Building on two existing programs, the Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS) for Teachers and the Focus on Mathematics (FoM) Partnership, involving school leaders in mathematics and incorporating strong support from the Massachusetts Department of Education, this phase 1 project prepares outstanding mathematics graduates for teaching careers in challenging urban school districts. Boston University's Noyce Scholars Program In Mathematics is a collaboration of the School of Education, the College of Arts and Sciences, five high-need school districts and one high school (Arlington; Chelsea; Lawrence; Waltham; Watertown; and English High School in Boston).
A total of 39 college graduates with a major in mathematics (13 per year for 3 years) receive full scholarships to enroll in a one-year graduate program that leads to the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree and initial teacher licensure as either a middle or high school mathematics teacher. The program provides scholars with immersion mathematical experiences that are later linked to classroom practice through thoughtful reflection. Clinical experiences with master teachers trained by the FoM partnership are included along with coursework and workshops designed to support teaching focused on student reasoning. Follow-up opportunities offered to graduates of the program include workshops and seminars that connect participants to a robust mathematical community of teachers, mathematics educators, and mathematicians.
Evaluation to determine the effectiveness of this recruitment, retention, and follow-up teacher preparation model program includes a time series design with multiple data collection points, pre and post intervention. Teacher effectiveness is being examined through performance evaluation measures including students' performance scores on state tests. All aspects of this evaluation involve the collaboration of the partner schools.
The intellectual merit of this project includes: a research-based design that builds on prior work; the program's integration of knowledge about university mathematics experiences that support teaching with an understanding of the needs of mathematics teacher in challenging urban school districts; a coherent program of professional training for teachers centered on mathematics and how students learn mathematics; core involvement of mathematicians; and the collection of information concerning the effects of lasting school-based mathematical communities on recruitment and retention of strong mathematics teachers in urban school districts.
The broader impacts of this project include the following elements: a model that recruits strong mathematics students into teaching and retains them through ongoing development of mathematically active careers in teaching; an exemplar for experience-rich and inquiry-based teacher preparation programs; collection of information about the effect of a mathematics-focused community involving educators, mathematicians, and teachers on student achievement in mathematics; and the commitment of the program to supply students from linguistically and racially diverse low-income communities (Boston, Chelsea and Lawrence) and communities where there has been significant teacher attrition to continued access to qualified mathematics teachers.
Boston University’s Noyce Scholars Program in Mathematics (2007-2014) was a collaborative project of the School of Education with the College of Arts and Sciences to increase the number of highly-trained secondary mathematics teachers who would then teach in some of the neediest schools. It was designed to respond to the critical demand for middle and high school mathematics teachers in high-need school districts in the state of Massachusetts. In exchange for financial support during their graduate training program, Noyce Scholars committed to teaching for two years in a high-need district or school. The major goals of the project were: 1) to recruit outstanding students who majored in mathematics or STEM fields as undergraduates to become secondary mathematics teachers, 2) to provide these students with a one-year program that led to a Master’s of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree and initial licensure, 3) to mentor and support the Noyce Scholars with on-going programs focused on retention and professional development during their first two years of teaching. During the course of the grant, Boston University partnered with 11 different school districts to train Noyce Scholars as mathematics teachers. Noyce Scholars were mentored and supported at BU with on-going yearly programs during the first two years of their teaching careers. The goal of these programs was on the retention of these Scholars as mathematics teachers and on establishing a larger mathematical community focused on teaching, learning, and social justice. This was accomplished by offering seminars and workshops on a range of topics such as assessment, the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics, lesson planning, problem solving, and using discourse in the classroom. It was also accomplished by providing individual mentoring to the Scholars. In addition, professional development activities such as summer institutes were held. Outcomes • This program successfully recruited 37 outstanding students in six Cohorts (I-VI) to become teachers; all had majored as undergraduates in STEM fields. Their mean GRE Quantitative score was 734 and their mean GRE Verbal score was 528. These students had a mean undergraduate GPA of 3.55 (out of 4). • This program provided scholarships to the 37 Noyce Scholars and enrolled them in a one-year program that led to a Master’s of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree at Boston University. BU’s MAT program in mathematics has three distinct components: 1) courses focused on pedagogical content knowledge; 2) courses and experiences designed to support teachers working in high need districts and schools; and 3) practicum experiences that support the development of student-centered teaching. BU’s MAT program also includes opportunities to dig deeply into advanced mathematics through a summer immersion experience. • Thirty-four of the 37 Scholars completed the MAT degree program and earned a license to teach secondary mathematics. Their mean GPA in the graduate program was 3.77. Three scholars did not complete the program. • All of the Scholars in Cohorts I-IV satisfied the scholarship requirements. Ninety-three percent (93%) of these Scholars are currently mathematics teachers, and the vast majority of them (88%) continue to work in high need districts. Each of these teachers has taught approximately 100 students per year; over 8,500 students in high-need districts have been positively affected. This record of placement and retention is impressive since nationally a relatively high proportion of teachers in high-need schools leave within the first four years (Baker-Doyle, 2010). • There are four Scholars in Cohorts V-VI. They are currently teaching or looking for a teaching position. They have not yet satisfied the scholarship requirements. Each of these teachers has taught approximately 100 students per year; over 500 students in high-need districts have been positively affected. • Following the induction years, Noyce Scholars are taking on leadership roles in their schools. Scholars work on committees, develop curriculum materials and over 20% are currently mathematics department chairs in their schools.
