Center for Mathematics and Science Education

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Logo for Center for Mathematics and Science Education (CMSE) at University of Mississippi

Provenance: University of Mississippi Communications Office
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The Center for Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Mississippi seeks to improve mathematics and science education by: fostering an interaction between academic and K-12 education communities; supporting the implementation of research-based methods in the classroom; and promoting an interest in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields.

School of Education, University of Mississippi
Established: December 2006

http://umcmse.com

Vision and Goals

The vision of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Mississippi is to accelerate growth in STEM workforce development by improving the STEM content knowledge of pre-service and in-service teachers through our Education and Professional Development Divisions; changing policy regarding STEM education in our state and nation through our Research/Grants Division; and increasing the number of students interested in pursuing STEM in college and career through our K-12 STEM Outreach Division.

The CMSE contributes to the overall economic advancement of the state of Mississippi and works with a variety of academic entities in order to:

• offer opportunities for graduate students in STEM education to engage in a rich professional learning community designed to provide them with a breadth of experiences while in graduate school;
• implement research-based instructional strategies within mathematics education courses for pre-service teacher candidates both at the elementary and secondary levels;
• provide quality, research-based professional development to in-service mathematics and science teachers;
• obtain grants to fund projects focused on working with K-12 teachers and students; and
• provide outreach opportunities to K-12 students to expose and generate excitement about the STEM fields.

Center/Program Structure

Located at the University of Mississippi (UM), the Center for Mathematics and Science Education (CMSE) will complete its 9th full year of operation at the end of 2015. Established in 2007 to help improve the economic advancement in the state, the CMSE strives to improve STEM education every day. Led by both its' Director and Associate Director, the CMSE is housed under the University's School of Education. However, although part of the School of Education, the CMSE is completely funded by a private foundation and financially supports its own staff. During the 2014-2015 academic year, the CMSE supported 7 staff members, 3 faculty members, 5 graduate fellows, and 3 undergraduate assistants.

Over time, the organizational structure of the CMSE has evolved into four main divisions: 1) K-12 STEM Outreach, 2) Professional Development, 3) Education, and 4) Research. Each division has a coordinator who oversees the division, its staff, and the programs/events that take place within. The "direct impact divisions" (i.e. K-12 STEM Outreach, Professional Development, and Education) are those divisions that serve a direct audience: K-12 students, in-service teachers, and pre-service teachers, respectively. The Research Division, on the other hand, is what leads these divisions to success.

Description of Programming

The following provides an overview of the CMSE's direct impact divisions to show their current projects and the impact they are making throughout the state.

The K-12 STEM Outreach Division works primarily with K-12 students to stimulate interest in STEM fields, motivate and prepare them for better performance in school, help develop a personal vision of themselves as STEM professionals, and allow access to exciting STEM activities that would not normally be available to them in this state. The K-12 STEM Outreach division is directly responsible for the following programs: (1) Real World Design Challenge, (2) MATHCOUNTS, (3) Engineering/STEM Competition, (4) Trebuchet Competition, (5) MS FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics Program, (6) Engineering/Robotics Camps, (7) Math Camps, and (8) CMSE's Mobile Planetarium. From 2007-2015, over 10,700 students have participated in CMSE's K-12 STEM Outreach events which include: Planetarium (7400+), Camps (1093), FTC (1250+), and Competitions (954). In addition, students participating in these events have represented 58 of Mississippi's 82 counties.

The Professional Development (PD) Division serves in-service teachers by providing quality, research-based professional development for teachers and administrators throughout the state. With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M), schools and districts are seeking content-based professional development for their teachers. The CMSE's PD Division currently provides the following programs for schools, administrators, and teachers: (1) Contracted PD for school districts, (2) Middle School CCSS-M Workshops, (3) Engaging High School Students in Mathematical Practices Workshops, (4) Elementary CCSS-M Mini Institute, (5) Mathematics Specialist Conference, (6) NASA Mississippi Space Grant Consortium Annual Teacher Conference, (7) NASA Mississippi Space Grant Consortium Fellows Training, (8) Middle School Science Teacher Conference, (9) Developing Excellence in Education through Professional Learning Communities Project, (10) Mathematics Teacher Educator Institute, and (11) CCSS-M Training for Teacher Education Faculty. Since the PD Division was created in 2011, over 1400 hours of professional development have been delivered to an average of 700 participants annually. With a 36% standard increase in the number of school districts served each year, 61 counties in Mississippi have been impacted by educators attending these programs.

