- Year 2017
- NSF Noyce Award # 1556006
- First Name Anne
- Last Name Papakonstantinou
- Discipline Math
- Co-PI(s)
Richard Tapia; Rice University; rat@rice.edu
Judy Radigan; Rice University; jaradigan@gmail.com
Richard Parr; Rice University; rparr@rice.edu - Presenters
Anne Papakonstantinou; Rice University; apapa@rice.edu
Richard Parr; Rice University; rparr@rice.edu
Need
The Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program, through its core partners, is establishing an innovative program in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) that is identifying, developing, and supporting 16 mathematics leaders (MTFs) whose selection reflects the ethnic diversity of the teaching force of the district. HISD is the 7th largest school district in the country and the largest in Texas with approximately 215,000 students (62.1% Hispanic, 24.9% African American, 8.2% White, 3.6% Asian, and 75.5% economically disadvantaged). Not having a sufficient number of well-prepared mathematics leaders with sound content knowledge and effective pedagogical, leadership and adult education, and mathematics advocacy skills is a critical issue facing the greater-Houston area and in particular HISD. With the addition of 16 MTFs, HISD will significantly strengthen its capacity to prepare its students for the nation’s diverse STEM workforce by kindling in teachers and students a greater appreciation for mathematics, increasing teacher and student understanding of mathematics, and reducing the student achievement gap in mathematics.
Moreover, in addition to directly impacting their own students and teachers at their schools, MTFs will positively impact pre-service teachers and intern teachers with whom they will interact. These future teachers will, in turn, positively impact their own students. As a result, the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program will have a broad impact on mathematics instruction and learning and, subsequently, on the future growth of the Houston economy. Rice University’s strong track record of collaborating with partner school districts to create innovative programs that the school districts sustain and institutionalize will ensure the broader and sustained impact of the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program.
Goals
The overarching goal of the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program is to develop exceptional secondary mathematics teachers into leaders who are deeply grounded in sound mathematical content and research-based pedagogical, leadership, adult education, and mathematics advocacy skills.
The program objectives are to develop MTFs who have
1. a strong knowledge base in both university-level and secondary mathematics and a solid understanding of the connection between the two;
2. a deep understanding of and skills to implement effective precollege mathematics curriculum, instruction, and assessment;
3. exceptional leadership, mentoring, and adult education skills;
4. a robust understanding of equity and diversity issues in STEM, in particular mathematics; and
5. a repertoire of research-based methods for motivating and supporting all students to persist and achieve in mathematics with a special focus on motivating URMs.
To meet the overarching goal and specific objectives of the program, MTFs are participating in customized professional learning experiences that include university graduate-level coursework, AVID Path trainings and personalized leadership experiences.
Leadership activities include:
1. demonstrate teaching for other mathematics teachers including new AVID teachers;
2. plan and co-teach with mathematics teachers at their schools;
3. lead study groups or seminars with teachers about mathematics concepts or instructional strategies as well as seminars for new AVID teachers on how to incorporate AVID teaching strategies in the classroom;
4. work with students, teachers, mathematics department chairs, school administrators, and guidance counselors to: enhance students? self-efficacy for and interest in mathematics, increase students? likelihood of taking advanced mathematics courses, and promote higher mathematics achievement for all students;
5. observe classes of mathematics teachers to offer feedback and suggestions on improving instruction;
6. provide school administrators with support in understanding what effective instruction should look like in today?s mathematics classrooms;
7. serve as their campus or district mathematics advocates;
8. support and collaborate with the other MTFs;
9. participate in planning school or district mathematics initiatives as well as develop curriculum and writing assessment items;
10. define and develop interventions for students; and
11. interact with parents and their school communities.
In addition to planning and co-teaching with campus colleagues, MTFs will be expected to help plan and co-teach summer professional development courses. Building upon the knowledge gained through their coursework during the first two years of the grant and their experiences from working with teachers at their schools, MTFs will design and facilitate professional development courses and workshops that will be made available to mathematics teachers throughout HISD. These courses will focus on specific mathematics concepts and pedagogical strategies based on the current needs of teachers in the district.
