2023 Chess in Education Committee Report

Provided by RANAE BARTLETT and JOHN GALVIN, co-chairs

Members: Jeff Bulington, Ursula Byrd, Mark Indemaur, Gabrielle Mosier, Christina Mullinax, Richard Pointer, Adam Porth, Sophia Rohde, Shaun Smith, Abel Talamantez, Bryan Tillis

Executive Board Liaison: John Fernandez

The Chess In Education Committee became a committee in 2022, established its charter, and began meeting monthly in September 2022. The Committee focused its efforts on sharing free resources and grant opportunities and made those available on a new US Chess Education page. (https://new.uschess.org/chess-education)

The committee began by introducing itself in a joint US Chess School-Based Outreach meeting via Zoom alongside Scholastic Council Chair John Rockefeller and Vice Chair Danny Rohde in November 2022. Chess In Education Committee Co-Chairs Ranae Bartlett and John Galvin distinguished the committee’s role from the Scholastic Council and questions that had been submitted through a prior survey were answered by the Scholastic Council and CIE committee representatives.

Interactive webinars were then planned and conducted via Zoom featuring the following topics:

• Jan. 29, 2023 - Building A Vibrant Chess Community: Learning from Impact Coaching Network with Russ Makofsky in NY
• Feb. 26, 2023 - Teaching in Middle and High School Chess Programs with Bryan Tillis (FL) and Adam Porth (Idaho)
• March 26, 2023 - Hamilton K-8 in California: Creating recreational chess programs to foster the love of chess with Abel Talamantez
• April 20, 2023 - Large or Small, Your Chess Program Can Be Successful and Celebrate the Players Too with Ursula Byrd (Detroit, MI) and Christina Mullinax (Lenoir City, TN)
• May 21, 2023 - Brooklyn Castle Panel Discussion on its 10th Anniversary

Feedback sessions were held or planned for each of the national events beginning with the high school championship in Washington D.C. and middle school championship in Texas.

In August, the committee plans to conduct a strategic planning session during the US Open to make long-term plans for the work of the committee moving forward. Next year, the committee would like to focus its efforts on chess taught by educators during the school day and share examples of how it is done across the US. Additionally, the committee would like to offer a road map to communities who wish to provide chess in education programs in their school district.

The committee examined youth membership data to compare this year versus last year as an ongoing measure of success. Most states experienced an increase in youth membership.