- Year 2018
- NSF Noyce Award # 1660719
- First Name Erin
- Last Name Krupa
- Discipline Math
- Co-PI(s)
Steven Greestein, Montclair State University, greensteins@montclair.edu
- Presenters
Erin Krupa, Montclair State University, krupae@montclair.edu
Steven Greestein, Montclair State University, greensteins@montclair.edu
Fiorella Vecco, Montclair State University, veccof1@montclair.edu
Elizabeth Visbeen, Montclair State University, visbeene1@montclair.edu
Need
This Noyce Scholarship proposal aims to address two significant problems in mathematics education. First, research indicates that elementary teachers do not possess the requisite knowledge of mathematics for teaching. Consequently, students at the elementary level tend to learn mathematics via pedagogies that develop only procedural forms of knowledge that are of limited use to them outside of school and in unfamiliar situations (Ball, et al., 2001). The second problem is one of a variety of equity issues that have been made a priority focus of national organizations that support mathematics teacher education (Guti?rrez et al., 2008). In particular, we aim to address the consistent and considerable ?opportunity to learn? gap (Flores, 2007) between students of color and of lower socio-economic class and their white counterparts who are more likely to have teachers who emphasize high-quality mathematics instruction.
Goals
Program Goals. The program goals are as follows:
1. To Recruit High-Quality Preservice Elementary Teachers for Effective Mathematics Teaching.
2. To Prepare High-Quality Preservice Elementary Teachers for a Career of Effective Mathematics Teaching in a High-Need School.
3. To Promote the Retention of High-Quality Elementary Math Teachers in High-Need Schools.
Approach
This Track 1 Scholarship and Stipend project is a collaboration between Montclair State University and the County College of Morris, in partnership with Newark Public Schools. The goal of the Noyce @ Montclair: Preparing the Effective Elementary Mathematics Teacher (PE2MT) Scholarship Program is to provide exemplary preparation to 30 pre-service teachers for effective elementary mathematics teaching in classrooms in New Jersey?s high-need K-12 schools. Through their participation in an innovative degree program featuring experiences beyond coursework that were developed as part of our Noyce Capacity Building Grant, these students will obtain an undergraduate degree in mathematics along with a K-6 elementary teaching certificate.
Outcomes
This grant is in its first year. We currently have 4 Scholars and they are the first students at the university to enroll in this innovative degree program.
Broader Impacts
The broader impacts of this project stem from its stated purpose, which is to recruit, prepare, and retain high-quality elementary mathematics teachers with particular capacities, not only for the engagement and cultivation of students? STEM interests and aptitudes, but also for additional school- and district-based leadership opportunities such as professional mentoring, conducting professional development, presenting at conferences, developing curriculum, and influencing policy. Accordingly, this project broadens participation to under-represented groups in mathematics by recruiting new elementary mathematics teachers to the profession, providing them with extraordinary preparation experiences, and placing them in the schools where they are needed most.
