Maryland Collaborative Excellence in Teacher Preparation (MCTP)
James Fey, Genevieve Knight,
John Layman, Thomas O'Haver |
Institutions within the University of Maryland System, the State University System, Baltimore Community College, and Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Prince George's County school districts are designing, implementing, and evaluating an innovative interdisciplinary program to prepare teachers who can provide exemplary mathematics and science instruction in elementary and middle schools. Design and development of the project's course and field experience components are being guided by the following basic principles. 1) Teachers should learn science and mathematics through instruction that models the practices they are being expected to employ during their teaching careers; 2) Courses and field experiences should integrate science and mathematics so that teachers will know and can take advantage of the connections between individual disciplines; 3) Teacher training programs should include substantial field experiences that engage the prospective teachers in the genuine research activities of business, industrial or scientific institutions and the science and mathematics education activities conducted by science centers, zoos or museums; 4) Teachers should develop their ability to use modern technologies as standard tools for research and problem solving as well as for imaginative classroom instruction; 5) Field experiences should be provided in school settings that enroll children of below average and average ability, as well as those in gifted and talented programs; and 6) Teachers should receive sustained support during the critical first years of their induction to the teaching profession. Throughout the five-year development period, continual formative evaluation, research on the process of teacher education, and a variety of dissemination activities are being conducted to inform others of the outcomes of this emerging model of teacher preparation.
Louisiana Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (LaCEPT)
Kerry Davidson |
The Louisiana Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (LaCEPT), and The Louisiana Collaborative, an integral part of the Louisiana Systemic Initiative Program (LaSIP), engages the efforts of key stakeholders to institutionalize statewide reform of teacher education in mathematics and science. The specific goals of LaCEPT are to: 1) establish a statewide consortium of key partners; 2) deepen understanding of reform issues; 3) develop a statewide strategic plan; 4) establish partnerships between school and college sectors; 5) reorder campus priorities and faculty rewards systems; 6) redesign pre-service courses in mathematics, science and methods; 7) revise instructional materials; 8) increase the number of certified teachers in science and mathematics, focusing on underrepresented groups; 9) expand the boundaries of research and practice; and 10) maintain national standards for teacher performance as students progress from pre-service to certification to extended service. The signature program of LaCEPT is sponsorship of campus-based renewal projects at Louisiana's public and private colleges and universities. Each campus develops a plan for long-term systemic renewal and fashions a distinctive proposal engaging mathematics, science and education faculty in the redesign of curriculum, instructional and assessment materials; mentorships and internships; partnerships with schools; research and technology centers; pre-college recruiting of potential teachers; and revision of certification standards.
Systemic Teacher Excellence Preparation: The STEP Project
Elisabeth Charron, Lyle Anderson,
George Tuthill, Gregory Evan Francis |
The STEP project is designed to bring about large scale improvement in the preparation of science and mathematics teachers in Montana and to serve as a national model for rural areas with significant minority populations. STEP is developing new alliances that form a statewide, interactive network consisting of school systems, Tribal Community Colleges (TCC's), state Universities and Colleges, the State Office of Public Instruction, the Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Montana Science Teachers Association, the Montana University System and a number of related on-going NSF supported projects in the state: the Systemic Initiative for Montana Mathematics and Science (SIMMS), Six Through Eight Mathematics (STEM), and the Alliance of States Supporting Indians in Science and Technology (ASSIST). The project is providing the following: at least two years of early career support for mathematics and science teachers in a rural setting; model teacher preparation field sites in K-12 schools; increased numbers and better preparation of mathematics and science teachers from Native American Communities; a telecommunications network based model for fostering teacher preparation in rural states; strong faculty teams to redesign curricula and courses; strong institutional support for participating faculty and teachers; dissemination of new ideas in preparing teachers; an increase in the number of women and minority teachers in mathematics and science; and use of field sites as "living laboratories" for research on effective mathematics and science teaching, pre-service teacher supervision and the training of university science and mathematics educators in rural settings.
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