The UMBC Teaching Enhancement Partnership Project (TEPP) will organize and lead a university-middle school partnership with 5 local, high-needs middle schools in order to support and enhance mathematics and science instruction of underrepresented middle school youth in the greater Baltimore area. Twenty-five graduate and advanced undergraduate student Fellows with majors in information systems, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and natural sciences will be recruited and selected from UMBC. One graduate student and five undergraduate students will be placed in each of the five middle schools to support teachers in the classroom and in co-curricular activities. Participating teachers will provide leadership to Fellows in instruction and classroom management, exposing them to the rewards of teaching in the K-12 public school system. Teachers will also participate in a continuous and sustained professional development efforts designed to enhance their understanding of mathematics and science concepts, and to introduce them to IT and inquiry-based instruction through UMBC sponsored seminars and courses. An emphasis will be placed on information technology (IT) as a tool for the enhancement of teaching and learning in science and mathematics.
