The Lexington Collaborative for Revitalizing and Improving Middle Mathematics (LCRIMM) brings together Lexington Community College, the University of Kentucky, and Fayette County Public Schools to increase the quantity and quality of middle school mathematics teachers in the Lexington, Kentucky area. The project is addressing a primary barrier to improving middle school students' mathematics performance: teachers' limited knowledge of the mathematics needed to teach standards-based mathematics curricula. The collaborative group is addressing the knowledge base of middle school mathematics teachers by creating two courses needed in their mathematics preparation: a geometry course and a statistics course. The content of each is being aligned with state and national mathematics standards for preservice education, and with the International Technology Education Association (ITEA) standards for technological literacy. The courses are activity-based and make appropriate use of technology, collaborative activities, and real-world problems. Fayette County Public School teachers are involved in the development and team-teaching of the pilot courses.
