The IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI), with a 12-year history of preparing high-school teacher leaders to improve their own practice and implement professional development for their peers pilots a transfer mechanism of its own professional development to three diverse school districts across the nation Cincinnati, OH; McAllen, TX; and Seattle, WA. PCMI traditionally deals with high school teachers. This proposal broadens participation by including middle school teachers. Three school districts representing diverse student populations form partnerships with local institutes of higher education. Districts identify 4-6 secondary and middle schools for initial participation and all teachers of mathematics in the designated schools become involved over the course of three years. The three-year plan includes building a cadre of teacher leaders by their participation in at least two PCMI summer sessions. PCMI partners with a university mathematics department in each district to provide local resources to the mathematics teachers supporting implementation of the professional development model. District mathematics supervisors coordinate with teacher leaders to design and implement local professional development programs that meet the needs of peer mathematics teachers in selected schools. Districts design a professional development model that directly addresses the needs of its own teachers and students based upon state standards and local education environments.
Evaluation determines the effectiveness of partnerships, teacher-leader formation, transfer model, and district leadership teams.
