When Katherine Collins, a math major at Pacific Lutheran University in her home state of Washington, began exploring options for life after college, she stumbled on a website that ultimately led her clear across the country to a public school here in the nation鈥檚 capital.
She secured a spot in the competitive fellowship program, part of a small but growing initiative launched in 2004 that aims to improve secondary mathematics education by recruiting, training, and retaining outstanding math teachers. A core tenet is finding people who 鈥渒now and love math,鈥� the nonprofit organization says on its website.
鈥淚 kind of toyed with the idea of going to graduate school [in mathematics], being a professor, or working in industry,鈥� Ms. Collins, 24, recalled. 鈥淏ut I thought that the mission of bringing math people into the [K-12] education field was really spot-on.鈥�
The fellowship provides intensive preparation and support for new teachers. Successful applicants to the five-year program earn a master鈥檚 degree at no cost and continue to get mentoring, regular professional development, and other support. They also get generous annual stipends that over five years can total up to $100,000.
First launched in New York City, Math for America has gradually expanded to six more sites, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Calif., Utah, Boston, and the District of Columbia. It started with a focus on recruiting new teachers, but has added two related programs: a Master Teacher Fellowship for top-notch, veteran secondary math teachers and the Early Career Fellowship, which offers support and growth opportunities to newer teachers.
Only the New York City site offers all three programs.
In addition, Math for America has begun adding science teachers at some locations.
The initiative鈥檚 reach so far is limited, with about 420 current participants.
鈥淎t heart, we view this as a pilot program,鈥� said John H. Ewing, the president of the New York City-based nonprofit and a former math professor. 鈥淓ven if we grow to a thousand teachers, that鈥檚 a drop in the bucket.鈥�
The hope, he explains, is that the effort could serve as a model for a major national initiative, perhaps a partnership between the federal government and states.
Even now, most local sites receive some federal aid through the National Science Foundation to complement private funds.
鈥楴oble Profession鈥�
The growth of Math for America comes as national concern has mounted about the relatively lackluster math achievement of U.S. students. In his recent , President Barack Obama said 鈥渢he quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations.鈥�
He also called for the recruitment over the next decade of 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Math for America was founded by a group of business leaders, mathematicians, and educators, led by James H. Simons, a philanthropist, former hedge-fund manager, and an accomplished mathematician.
The organization鈥檚 name echoes that of the far larger Teach For America, but Math for America organizers say the two differ in a lot of ways, such as the generous stipends and the requirement that new math teachers complete a yearlong master鈥檚 program鈥攊n secondary math education.
Math for America fellows also make a longer-term commitment to teach at least four years in a public school in the program location. If they drop out early, fellows must repay at least a portion of the financial support they receive.
鈥淲e are asking for an extended commitment because we believe that if somebody can last in the classroom for more than two, three, or even four years, there is a chance that this can be a very long career,鈥� said Bianca Abrams, the executive director of Math for America D.C. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to frame this as ... a noble profession.鈥�
Ms. Abrams said the consequences for dropping out early have helped weed out applicants who may not be serious.
Each site is autonomous, but 鈥渁ll operate on the same general principles that underlie Math for America,鈥� said Mr. Ewing, who led the American Mathematical Society for 13 years before joining Math for America in 2009. 鈥淭hey have their own boards, and each site is a little different from the others, which I view as a strength. ... We have seven different experiments.鈥�
Ongoing Changes
The national organization provides startup funding as well as matching grants to help each site get started and operate, he said. It has a variety of private donors; the largest is the Simons Foundation, which James Simons co-founded. It provides $10 million to $20 million a year, Mr. Ewing estimated.
The District of Columbia program involves a partnership with the Carnegie Institution of Science and American University, where students attend graduate school. The first cohort of six fellows, including Ms. Collins from Pacific Lutheran University, began in June 2009. (One fellow dropped out early on.)
A second cohort of nine fellows began last year. By contrast, the largest site, in New York City, has 40 new-teacher fellows for the cohort that began last June.
Details of the program vary somewhat by locale. In the District of Columbia, each fellow gets a living stipend of $22,000 during the 14-month graduate program. Over the next four years when they teach full-time, the stipend is $12,500 per year on top of their regular salary.
Ms. Collins, who now teaches 6th grade math at the Parkside middle school campus of Cesar Chavez Public Charter School, said the money is a powerful incentive for math specialists who might otherwise dismiss a career in teaching.
鈥淚f you go into finance, you get paid a lot more for your math degree,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you go into engineering, you鈥檒l get paid a lot more. ... So education sort of ends up being the last option.鈥�
The program provides other support, such as pairing up teachers with mentors and providing monthly professional development.
Several of the Washington fellows, including Ms. Collins, said that while their experience overall with Math for America has been positive, there are elements they felt could have been stronger.
鈥淚t鈥檚 obviously been the first year, so there were definitely kinks,鈥� said fellow Max J. Mikulec, who now teaches algebra and geometry at a magnet school.
One common concern was that the coursework in the master鈥檚 program needs some changes to ensure more relevancy to the classroom. For example, Ms. Collins said she wished the American University program had devoted more time to strategies for classroom management. Mr. Mikulec said some of the math coursework was 鈥渁 little too abstract鈥� and seemed more appropriate for math graduate students than teachers.
Local and national leaders at Math for America say they鈥檙e well aware of such concerns, and emphasize that the whole enterprise is a work in progress, subject to continual improvement.
In any case, said Mr. Mikulec, any preparation strategy only goes so far.
鈥淣o matter how much training I could have received before this, it鈥檚 so tough to prepare you for that first day, week, and month,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ear one is very difficult.鈥�
Ms. Collins said she鈥檚 come to appreciate the ongoing support.
鈥淚鈥檝e got Math for America behind me, sort of helping me to grow professionally,鈥� she said.
鈥業t Costs Money鈥�
One challenge for Math for America is the expense of its programs. But both the organization鈥檚 leaders and some outside observers say that attracting and keeping outstanding teachers is worth the price.
Eric S. Lander, the co-chairman of a on science and technology, said the program shows great promise.
鈥淚t costs money to run high-quality programs,鈥� said Mr. Lander, the founding director of the Broad Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 an investment that will pay off generously in the preparation of young Americans in science and mathematics.鈥�
Francis M. 鈥淪kip鈥� Fennell, an education professor at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., and a past president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, said he sees much to like in Math for America, such as its targeting of urban centers, its focus on teachers鈥� strong content knowledge, and its creation of a 鈥渃ommunity鈥� of educators.
鈥淚 think these guys are really going to try to get it right,鈥� he said.
Mr. Ewing said he hopes to see the existing sites grow, adding that the national office is eyeing a few new locations, including with a look toward rural areas.
Stepping back, he said one of the larger goals is nothing less than to elevate the status of the teaching profession. That is where the additional programs for experienced teachers especially come into play, he said, as they recognize and compensate excellence in teaching.
鈥淲e want to have the highest quality, the best teachers we can find in the classroom,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o part of what we do is recruit good people into teaching. ... But if you don鈥檛 make the profession of teaching better, more attractive, then you鈥檙e not going to succeed in either attracting them or keeping them there.鈥�
