New Opportunity
Thanks to the generous support of The Sherwood Foundation® and the Lozier Foundation, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the Omaha Public Schools are pleased to announce the formation of the NebraskaMATH OPS Teacher Leader Academy, a community of OPS mathematics teachers (grades K-12) dedicated to strengthening mathematics teaching and learning in Omaha Public Schools classrooms.
In July 2013, there will be three great opportunities for OPS K-12 math teachers to strengthen their knowledge of mathematics and the teaching of mathematics by taking UNL graduate courses at no cost to them for tuition or fees. In total, eight courses will be offered on site in the OPS TAC Building, July 8-12 and July 15-19, 2013.
Read more about the NebraskaMATH OPS Teacher Leader Academy...
Our Mission
NebraskaMATH is a statewide partnership that works to educate and support Nebraska's K-12 students and teachers at critical junctures, with an overall goal of improving achievement in mathematics for all students and narrowing achievement gaps of at-risk populations. Administrative support for the partnership is provided by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Science, Mathematics and Computer Education.
Core partners include UNL, Grand Island Public Schools, Lincoln Public Schools, Omaha Public Schools, Papillion-La Vista Public Schools, and Nebraska's Educational Service Units. The partnership has grown to include teachers and administrators from many other Nebraska school districts as well as mathematics and mathematics education faculty from many Nebraska colleges and universities.
The NebraskaMATH partnership is grateful for the support of the National Science Foundation. Since 2004, our work has benefitted from the following grants:
- Math in the Middle - $5.9 million (2004-2011)
- NebraskaMATH - $9.2 million (2009-2013)
- NebraskaNOYCE - $3 million (2010-2016)
Key grant-funded programs include Math in the Middle (now completed); Primarily Math, an initiative for K-3 teachers; Nebraska Algebra, an initiative for Algebra I teachers; and New Teacher Network, an initiative for new secondary teachers of mathematics. In addition, NebraskaMATH promotes the Nebraska Math and Science Summer Institutes, which uses local funds to continue offering professional development opportunities for teachers beyond the level that is possible using grant funds.
Cohort Schedules
Primarily Math Cohort 4
Lincoln Summer 2013
Primarily Math Cohort 4, consisting of Lincoln Public Schools teachers, one Grand Island teacher and one Scottsbluff teacher, will take MATH 802P and TEAC 907. The dates and times for the courses are:
- June 3-14: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., in 110 Avery Hall
Primarily Math Cohort 4
ESU 3 Summer 2013
Primarily Math Cohort 4, consisting of ESU 3 and ESU 4 teachers, meets at Rumsey Station Elementary in Papillion and will take MATH 802P and TEAC 907. The dates and times for the courses are:
- June 3-14: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Primarily Math Cohort 4
Omaha Summer 2013
Primarily Math Cohort 4, consisting of teachers from Omaha Public Schools, Blair Community Schools and South Sioux City Community Schools, meets at the TAC Building and will take MATH 802P and TEAC 907. The dates and times for the courses are:
- June 3-14: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Primarily Math Cohort 5
Grand Island Summer 2013
Forty teachers from the Grand Island area will take MATH 800P and MATH 801P at the Kneale Adminstration Building. The dates and times for the courses are:
- June 17-28: 8 a.m to 5 p.m.
Primarily Math Classroom Photos
Click this slide for more of Kristy Kennedy's kindergarten class
Click this slide for more of Allie Guiney's kindergarten class
Click this slide for more of math coach Marni Driessen
Click this slide for more of Cindy Beaman and Dana Henry
Click this slide for more of Andrew Boone's first-grade class
Click this slide for more of Alysia Augustus' first- and second-grade class
Click this slide for more of Lacey Konwinski's first-grade class
Click this slide for more of Frances Merica's kindergarten class
Click this slide for more of Amy Davidson's third-grade class
Click this slide for more of Jessica Tewalt's second-grade class
Resources for Teachers
| Currently Accepting Applications | ||
|---|---|---|
| OPS Sherwood-Lozier Fellowship for Summer 2013 Eligibility: OPS K-12 teachers | closes May 31, 2013 | |
| OPS Teacher Leader Academy: Math in the Middle Eligibility: OPS teachers, grades 4-8 | closes Jun 21, 2013 | |
| OPS Teacher Leader Academy: Primarily Math Eligibility: OPS teachers, grades K-3 | closes Jun 21, 2013 | |
| NMSSI Summer 2013 Fellowship Eligibility: K-12 teachers | applications will be accepted while funds remain available | |
Program Details
Primarily Math is an initiative to strengthen mathematics education in the early grades. We have created a K-3 Mathematics Specialist graduate program at UNL and educate outstanding teachers so that they have the mathematical and pedagogical knowledge needed to improve mathematics achievement for all students. This part of the grant also includes a major research project designed to inform the nation as to the most effective (and financially efficient) approach to strengthening K-3 mathematics education.
