Team of the Quarter: Middle Tennessee grows network through collaborative engagement

We are excited to highlight the incredible work of the Middle Tennessee MTEP as the April 2025 Team of the Quarter. This NIC is making strides in growing their network to engage with others in their region who are passionate about transforming secondary mathematics teacher preparation.

Overview of the NIC

• Participating institutions: Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), Tennessee Technological University, Tennessee State University, Rutherford County Schools, Tennessee STEM Education Center
  
• Team members: Seventeen members make up the team, including two K-12 personnel, three mathematicians, and eight math educators.
  
• Focus area: MT MTEP’s aim addresses recruitment. Their specific goals are to increase a) the number of students majoring in secondary math education by 50%, b) the diversity of teachers entering the profession across the MT MTEP institutions, and c) collaboration with local schools and their teacher preparation pathways, including the clinical practice permit pathway. According to team leader Alyson Lischka, current team-wide efforts to reach these goals include developing regional activities to build interest in and awareness of secondary mathematics teacher preparation and using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles to guide the work of growing their network through regional conferences and meetings.
  
• Duration of work: MT MTEP has been an MTEP member since the beginning. The original team included MTSU and its local school partners, Rutherford County Schools and the Tennessee STEM Education Center. The NIC has grown over time to include regional institutions—Tennessee Technological University and Tennessee State University, a Historically Black University. In addition to institutional growth, some of the leadership roles in MT MTEP have shifted as individuals have left MTSU and others have joined. Lischka said, "We are always open to engaging with others in our region who are concerned with the preparation of secondary mathematics teachers."

• Using MTEP resources to support program alignment with AMTE Standards
  "The programs at MTSU and Tennessee Tech are well established and aligned with the AMTE standards, partly through earlier work with MTEP," Lischka said. "At MTSU we have broadly adopted the MODULE(S^2) materials and make use of the recruitment resources available through MTEP … Tennessee Tech has similarly made use of tools available through MTEP to improve their program (some adoption of MODULE[S^2] materials and use of recruitment materials). Tennessee State University has a much smaller program that is working to maintain viability. Because of this, we try to support our Tennessee State leader to use MTEP resources to prioritize the work that needs to be done there."
  
• Transforming methods courses with a focus on equity in math education
  Holly Anthony, Tennessee Tech program leader, said, "Our PDSA cycle focused on equity in mathematics education transformed my methods courses to include readings/discussions explicitly focused on this work. Through iterative pilots of materials at TN Tech and Middle TN State, we worked together to develop some ‘units’ that are adaptable and applicable in both university contexts. It has been exciting work!"
  
• Growing the MT MTEP network through book club
  As a result of using PDSA cycles to guide efforts to grow their network, MT MTEP started a monthly book club for the Spring 2025 semester focused on the new National Council of Teachers of Mathematics publication High School Mathematics Reimagined, Revitalized, and Relevant. The team first shared the book club invitation broadly with their networks, including faculty members at MTSU, a network mathematics curriculum leaders in Middle Tennessee school systems, and consultants with their regional CORE centers (a branch of their state Department of Education). Lischka said of the book club, "Conversations have been engaging and the additional perspectives have contributed greatly to the discussions. At our upcoming closing book discussion, we will broaden the discussion to consider how members of this group might work together to improve secondary mathematics teacher preparation across our region. After the conclusion of the book club, we will consider what we have learned from this effort to grow our network."
  
• Prioritizing equity in turbulent times
  Cyndi Edgington, MT MTEP change coach, said, "[The] Middle Tennessee MTEP team continues to focus on issues of equity, despite the political climate. They prioritize a focus on equitable teaching practices in their teacher preparation programs while continuing to work on recruiting teacher candidates from diverse backgrounds."

• Host a final book club discussion of High School Mathematics Reimagined, Revitalized, and Relevant and expand the discussion to consider actionable next steps for group members
  
• Use PDSA cycles to reflect on lessons learned from the book club about network expansion efforts
  
• Explore connections between MT MTEP member institutions and local public schools
  
• Explore ways to broaden their network through state/regional conferences for preservice and practicing teachers
  
• Investigate support systems for teacher candidates hired as teachers of record during their residency experiences (clinical practice permits)