RESS: Research in Mathematics for Teacher Excellence (ReM-4TE)

This Noyce RESS project aims to serve the national need of preparing highly qualified mathematics teachers for high-need school districts. Mathematics is the strongest predictor of college success, yet many students in high-need schools lack access to teachers who can convey the excitement and deep structure of the discipline. This project will engage 32 pre-service secondary mathematics teachers from California's San Joaquin Valley in authentic, frontier mathematical research. Over four years, participants will work in small groups with research-active faculty mentors during a six-week summer program and throughout the following academic year. The proposed project components will enable these high-achieving prospective teachers to become secondary mathematics teachers who bring research-informed and inquiry-based instruction to a broad range of learners in the San Joaquin Valley and beyond, ultimately improving mathematics and STEM learning experiences for thousands of pre-college students. This project at California State University, Fresno includes partnerships with high-need school districts across the San Joaquin Valley, the San Joaquin Valley Mathematics Project (SJVMP), and the Mathematics Master Teacher Leadership (M2TL) project. Project goals include the following: (1) engaging 32 pre-service secondary mathematics teachers in authentic mathematics research and professional development; (2) expanding their content knowledge across multiple mathematical fields; (3) guiding participants to translate their research experiences into compelling, classroom-ready teaching materials; (4) increasing teacher self-efficacy related to mathematics and pedagogical content knowledge; and (5) improving participants’ problem-solving, writing, presentation, and technical skills. The research projects spanning Data Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Mathematical Modeling, Mathematical Physics, Mathematical Biology, Knot Theory, and Number Theory are designed to be manageable for undergraduate math majors while connected to current research frontiers. Participants will be supported by dual mentorship: a faculty research mentor focused on content and an M2TL pedagogical mentor who provides in-classroom coaching to model the integration of research into teaching practice. This project will be iteratively evaluated. Evaluation of the project will be guided by the following evaluation question(s): (a) To what extent does participation in authentic research experiences and other activities in this project improve pre-service teachers' self-efficacy, content knowledge, and pedagogical practices? and (b) How do pre-service teachers translate their research experiences into observable changes in classroom instruction and student outcomes in high-need settings? The results of this project will be disseminated to help enhance the field. This RESS project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.