Math for America Los Angeles: Putting Research into Practice to Raise Teacher Quality and Retention and Student Performance

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This Master Teaching Fellowship (MTF) Phase II proposal, involves adding 18 Master Teachers to an ongoing project at Math for America Los Angeles (MfA LA), a collaborative program sponsored by the University of Southern California, Claremont Graduate University and Harvey Mudd College. The MTFs will work with a cohort of 12 early career teachers to create teams of teacher leaders within a middle or high school who can foster reform efforts that raise student achievement. MTFs will also team teach with early career teachers. This novel strategy will accelerate the transfer of expertise from experienced teachers to novice teachers, while allowing both groups to develop their leadership capacity. The project will be conducted in partnership with the Los Angeles, Claremont, Pomona, Hacienda/La Puente, Chaffey Joint, Union, Duarte, and Glendale unified school districts.A key idea of MfA LA's MTF program is that there is no better way for teachers to develop their leadership capacity than to directly engage in the work of designing and orchestrating student-centered changes in their schools and districts. Applicants will identify some critical need in their school and propose efforts to bring about improvements; student learning outcomes will be a central part of these proposed projects. Master Teachers from the same school site must apply to the program in pairs so that they will have a greater chance of bringing about real, sustained change. This project integrates the common features of teacher professional development that translate to the highest levels of student performance. These include (a) a coherent framework combining pedagogical content and assessment knowledge, (b) alignment with the teacher's school curriculum and learning goals for students, and state or district, and (c) the integration of learning with coaching, mentoring and participation in communities with colleagues among others. Data generated through assessment and evaluation should support the rationale that this strategy will enhance the preparation and commitment of the MTFs and their students. Formative and summative evaluation will focus on whether or not the project objectives have been met and the effectiveness of project activities. Assessment will include both qualitative and quantitative data collected through student surveys (the Minnesota Math Attitude Inventory), classroom observations, and teacher surveys. Dissemination of the project results will provide a model for using small teams of teachers to lead reform efforts within a school. The work will be presented at annual regional and national meetings of the Mathematics Science Research Institute.