MTFs will be expected to mentor pre-service and intern mathematics teachers in the Rice University Teacher Education Program; assist in the mathematics methods classes; be observed by pre-service and intern teachers; and demonstrate exemplary lessons at the annual Life in Schools conference, a forum for the Rice University community to explore important topics in American education. MTFs will be available for both virtual and face-to-face meetings with pre-service and intern mathematics teachers.
Approach
To meet the overarching goal and specific objectives of the program, MTFs are participating in customized professional learning experiences that include university graduate-level coursework, AVID Path trainings and personalized leadership experiences.
Accumulating evidence suggests that K-12 school-based leadership provided by effective teacher leaders can be one of the most successful forms of support to develop and sustain highly qualified teachers in the profession and to positively affect student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 1998; Elmore, 2002; Mimbs, 2002; Murray-Ward, Huetinck, & Munshin, 1998). Teacher leadership may be broadly defined as the active involvement of teachers in the improvement of school culture and instruction and ultimately student learning through their participation in school-wide decision-making, and promotion of their teaching and learning expertise (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). More specifically, consistent with York-Barr and Duke?s (2004) conceptual framework of teacher leadership, the overarching dimensions of teacher leadership practices that have been identified are: coordination/management, district/school curriculum selection and development, professional development of teacher peers, participation in school improvement efforts, parent and community involvement, professional contributions, and building partnerships with pre-service teacher education programs. MTFs are developing skills within each of these facets of teacher leadership practices through the major strategic components of the program that have been deemed effective in previous research (e.g., Corkin, Ekmekci, & Papakonstantinou, in press; Watt, Huerta, & Mills, 2009). For example, for teachers to provide professional development to teacher peers, they must first have excellent professional teaching skills (Katzenmeyer & Moller, 2001 as cited in York-Barr & Duke, 2004). Therefore, a primary focus of the program is to develop teachers? reform-based mathematics teaching strategies that emphasize problem-solving and motivational strategies, classroom assessment, differentiated instruction, and questioning strategies (NCTM, 2000), and mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT; Hill, Ball, & Schilling, 2008) through sustained professional development that encompasses high-quality instructional methods deemed effective in past research (e.g., Desimone, 2009; Learning Forward, 2011). Specifically, the program provides an active learning environment that emphasizes learning mathematics content, understanding students? thinking and learning processes, and connecting professional development learning experiences to daily teaching tasks (Boston & Smith, 2009; Desimone, 2009; Loucks-Horsley, Stiles, Mundry, Love, & Hewson, 2010). Supporting the effectiveness of these methods, previous findings related to prior Rice University School Mathematics Project (RUSMP) teacher leadership programs have indicated that participating teachers enhanced the quality of the mathematical discourse in their classrooms, the clarity of their mathematics instruction, and their MKT (Papakonstantinou, Ekmekci, & Parr, 2014). Moreover, these instructional improvements were sustained over time (Copur-Gencturk & Papakonstantinou, 2015).
For MTFs to provide professional development for colleagues, they also need to develop adult education skills. Current research in mathematics leadership, including the study of adult learning, are being used to assist MTFs in their ability to share the mathematics they have learned with other teachers at their respective schools. The study of adult learning is grounded in the theory of andragogy. MTFs are exploring the six principles of andragogy, specifically the adult learner?s (1) need to know, (2) self-concept, (3) the prior experiences, (4) readiness to learn, (5) orientation to learning, and (6) motivation to learn (Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 2014). Using these principles as a guide, MTFs are working collaboratively to gain experience in developing meaningful professional learning experiences for the teachers at their schools and across the district.