New Teacher Network is a program for newly certified secondary mathematics teachers (no more than 3 years into a teaching career in secondary mathematics at the time they apply to the program) who want to participate in a mentoring and graduate education program focused on supporting outstanding new mathematics teachers who want a quick start on the journey to becoming an outstanding master teacher.
Now in its final year, Nebraska Algebra has worked with Algebra I teachers on content and pedagogical coursework and supported them as they work to ensure that all students succeed in this important gateway course.
The Robert Noyce NSF Master Teaching Fellowship from the National Science Foundation, part of a grant awarded to UNL in 2010, supports 24 outstanding master teachers in high-need Nebraska schools. Master Teaching Fellows receive a $10,000 salary supplement for participating in a 24-credit-hour program and a fellowship to cover the cost of tuition and fees at UNL, and coursework emphasizing developing leadership skills, teaching diverse learners in high-need schools and motivation of students in the classroom.
The Robert Noyce NSF Teaching Fellowship from the NSF supports talented STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) majors and professionals to become secondary mathematics teachers in high-need Nebraska schools. In 2011, UNL's Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education officially launched its Master of Arts with an emphasis in mathematics teaching (MAmt) program. Students in this 14-month graduate program earn a Master of Arts and certification to teach mathematics in grades 7-12. The program offers outstanding preparation to teach, including an academic year internship in an area school and a collegial community of learners focused on becoming a superb mathematics teacher.
Developing a Coherent Picture of Mathematics Teaching and Learning is a 3-year, $1.2 million Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) grant funded by the National Science Foundation. The purpose of this RETA study is to develop statistical models to create a coherent picture of mathematics teaching and learning. Data Connections works closely with two other NSF-funded Math Science Partnership programs: Math in the Middle Institute Partnership and NebraskaMATH. Utilizing data already collected through these MSP programs, the three-year study builds on newly developed models to help these and other MSP programs and their evaluators evaluate and interpret student and teacher data in statistically productive and meaningful ways.
Funded by a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, and two supplements totalling an additional $900,000 across two more years, the Math in the Middle Institute Partnership educated and supported teams of outstanding middle-level (grades 5-8) mathematics teachers to become leaders in their schools, districts and Educational Service Units. With the focus of developing strong intellectual leaders, Math in the Middle partnered with UNL, Lincoln Public Schools, Omaha Public Schools, ESUs and rural school districts.
Primarily Math Magazine 2013
"Primarily Math: Success Stories" tells the story of Primarily Math, a teaching, research and development program for K-3 teachers. Over the past four years, 227 outstanding Nebraska elementary teachers have participated in this program. Upon completion of the 18-hour graduate program, participants earn a K-3 Math Specialist Certificate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. NebraskaMATH is immensely proud of the teachers in Primarily Math. They are a wonderful resource for improving the teaching and learning of mathematics in the primary grades. Enjoy this magazine’s stories and classroom photos, more of which can be seen in the slideshow on this webpage.
Download a copy of "Primarily Math: Success Stories" here.
Education News
- Omaha World-Herald: Math in the Middle's Archie, Derr and Primarily Math's Bryan named 2013 Alice Buffett Outstanding Teachers 05-13-2013
- Lincoln Journal Star: UNL programs train, inspire math teachers
- UNL Research News: Mathematics Conference pays tribute to Jim Lewis View slides from ESMP Conference
- Omaha World Herald: A new plan to close test-score gap
Latest Newsletters
NebraskaMATH Newsletter Archive
Project Reports
Master's Degrees
Teachers who participate in a NebraskaMATH program will be taking graduate courses from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with the number of hours varying by the program. Because teachers in NebraskaMATH (during the period it is supported by NSF funds) will be able to take NebraskaMATH courses tuition-free, this is an excellent opportunity to make progress toward earning a master's degree. For an overview of beginning the process of applying for a graduate degree, please visit the Master's Degree Possibilities page.
Contact Us
Questions?
Contact: Lindsay Augustyn
Outreach & Communications
laugustyn2@unl.edu
402-472-8979
Principal Investigators for the NebraskaMATH grant are UNL's Jim Lewis, Ruth Heaton, Tom McGowan, Carolyn Edwards, Walt Stroup and Ira Papick, Department of Mathematics (retired), as well as Barb Jacobson of Lincoln Public Schools.
The Principal Investigators for the NebraskaNOYCE grant are UNL's Lewis, Papick, David Fowler (retired), Wendy Smith, Stephen Swidler, and Doug Kauffman.
