UNL, NDE team up to provide statewide professional development

Nebraska Partnership TEAMS - MSP grant
Nebraska Partnership TEAMS - MSP grant

A $1 million Math and Science Partnership grant from the Nebraska Department of Education will help UNL faculty coordinate a professional development project aimed at improving K-12 math and science instruction throughout Nebraska. With a focus on elevating academic achievement in Nebraska’s high-need schools, Nebraska Partnership TEAMS (Teaching to Enhance Achievement in Math and Science) will establish professional development sessions at sites across the state.

The project represents a collaboration between UNL faculty from the Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education; the Department of Mathematics; the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; and the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education.

The project team will work with NDE content specialists to identify approximately 40 teacher leaders to be involved in project work. Teacher leaders will be chosen from across the state. Teacher leaders have leadership capacity and interest in participating in a project that will provide statewide professional development to teachers. Demonstrated leadership capacity can include leading building/district/state PD sessions in the past, serving as a math or science coach, or being nominated by an NDE content specialist or ESU as a teacher leader. The teacher leaders will help to design and develop PD sessions for teachers. These teachers will then be directly involved in leading the PD sessions for teachers in Summer 2017 and/or the 2017-2018 school year. Information will be coming soon regarding participation. Stipends will be provided, along with travel and lodging costs.

Three sets of sessions – dedicated to elementary-integrated STEM, secondary mathematics, and secondary Earth and space science, respectively – will address content that aligns with Nebraska State Standards. Along with bolstering content knowledge in these areas, the sessions will focus on raising teacher confidence and encouraging the adoption of research-backed instructional practices.

Professional development will be offered in Summer 2017 and academic year 2017-18 concurrently across the state in at least five locations. We encourage the participation of teams of K-12 math/science teachers from the same district, to enhance the professional development experience. Courses are tentatively planned for the first two weeks in the summer (June 5-9 and June 12-16, 2017). During the summer workshops, we will decide the dates of the four Saturdays across the 2017-18 school year that we will meet for the follow-up activities. Teachers who apply to participate in this professional development must commit to attending both the two weeks in the summer and the follow-up Saturdays. Stipends will be provided, along with travel and lodging costs, and graduate credit will be an option. The application will be available in early 2017.

If you want to know when the application opens or other brief announcements about the program, please subscribe to our email list on our website.

http://scimath.unl.edu/csmce/teams/

The MSP grant program is authorized under Title II, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended.