A Community-focused Pathway for Mathematics Teacher Preparation

Southern Methodist University, Dallas TX

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national need of preparing high-quality mathematics teachers from diverse backgrounds. It intends to do so by building a Dallas-area mathematics teacher pipeline with a novel, community-focused approach to teacher recruitment, preparation, and induction. The project will recruit cohorts of five to ten students, mostly transfer students from local community colleges. At the University, these Noyce Scholars will receive scholarships as they complete a double major in mathematics and education. They will also have coursework and teaching experiences in West Dallas schools, a community with particularly high need. Following graduation and certification, the Noyce Scholars will also teach in West Dallas schools, where they will receive continued mentoring and other supports to help them succeed as teachers. If this community-focused model of teacher education proves feasible and effective, it will increase understanding about how mathematics teacher vacancies might be filled, while simultaneously building teacher support capacity in high-need schools. This project at Southern Methodist University includes partnerships with Dallas Independent School District and the Dallas County Community College District. Project goals include: (a) recruiting 27 new Mathematics teachers from Dallas County Community College over five years; (b) preparing these students for careers as mathematics teachers via double majors in Mathematics and Education; (c) placing graduates in a high-need school within Dallas Independent School District; and (d) building a network of former participants who were served by this project. To build a regional mathematics teacher pipeline with a community-focused approach, recruitment will focus on Dallas County Community College studentsm which is expected to enhance the retention of students as teachers in the local community. Preparation of the students at Southern Methodist University will include integration of the teaching context and pre-service teacher training in West Dallas schools. Finally, induction will be focused on West Dallas, where the University has existing partnerships with schools. This focus on a single community is intended to strengthen the partnering school district, as well as enhance the Noyce Scholars' teaching knowledge and skills. The research focus of the project includes identifying best practices for collaborations among universities, community colleges, and public-school districts to address the shortage and attrition of well-prepared mathematics teachers in high-need schools. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.