The Education Division aims to increase the number of new elementary education and secondary mathematics education teachers who enter the classroom with a heightened understanding of mathematics and the ability to use instructional strategies to engage their students in the Standards for Mathematical Practices. The CMSE plays a vital role in the mathematics education of pre-service teachers at the University of Mississippi. The following courses are coordinated by the CMSE and taught through UM's Math Department: (1) Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I & II and (2) Techniques in Teaching Secondary Level Mathematics. In addition, the CMSE faculty teach the following undergraduate and graduate level methods courses through UM's School of Education: (1) Mathematics for the Elementary School, (2) Science in the Elementary School, and (3) Problems for Teaching Mathematics II.

The Education Division also provides a unique fellowship to graduate students pursuing Masters or Doctoral degrees in mathematics or science education. The CMSE Graduate Research Fellowship Program was created to provide a fellowship opportunity that enhances academic and professional growth through a broad variety of experiences specifically designed to guide the graduate student to a successful career in STEM education. Participation in all of the division programs/events listed above allows the fellows to engage in a professional learning community and take part in rich educational experiences all throughout their fellowship years. The graduate fellows have become a central part of the CMSE, thus helping to expand its presence and strengthen its impact.

Since 2007, the CMSE has offered a total of 26 Graduate Research Fellowships. To date, 21 fellows have completed the program and 5 are current fellows. Of the 21 fellows who have completed their fellowship program, 17 are currently serving Mississippi in some capacity within STEM education. Upon completing the fellowship and their graduate degrees, the fellows are invited to continue working with the CMSE by utilizing its resources, the established networks, and the professional relationships gained. Now serving as faculty at universities, colleges, community colleges; specialists within schools and school districts; classroom teachers; professional development facilitators; and leaders of non-profit organizations, these former CMSE fellows are continuing to work with the CMSE in a variety of ways while making an impact in the state.

Successes and Impacts

Over the past 9 years, the CMSE has been able to create programs and begin initiatives that have had lasting impacts on STEM education in Mississippi, specifically on teachers, UM students, K-12 students, and available funding. Some major impacts that have been reported (i.e. disseminated) are as follows:

For teachers:

• 912 professional development event registrations took place in 2013-2014
• 406 hours of professional development was delivered in 2013-2014
• 45%of school districts in MS sent teachers to CMSE PD events

• 823 pre-service teachers enrolled in courses coordinated by the CMSE during 2008-2014 academic years
• 26 graduate fellowships were awarded since 2007
• 790% increase in the rate of production of secondary mathematics education Ph.D. graduates

• 6500+ students have experienced the CMSE portable planetarium
• 659 students have attended CMSE camps and competitions (2012-2014)
• 975% increase of number of FTC teams since CMSE became FTC Affiliate Partner for Mississippi

• $2.5M total amount awarded to CMSE in grants (2012-2014)
• 10 proposals submitted for funding over past years
• 43 collaborators established across Mississippi

Elements Contributing to Success

In August 2012, renovations were completed on the CMSE's facilities providing four additional office spaces, an observation classroom, a new conference room, and a large storage/work area. With the new renovations, rearrangement of the current cubical space was redesigned to increase work staff and graduate fellows, as well as School of Education collaborators. The observation classroom has allowed extensive graduate student instructional training and research and has also been a great addition of the mathematics content courses offered/coordinated by the CMSE. Modifications to current CMSE programs are always necessary from year to year to meet the needs of new programs and the promotion of STEM. In fact, the success of the programs described have led to a growing recognition, both on and off campus, that recognizes the CMSE as a STEM leader on at a critical time in which the university has an initiative to create a STEM building by year 2018.