MSP Institute: Mathematics Specialists in Middle Schools

牵头机构： 弗吉尼亚联邦大学核心合作伙伴：诺福克州立大学、弗吉尼亚大学和阿灵顿县、布埃纳维斯塔市、卡罗琳县、库尔佩珀县、费尔法克斯县、汉诺威县、亨里科县、诺福克市、朴茨茅斯市、里士满市、斯科特县和威斯特摩兰县的学校系统。NSF数学专家合作研究所正在支持50名优秀的中学教师成为数学专家。 每位教师参加为期66天的研究所提供了连续三个夏天;完成研究所会议期间和随后的学年共33个研究生学分;并参加各种研究所丰富的活动。教师将获得硕士学位和数学专家证书。 50名参与者中的每一个都将在他们的家乡学区担任专家，每年平均辅导15名其他教师，影响1200名中学生。 因此，共有750名教师（50 x 15）和60 000名学生（50 x 1200）将受到研究所伙伴关系的影响。 拟议的项目是基于一个开发和完善的计划，该计划已经准备和引导超过250名数学专家进入弗吉尼亚州的K-5学校的研究。 先前的研究在实验设计中使用了对照组，这一令人兴奋的结果表明，专家对教师知识、教师态度和信念以及最终对学生学习产生了积极影响，这些影响是在弗吉尼亚学习标准测试中测得的。 既定的准备计划将得到完善和调整，以满足6-8年级的课程需求，包括代数。这些适应和改进目前开发的程序的研究是必要的，以验证全州实施的数学专家在中学一级，并模拟他们的工作nationals.The研究问题的项目是1）我们可以准备数学专家服务年级6-8通过适应和改进培训和上岗培训计划，以及在K-5学校服务？2)这个研究所能在弗吉尼亚培养出知识分子领袖吗？ 3)这些专家能否影响6-8年级学生的学习，以提高学生在中学课程（包括代数）中的成功？数学专家已被推荐由全国数学教师理事会和著名的国家教育工作者作为一种可能的方式，以帮助缩小成就差距为美国学生。该项目的研究可能是变革性的，在验证一个国家模式，培训数学专家，他们在中学的作用。 以学校配对对照和个案研究为主要内容的混合设计研究，可以验证中学数学专家对学生学习的积极影响。 这项研究，在K-5年级成功的初步研究基础上的结果，需要支持全国数学专家的介绍。 该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。

Lead Institution: Virginia Commonwealth UniversityCore Partners: Norfolk State University, University of Virginia and School systems from Arlington County, Buena Vista City, Caroline County, Culpeper County, Fairfax County, Hanover County, Henrico County, Norfolk City, Portsmouth City, Richmond City, Scott County, and Westmoreland County.The NSF Mathematics Specialist Partnership Institute is supporting 50 outstanding middle school teachers to become mathematics specialists. Each teacher participates in a 66 day Institute offered over three consecutive summers; completes a total of 33 graduate credits during the Institute sessions and the subsequent academic years; and participates in various Institute enrichment activities. The teachers will earn a master's degree and certification as a Mathematics Specialist. Each of the 50 participants will serve as a Specialist within their home school district, annually coaching an average of 15 other teachers and impacting 1200 middle school students. Therefore, a total of 750 teachers (50 x 15) and 60,000 students (50 x 1200) will be impacted by the Institute Partnership. The proposed project is based on the research of a developed and refined program which has prepared and inducted over 250 Mathematics Specialists into K-5 schools in Virginia. The exciting results from the prior research, which used control groups in the experimental design, indicate the positive impact of Specialists on teacher knowledge, teachers' attitudes and beliefs and ultimately student learning as measured on the high stakes Virginia Standards of Learning tests. The established preparation program will be refined and adapted to meet the curricula needs in grades 6-8, including algebra. The research of these adaptations and refinements of currently developed programs is necessary to validate statewide implementation of Mathematics Specialists at the middle school level and to model their work nationally.The research questions for the project are 1) Can we prepare Mathematics Specialists for service in grades 6-8 by adapting and refining training and induction programs which have served well in K-5 schools? 2) Will this Institute produce intellectual leaders in Virginia? 3) Can these Specialists impact student learning in grades 6-8 to enhance student success in the middle school curriculum, including algebra?Mathematics Specialists have been recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and prominent national educators as a possible way to help close the achievement gap for U.S. students. The project research could be transformative in validating a national model for training Mathematics Specialists for their role in middle schools. The mixed design research featuring controlled matched pairs of schools and case studies could validate the positive effects of student learning of Mathematics Specialists in middle schools. This study, following successful initial research based results in grades K-5 is needed to support the introduction of Mathematics Specialists nationally. This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).