Charting a Course for the Future: A Wisconsin Perspective

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Charting a Course for the Future A Wisconsin
Perspective

• Kevin McLeod
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Department of Mathematical Sciences
• MSP STEM Summit
• Washington, D.C.
• December 12, 2007

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Presentation outline

• Background on Milwaukee and the Milwaukee
  Mathematics Partnership
• Wisconsin licensure and UW-M teacher preparation
  programs
• UW-M Mathematics Focus courses
• Questions and Challenges

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Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Milwaukee Mathematics Partnership (MMP)

• Core partners

• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)
• Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC)
• Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)

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UW-Milwaukee

• One of two public doctoral research universities
  in Wisconsin
• Over 28000 students
• 13 of new freshmen are MPS graduates
• Degrees/certifies 65 of MPS teachers

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Milwaukee Area Technical College

• Largest Midwest 2-year technical college
• 57,000 students at 4 campuses (13,400 FTEs)
• 21 of new freshmen are MPS graduates

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Milwaukee Public Schools

• 93,000 students in 218 schools
• Largest school district in Wisconsin
• 27th largest district in the nation
• Nearly 6200 teachers
• 87 minority student population 58 African
  American, 20 Hispanic, 13 White, 5 Asian, 1
  Native American
• 75 receive free or reduced lunch
• Student achievement is well below state averages
  gaps persist for all subgroups
• (Source 2005-2006 MPS Report Card)

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UWM/MATC Mathematics Faculty Involvement with MMP
Activities

• Mathematics course design teams
• Monthly Teacher Leader meetings
• Writing and validating learning targets for
  grades K-8
• Validating Classroom Assessments Based on
  Standards for grades 2-8
• College placement test preparation materials
• Accelerated/intensive sections of remedial
  college math courses
• Summer bridge program

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Wisconsin Teacher Licenses

• Early Childhood (ECE, Birth-age 8)
• Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence (MCEA,
  grades 1-8)
• Early Adolescence through Adolescence (EAA,
  grades 6-12)

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UWM MCEA Program Structure

• Required of all MCEA students 2 content area
  minors, 18 semester-hours each
• Option A
• Mathematics or Natural Sciences
• Option B
• Social Studies or English/Language Arts or
  Bilingual/ESL/World Languages

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The Mathematical Education of Teachers (MET)
Report

• Joint publication of the American Mathematical
  Society and the Mathematical Association of
  America, 2001
• Recommends coursework for prospective teachers at
  elementary grades, middle grades, and high school

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MET Report Recommendations

• Prospective middle grades teachers of mathematics
  should be required to take at least 21
  semester-hours of mathematics, that includes at
  least 12 semester-hours on fundamental ideas of
  school mathematics appropriate for middle grades
  teachers.

CBMS. (2001). The Mathematical Education of
Teachers.
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MET Report Recommendations

• Prospective middle grades teachers of mathematics
  should take coursework in
• Number and Operations
• Algebra and Functions
• Measurement and Geometry
• Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability
• (Optionally) Calculus, focusing on concepts and
  applications

CBMS. (2001). The Mathematical Education of
Teachers.
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UWM Mathematics Focus Area Courses for MCEA Majors

• Problem Solving
• Geometry
• Discrete Probability and Statistics
• Algebraic Structures
• Calculus Experience

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MET Report Recommendations

• Prospective teachers need mathematics courses
  that develop a deep understanding of the
  mathematics that they teach.
• The mathematical education of teachers should be
  seen as a partnership between mathematics faculty
  and mathematics education faculty.
• There needs to be more collaboration between
  mathematics faculty and school mathematics
  teachers.

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Design Team Philosophy for Pre-service Courses

• Mathematics faculty provide rigorous mathematics
  content.
• Mathematics education faculty focus on
  mathematical knowledge for teaching.
• Classroom teachers (Teacher-in-residence) make
  connections to classroom practice.

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Teachers-in-Residence

• Experienced teachers from the Milwaukee Public
  Schools.
• On special assignment at the university.
• Link academic teacher preparation and urban
  classroom practice. 
• Align teacher preparation and K-12 reform
  initiatives.

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MPS Mathematics Fellows Program

• MCEA minor offered to practicing MPS teachers,
  over 15 months
• 53 teachers enrolled in at least one course
• 27 completed at least 4 courses
• 10 completed 4 focus courses, Intermediate
  Algebra, and Calculus

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Questions and Challenges

• How can teachers acquire the content knowledge
  they require to teach mathematics?
• How can STEM faculty contribute to this process?

• Especially in-service teachers
• Especially middle-grades teachers

• Graduate credit in mathematics for middle-grades
  teachers?

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• MMP website
• www.mmp.uwm.edu
• DeAnn Huinker
• huinker_at_uwm.edu
• Kevin McLeod
• kevinm_at_uwm.edu