In addition to the development of instructional expertise, a primary means in which teacher leaders can improve the quality of the school culture is through collaboration. Structures within schools that allow for collaboration, so that individuals who have developed increased content knowledge have the opportunity to increase the expertise of not only other teachers but also building administrators, are necessary to insure that reform is not merely cosmetic. These structures should be based upon a thorough understanding of cognitive and affective skills needed for effective teaching and must allow for sufficient time for collaboration (Elmore, 2002). A collaborative approach is especially crucial in aiding novice teachers who typically start their careers in high-poverty schools and who are rarely afforded meaningful opportunities to develop a collegial exchange with other educators that allow for reflection and refinement of their teaching practice (Darling-Hammond, 1998). Collaborative approaches that facilitate active engagement and that are linked to teachers? classroom practices and prior learning experiences are necessary for effective long-term professional development (NRC, 1999, Wilson & Berne, 1999). Thus, as the program progresses, it will change school culture to promote on-going improvement in mathematics teaching by providing leadership training emphasizing collaboration coupled with content knowledge instruction so that MTFs assume the role of ?lead collaborator? in their school. Partnering with AVID and using their programmatic model as a guide should also improve the leadership skills of MTFs as previous research suggests that participation in AVID?s professional development programs increases teachers? leadership activities within their schools (Watt et al., 2009).
Another aspect of instructional leadership that will be emphasized through the program is the promotion of culturally-relevant instructional strategies. Providing culturally-relevant instruction will allow MTFs to promote an equitable learning environment both inside and outside the classroom. It is critical to engage underrepresented populations in equitable ways that recognize the diversity of experience across and within different subpopulations (Wright, 2011). Guti?rrez (2008) suggests that equity must be given the same attention as curriculum, instruction, and assessment. To promote an equitable learning environment, teachers need strong professional learning opportunities that incorporate analysis, critique, and discussion of equity research. Gaining knowledge about creating equitable learning environments will assist teachers in developing lessons that engage all students in rigorous, yet accessible, science, math, and technology (National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, 2008; NRC, 2009). Equity in STEM teaching denotes high expectations, strong support, and access for all students to a challenging mathematics curriculum taught by capable teachers who receive adequate support and professional development (Irvine et al., 2001; NCTM, 2000, 2014; National Science Board, 2010). Equitable classroom environments encompass culturally mediated, engaging learning tasks that value and nurture the individual as a person (Aikenhead, 1996; Delpit, 2006; Haberman, 1991; Howard, 2010). Rather than demonstrate bias or ignore race, gender, socio-economic status, and ethnicity as active factors in society, teachers who practice equity strategies recognize the pervasiveness of culture in the learning environment and optimistically engage diverse cultures, perspectives, and skills that all students bring to the classroom (Lee, 2011). The Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program will develop teachers? culturally-relevant instructional practices through the following activities: planning lessons that explicitly incorporate opportunities to address culture, diversity, and language; incorporating cultural situations as contexts for problem-solving; facilitating classroom discourse and instructional resources that are respectful and free of bias; and demonstrating expectations that all students can be successful in learning mathematics (Ladson-Billings, 1994; Robins, Lindsey, Lindsey & Terrell, 2011).
As part of providing and promoting an equitable learning environment, MTFs are learning instructional methods that enhance students? self-efficacy for and interest in mathematics. One method associated with students? motivation and achievement in mathematics-related domains is to enhance the relevancy of mathematics by connecting subject-matter content with real-world problem solving in everyday life (e.g., solving societal social problems; Vekiri, 2013). Researchers have also called for pedagogy that provides students with opportunities to engage in project-based tasks that emphasize the real-world relevancy of learning mathematics (Schunk, Pintrich, & Meece, 2008), as findings indicate that engaging in project-based tasks (e.g., research projects) promotes persistence in STEM fields among females and URMs (Hurtado, Cabrera, Lin, Arellano, & Espinosa, 2009). Another method that increases mathematics self-efficacy and achievement among females and URMs is by providing motivational feedback that conveys the belief that academic ability can be improved through one?s efforts (Dweck, 2006; see Halpern et al., 2007). Therefore, the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program coursework is including discussions about these aforementioned research-based strategies to enhance student motivation for mathematics. Moreover, MTFs are participating in lectures, seminars, and university student panels organized and facilitated by Co-PI Tapia, that focus on how to motivate and support more students, particularly URMs and women, to persist in STEM academic and career domains.
The core partners of the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program are:
The Rice University School Mathematics Project: RUSMP was established in 1987 in order to provide a bridge between the Rice University mathematics research community and Houston-area mathematics teachers. RUSMP has received funding from NSF, the U.S. Department of Education Eisenhower and Teacher Quality Programs, and from corporations, foundations and school districts and is the acknowledged PreK-12 mathematics center in the region. PI Anne Papakonstantinou serves as RUSMP?s director and Co-PI Richard Parr is RUSMP?s Executive Director.
