Renewing Mathematics Teaching Through Curriculum (RMTC)

staff:	Laura Van Zoest (Principal Investigator) Beth Ritsema (Co-Principal Investigator) Kate Kline (Co-Principal Investigator) Mark Jenness (Evaluator) Lori Niswander (Lead Staff) Lynn Breyfogle Thayma Darby
grant award #:	9618896
funding began:	03-15-1997
funding ends:	04-30-2001
webpage/site:	http://www.wmich.edu/rmtc
project focus:	Math
grade levels:	Middle School,High School
venue type:	Suburban,Rural
abstract:	Renewing Mathematics Teaching through Curriculum (RMTC) is a collaborative of fifteen high schools in southwestern Michigan that have recently adopted the Core-Plus mathematics Project (CPMP) instructional materials in their quest to improve mathematics teaching so that all students can develop mathematical power. In this four-year professional development and curricular implementation project, all 154 mathematics teachers in the targeted schools participate in an integrated, reflective cycle of teacher enhancement activities comprised of two-week summer sessions, biannual meetings of all participants, and regular and frequent contact among teachers in school buildings that includes peer mentoring, class observations, common planning periods, and small-group meetings. Each teacher participates in an average of 382 hours of professional development over a three-year period. As a Local Systemic Change through Teacher Enhancement in Mathematics, Grades 7-12, project, RMTC has five key elements: (1) RMTC is integrally connected with the exemplary curriculum that the collaborative teachers use in their classrooms; (2) the approach that RMTC takes to professional development is consistent with the approach the exemplary curricula take to student learning; (3) RMTC acknowledges that systemic change in mathematics education requires the commitment and understanding of the communities beyond the mathematics department and school; (4) RMTC takes advantage of the unique strengths the individual schools bring to the collaborative to help in overcoming each other's weaknesses; and (5) the formation of RMTC was initiated by teachers and continues to be guided by both teachers and administrators in the collaborative schools. The project will also produce products to share the ideas generated by RMTC with other districts that are facing the challenge of implementing an innovative mathematics curriculum. A WWW site will permit immediate dissemination of information and, by the conclusion of the project, summary projects will be produced in multimedia format (CD-ROM), as well as paper copy.