Growing Math Teachers and Institutional Agents

1. Growing Math Teachers and Institutional Agents Katrine Czajkowski (Mar Vista HS) Rafaela M. Santa Cruz (SDSU)

2. Background: • Will take advantage of relationships developed with mathematics teachers through SDSU professional development projects such as the San Diego Mathematics Project and the Professional Development Collaborative. • Will add to the services provided by various outreach programs such as the SDSU Compact for Success and the College Readiness Program • Will build on SDSU community college transfer programs

3. Objectives: • Increase the number of community college advanced mathematics students who successfully transfer to bachelor’s-granting IHEs, earning degrees in mathematics and science • Develop relationships among successful, diverse community college students and aspiring, diverse high school students • Integrate community college student math tutors within supportive communities of exemplary high school teachers

4. Central components: • Recruit diverse community college students currently enrolled in advanced mathematics courses • Hire community college students to serve as AVID tutors in high school math classes • Train and support tutors to work closely with both students and teachers • Support practicing teachers to serve as mentors and role models for classroom tutors • Encourage and support tutors’ successful transition to bachelor’s-granting IHEs • Maintain long-term relationships with tutors and encourage them to consider pursuing careers as secondary math and science teachers

5. 1. Recruit diverse community college students currently enrolled in advanced mathematics courses • Seek students enrolled in Calculus II or more advanced math courses. • Visit classes to explain the value of bicultural and bilingual contributions to local schools. • Explain mutual benefits of participation with shared goals. • Nurture teacher-to-teacher relationships between college and high school instructors

6. 2. Hire community college students to serve as AVID tutors in high school math classes • Concentrate placement of tutors at limited sites for maximum coherence and support. • Offer competitive pay that does not undercut complementary initiatives. • Connect the program to categorical efforts supporting implementation of the Consolidated Site Plan at participating high schools. • Assign tutors to work with a specific group of cooperating teachers at each site. • Develop, implement and monitor use of a collaborative model maximizing tutor contributions to classrooms.

7. 3. Train and support tutors to work closely with both students and teachers • Clearly communicate tutor and teacher roles and expectations. Consider writing “job descriptions.” • Build tutors’ work schedules around their college schedules and provide as many hours as requested or possible (10-19/wk). • Place tutors in classrooms and after-school programs/services. • Recognize initiative and collaboration by providing extra duty pay for teachers and tutors.

8. 3. Train and support tutors to work closely with both students and teachers • Introduce tutors to critical measures of external evaluation of students, teachers and schools (API/AYP, CAHSEE, CSTs (and EAP), ELM, etc.) • Provide frequent opportunities for tutors to meet and discuss their efforts and related issues (at least monthly). • Expose tutors to Math Project workshops and opportunities. • Acknowledge, validate, and address the contradictions and conflicts tutors encounter and engage.

9. 4. Support practicing teachers to serve as mentors and role models for classroom tutors • Identify teachers with strong content knowledge, pedagogical expertise, concern for equity, and leadership capacity. • Build a team (3-4) of these individuals and follow their direction regarding placement of tutors. • Assign tutors to these teachers’ classrooms in groups. • Provide teachers with training regarding tutor use and instructional strategies maximizing their contributions. • Pay teachers for the extra time required to participate.

10. 5. Encourage and support tutors’ successful transition to bachelor’s-granting IHEs • Nurture relationships between tutors and teachers. • Encourage networking among tutors. • Provide opportunities for tutors to lead: curriculum development, instructional activity design, formative assessment of student progress, etc. • Match work schedules to college schedules. • Provide flexibility when necessary: finals, schedule changes, weekly hour changes, etc. • Ensure tutors consistent access to supportive staff at both high school and college levels.

11. 6. Maintain long-term relationships with tutors and encourage them to consider pursuing careers as secondary math and science teachers • Invest time in learning about tutors’ lives outside of work. • Help tutors with practical issues: transcripts, reference letters, contacts at IHE’s, summer work, etc. • Provide varied educational experiences: classroom tutoring, after-school service, professional and curriculum development, extracurricular activities, etc. • Celebrate accomplishments: course completions, transfers, graduations, weddings, children, etc.!

12. Summary • Many gifted high school math students do not enroll in four-year schools upon graduation. • Too many successful high school students from marginalized communities leave four-year schools within their first two years. • Motivated community college students may have maturity and life experience that translate to “staying power” needed to become certificated math teachers. • The diversity of community college students mirrors demographics of many CA High Schools. This diversity is painfully lacking among current math teachers in most schools.