilities," Bilodeau said. "This project highlights how targeted, research-based interventions, combined with intentional support and motivational structures, can create meaningful academic and social impact within a school community."
In addition to helping with the math program, Neel and Fisher get to observe Bilodeau in her classroom and even teach in small groups.
"I tell them, 'I know you're beginning teachers, but the biggest mistake you can make is not trying. I'm here to support you,'" Bilodeau said.
"I'm excited that my job allows me to continue working with Point Park students," she continued. "They are our future. We have to show them that our job is valuable. We need good teachers who can make a difference in young lives."
Both Neel and Fisher transferred to Point Park for education after starting at a community college in health-related fields.
Neel said what stands out to her about Point Park is the caring faculty and the early field experience: "I've liked that we are able to go into the classroom, into the field, beginning freshman year, because it really gave us a chance to see what we liked, what we wanted to do."
The benefits of this program have been exponential, giving Neel and Fisher valuable field experience, Bilodeau additional support to implement the program, and, of course, helping elementary students gain math fluency, setting them up for success.