The Tapia Center for Excellence and Equity: The Tapia Center for Excellence and Equity was founded in 1998 by Co-PI Richard Tapia to promote greater participation for underrepresented groups in the sciences and engineering and to support academic excellence for all. The Center was formed to provide institutional infrastructure for Rice?s numerous successful outreach programs and initiatives.
The Glasscock School of Continuing Studies: The Glasscock School houses the Teacher Education Program that provides professional education courses with extensive study of critical issues in education and effective pedagogy for diverse learners. The Rice Teacher Education program has a 50-year history of working with Houston-area schools. Co-PI Judy Radigan serves as Director.
Advancement Via Individual Determination: AVID is a global nonprofit organization that operates with one guiding principle: holding students accountable to the highest standards and providing academic and social support. AVID has sites in HISD and will deepen and expand its impact on HISD through the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program. After MTFs complete the four AVID strands, they will be prepared to lead this expansion. Angie Potts, AVID instructional coach, is providing the AVID trainings for the MTFs.
Houston Independent School District: HISD has a long successful history of working with RUSMP and Rice?s Teacher Education Program and is deepening and strengthening its relationship with AVID. The Tapia Center has provided support to the district through Rice outreach programs (including RUSMP). Alyssa Howell, HISD?s secondary mathematics director, is spearheading development of the leadership capacity of the MTFs at the district level.
Outcomes
The key outcome of the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program is the development of 16 school-based leaders in mathematics deeply grounded in sound mathematical content and research-based pedagogical, leadership, adult education, and mathematics advocacy skills. MTFs’ five-year commitment to the improvement of mathematics instruction at their schools will result in increased teacher effectiveness, student understanding of mathematics, and student motivation to persist in mathematics. Moreover, MTFs will further impact mathematics instruction though their work with other HISD mathematics teachers and preservice teachers at Rice University.
What is learned from implementing the program will contribute to the body of knowledge on how to improve mathematics education in ethnically diverse school districts and will serve as an effective model for developing teacher leaders.
Broader Impacts
The Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program, through its core partners, is establishing an innovative program in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) that is identifying, developing, and supporting 16 mathematics leaders (MTFs) whose selection reflects the ethnic diversity of the teaching force of the district. HISD is the 7th largest school district in the country and the largest in Texas with approximately 215,000 students (62.1% Hispanic, 24.9% African American, 8.2% White, 3.6% Asian, and 75.5% economically disadvantaged). Not having a sufficient number of well-prepared mathematics leaders with sound content knowledge and effective pedagogical, leadership and adult education, and mathematics advocacy skills is a critical issue facing the greater-Houston area and in particular HISD. With the addition of 16 MTFs, HISD will significantly strengthen its capacity to prepare its students for the nation?s diverse STEM workforce by kindling in teachers and students a greater appreciation for mathematics, increasing teacher and student understanding of mathematics, and reducing the student achievement gap in mathematics.
Moreover, in addition to directly impacting their own students and teachers at their schools, MTFs will positively impact pre-service teachers and intern teachers with whom they will interact. These future teachers will, in turn, positively impact their own students. As a result, the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program will have a broad impact on mathematics instruction and learning and, subsequently, on the future growth of the Houston economy. Rice University’s strong track record of collaborating with partner school districts to create innovative programs that the school districts sustain and institutionalize will ensure the broader and sustained impact of the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program.
The leadership team will disseminate project findings at state and national conferences and submit papers of research findings to journals and other publications. Together with the leadership team, MTFs will plan a ‘Lessons Learned Conference,’ a conference to share the experiences and impact of the project with other school districts and university partners interested in replicating the work of the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program.
RUSMP’s ever-growing network currently includes over 10,000 teachers from over 66 school districts and private and charter schools who have participated in its programs as well as dozens of private foundations, industry partners, and government agencies that have supported RUSMP?s work – all groups with vital interest in the goal of the Rice University Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship Program. RUSMP?s website, electronic mailing list, blog, Facebook group, and Twitter feeds are communicating information about the program.
