The Research Foundation of State University of New York seeks funds to conduct a study among preservice and inservice teachers which will inform the mathematics education community involved in teacher preparation and will also have implications for inservice education. In particular, the proposers will identify teaching behaviors and relate them to teachers' mathematical understanding, beliefs and attitudes, class management styles, and to school-level socio-economic status. They will try to determine the relationship between conceptual mathematics understanding and teaching consistent with the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards. The principals investigators will use a Teaching Policy Instrument in their research. This instrument appears to be appropriate to assess teacher behavior. It is grounded in current research and reform documents including the NCTM Curriculum and Evaluation Standards. The instrument was developed and validated by mathematics education experts; it was also piloted prior to the proposed study. The proposers are not requesting any funds for themselves or for their institution. Instead, a very modest amount is requested for the teachers participating in the study. Other funds will be provided by the university and by the Mark Diamond Research Fund at the University of New York at Buffalo. Cost share is over 10%, given that no indirect costs are requested and additional funding will come from the Mark Diamond Research Fund at SUNY at Buffalo.
