The University of California, San Diego, and the San Diego chapter of Math for America (MfA) , in partnership with California State University San Marcos and San Diego State University and four school districts (Escondido Union High School District, Grossmont Union High School District, Oceanside Unified School District, and San Diego Unified School District) are helping to transform mathematics teaching in the San Diego community through a model program designed to significantly increase the numbers and skill levels of mathematics teachers in the region. The fundamental objective of the effort is to improve student learning of mathematics by providing 24 selected teachers with extensive professional support in their credential year and throughout their first four years of teaching in high-need schools. The MfA SD Noyce Fellowship Program encompasses a comprehensive plan of financial, educational and professional support provided to carefully selected Teaching Fellows. The project provides for strong professional development services, including annual summer institutes, throughout the term of the fellowships; mentoring of the new teachers by experienced, exemplary teachers in their schools; an incentive system designed to attract and reward high quality individuals by making teaching positions competitive with nearby, high-tech industries; and a robust evaluation plan to measure progress and programmatic success. The project is benefiting from the national network of Math for America which offers a common, electronic fellowship application process, collaboration in the development of evaluative mechanisms, and enhanced fund-raising. MfA SD is a cohesively designed program of inter-related and integrated academic, professional, and social support systems. There is a commonality in their purpose and an intellectual infrastructure that unites its professors, fellows, teachers, and administrators in a structure for mathematics education that is guided by two fundamental questions: "What is the mathematics that should be taught in school?" and "How should it be taught?" The evaluation component is designed to impact not only understanding of the project's findings, but also illuminate programmatic elements that contribute to teacher retention, influence teacher learning, and reveal data about teacher experiences so they can be shared with education researchers nation-wide.
