Math for America San Diego—News Article Reprint
Fellowships for Four Teachers
Math-focused, five-year program funded by national foundation Monday, September 16, 2012 By Maureen Magee Four math teachers in the county have been recruited to the front lines of a crusade to improve math instruction— and ultimately student achievement— in the region’s schools. Genevieve Esmende
Christina Hilton
About 55 percent of San Diego County’s students scored proficient or advanced in math on state standardized tests administered last year. Nationwide, students lag behind their counterparts in several countries that are demonstrating significant progress in math achievement, according to recent reports, including one from Harvard University’s Program on Education Policy and Governance. Locally and statewide, boosting math performance in middle and high schools is a challenge that has stumped educators for years.
Students who ace math in elementary school often struggle with the subject once they reach middle and high school. For example, 72 percent of the county’s fourth-graders scored Renee Kollar-Bachman proficient or better in math last year, according to results from the California Standardized Testing and Reporting program released in August. In contrast, only 18 percent of 10thgraders scored proficient or better in geometry last year, according to the same program. The nonprofit group Math for America San Diego is working to reverse that Valerie Rea pattern. It recruits new instructors to teach algebra, geometry and the like. It also trains experienced teachers in math so they in turn can help their colleagues. This month, the organization named four veteran math teachers for its premiere fellowship program.
The 2012 Noyce Master Teaching Fellows are: • Genevieve Esmende of Wangenheim Middle School in San Diego • Christina Hilton of El Cajon Valley High School in El Cajon • Renee Kollar-Bachman of Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista • Valerie Rea of Orange Glen High School in Escondido The five-year fellowships, supported through a $1.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation, provide leadership training and professional development to experienced middleand high-school math teachers working in high-need school districts. Fellows receive an annual stipend of $10,000 and attend a rigorous, three-week summer institute and yearlong training sessions. They review existing teaching approaches and curriculum while studying alternate, research-based instructional methods. The fellows also observe instruction by master math teacher Ovie Soto, who has a doctorate in mathematics and teaches at Patrick Henry High School in San Carlos. They will be encouraged to serve as mentors at their campuses. As part of the national Math for America network, the local organization is a consortium of Cal State San Marcos, San Diego State University, the University of California San Diego and five school districts in San Diego, Oceanside, Escondido, El Cajon and Vista. The group’s work is particularly relevant as more districts are stepping up math requirements to earn a high school diploma. For example, starting with this year’s freshman class, San Diego Unified and Sweetwater Union High School districts will require students to pass all classes—including math courses— designated for enrollment in the UC and Cal State systems. At the national level, recent presidents have urged more efforts to improve math performance in schools as a way to maintain global competitiveness. President Barack Obama has lamented that lagging math scores are hurting students’ ability to take advantage of new jobs, calling for the recruitment of 100,000 math, science and technology teachers this decade. Reprinted with permission from The San Diego Union-Tribune.
