NSF Project: Development of Courses and Recruitment Models for Attracting and Preparing Middle Grade Mathematics Teachers (Connecting Middle School and College Mathematics--(CM)2 Project) (http://www.teachmathmissouri.org/)
Principal Investigator: Ira J. Papick
Project Period: 2002 - 2004
Project Funding: $1,199,179
Improving the quality of mathematics education for middle school students is of critical importance, and increasing opportunities for students to learn important mathematics under the leadership of well-prepared and dedicated teachers is essential. New standards-based curriculum and instruction models, coupled with on-going professional development and teacher preparation, are foundational to this change.
These sentiments are eloquently articulated in the recent Glenn Commission Report: Before It's Too Late: A Report to the Nation from the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century (U.S. Department of Education, 2000). In fact, the principal message of the Glenn Commission Report is that America's students must improve their mathematics and science performance if they are to be successful in our rapidly changing technological world. To this end, the Report recommends that we greatly intensify our focus on improving the quality of mathematics and science teaching in grades K-12 by bettering the quality of teacher preparation, and also stresses the necessity of developing creative plans to attract and retain substantial numbers of future mathematics and science teachers. In the words of the Report, "evidence of the positive effect of better teaching is unequivocal; indeed, the most consistent and powerful predictors of student achievement in mathematics and science are full teaching certification and a college major in the field being taught."
Past and present collaborative projects involving the review and employment of standards-based middle school mathematics curricula have established a strong working connection between a group of University of Missouri mathematicians and mathematics educators and have highlighted the need for improved teacher qualifications and viable recruitment plans. The (CM)2 Project addresses these needs for middle grade mathematics teachers through the development and delivery of four foundational mathematics courses with accompanying support materials and the development and implementation of an aggressive teacher recruitment model.
The courses are designed to provide middle grade mathematics teachers with a strong mathematical foundation and connect the mathematics they are learning with the mathematics they will be teaching. Courses focus on algebraic and geometric structures, data analysis and probability, and mathematics of change, and employ standards-based middle grade mathematics curricular materials as a springboard to explore and learn mathematics in more depth.
The recruited teachers are piloting the courses and materials in Summer Institutes and in semester courses offered at off-campus sites, and the program of courses provides a core that will lead to certification for teaching middle school mathematics for these people and others in similar situations throughout Missouri. Dissemination efforts include Faculty Workshops (highlighting the courses, materials, and recruitment model) at colleges throughout Missouri and a culminating National Middle School Mathematics Teacher Preparation Conference (focusing on recruitment and improvement of qualifications for middle grade mathematics teachers, showcasing the project's outcomes, and providing participants with the developed materials).
NSF Project: Show-Me Project II (http://www.showmecenter.missouri.edu/)
Co-principal investigator: Ira J. Papick
Project Period: 2002 - 2005
Project Funding: $5,100,000
The Show-Me Center facilitates and supports standards-based middle grades mathematics curriculum dissemination and implementation. In partnership with four NSF-sponsored middle grades curriculum development teams (Satellite Centers) and their commercial publishers, the Show-Me Project serves as a focal point for establishing networks of leaders, teachers, schools, districts, and states investing in standards-based mathematics curriculum reform. To date, the Project has interacted with thousands of district and state agency personnel through electronic communication, the Show-Me Web site (http://www.showmecenter.missouri.edu), presentations and personnel communication. The staff (Center and Satellites) have made hundreds of presentations and published nearly 100 articles to stimulate discussion and raise awareness regarding standards-based middle school mathematics curricula. The presentations, articles and resource publications reach various audiences including classroom teachers, school leaders, mathematicians, teacher educators, and parents.
For information on the first Show-Me Project see the Critical Points story.
NSF Project: (Funding approved) The Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum (http://www.mathcurriculumcenter.org/)
Co-Principal Investigator: Ira J. Papick
Project Start Date: January, 2004
Project Duration: 5 Years (with possibility of renewal for 5 more years)
Project Funding: $10,000,000
The Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum (CSMC) will advance the research base and leadership capacity supporting K-12 mathematics curriculum design, analysis, implementation, evaluation, and research. Major areas of Center work include understanding the influence and potential of mathematics curriculum materials, enabling teacher learning through curriculum investigation and implementation, and building capacity for developing, implementing, and studying the impact of mathematics curriculum. Center activities are organized around four major goals: