Preparing Preservice Mathematics Teachers for Success in High-Need Schools

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With funding from the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, a team at Kansas State University (K-State), partnering with the Kansas Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation project, the Professional Development School Partnership, and the Center for Rural Education and Small Schools, will recruit and prepare mathematics majors for careers in teaching middle and high school mathematics. The project will (1) disburse scholarships for juniors, seniors, and post-baccalaureate mathematics majors to pursue careers in teaching; (2) provide opportunities for freshmen and sophomores to work in informal mathematics education settings both on and off campus; (3) implement a pre-service seminar and in-service mentoring program to support the Noyce Scholars in their first two years of teaching in high-need districts, with special emphasis on rural schools; and (4) conduct research into support structures appropriate to rural school mathematics placements. A focus on districts in southwest Kansas will also enable the project to build a larger base of Hispanic mathematics majors who are licensed to teach at the middle and high school level.Project activities will include a year-long seminar focused on working with English-language learners in teaching mathematics, managing multiple mathematics teaching assignments, and integrating mathematics with other content areas. New teacher support will be provided through master teachers in each district assigned to mentor new teachers as well as an early teacher collaborative managed by the K-State College of Education Office of Innovation and Collaboration. Quantitative and qualitative methods will address questions such as: To what extent are the project's activities effective in increasing the number and diversity of mathematics majors with teacher licensure in middle and high school teaching? Which program components are most influential on scholars' career path choices and why? Findings will advance knowledge about preparing mathematics majors to teach in high-need rural school districts.