Abstract: 0412502
The Math in the Middle Institute Partnership (
M2 ) comprising the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln Public Schools
(LPS) and Educational Service Unit (Educational Service Units (ESU) #6,
#7 & #13 and 15 Rural School Districts), creates and sustains a partnership
with the capacity to educate and support teams of outstanding middle level
(Grades 5-8) mathematics teachers (122 total) who will become intellectual
leaders in their schools, districts, and ESUs. Investing in high-quality
teachers, the long-term goal is improving K-12 student achievement in
mathematics and significantly reducing achievement gaps in the mathematical
performance of diverse student populations. The work of the M2 Institute
informs and provides evidence-based contributions to research on learning,
teaching, and teacher professional development. Commitment to rural teachers,
schools, and districts is a focus feature of M2.
Math in the Middle
Institute Partnership ( M 2 )consists of three major components:
i. The
M2 Institute, a multi-year institute offers participants a coherent program
of study to deepen their mathematical knowledge for teaching and to develop
their leadership skills;
ii. Mathematics learning teams develop collegiality.
Teams led by M2 teachers, supported by school administrators and university
faculty, help teachers align their teaching with state standards, and
assist teachers in examining their instructional and assessment practices;
and
iii. A research initiative transforms the M2 Institute and the M2
mathematics learning teams into laboratories for educational improvement
and innovation.
The M2 Institute: (1) enriches teachers' mathematics
knowledge; (2) assists them in transferring mathematics knowledge into
their classrooms; and (3) creates communities of professionals (K-12 and
college) who work together as leaders to strengthen middle level mathematics
courses and curricula in the middle level classroom. Strengthened by
the knowledge and leadership skills gained in the M2 Institute, M 2 teachers
lead district and ESU efforts to improve mathematics teaching and learning,
creating mathematics learning teams in which they mentor and coach their
peers developing ways to enhance student achievement. The research agenda
generates new evidence-based knowledge about mathematics teacher professional
development.
Intellectual Merit. The M 2 Institute becomes a model
for a content-focused professional development Institute producing intellectual
leaders with a deep understanding of the mathematics taught in the middle
grades and the ability to lead school and district efforts greatly increasing
student achievement in mathematics. Learning teams combine the expertise
of teachers and university faculty ensuring that the benefits of the M
2 Institute reach far beyond the original 122 middle school participants.
Broader Impacts. The extensive engagement in teacher education by
faculty and graduate students in a departmental culture supportive of
educational activities sparks further change in the university culture
and develops a generation of mathematicians with a strong commitment to
outstanding teaching, teacher education, and K-12 outreach. Successful
models for higher education faculty working across colleges improving
teacher professional development and pre-service education are developed.
Supporting education in rural schools contributes to a segment of our
education community that has been neglected for too long.
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