Jackson State University was awarded $976,865.40 by the State Department of Education in Mississippi to run the Mathematics Advancement in Teaching through Professional Development Phase II (MAT-PD2) program for the next three years.
Dr. Mehri Fadavi, professor and chair of the Department of Physics, Atmospheric Sciences and Geoscience, will serve as the project director.
“The goal and vision of project MAT-PD2 will be to support and enhance the improvement of teaching and learning mathematics in K-8th grades,” Fadavi said. It builds on successful prior outcomes from the first iteration of MAT-PD she added.
Dr. Richard Aló, dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET), said, “Dr. Fadavi is a knowledgeable educator, experienced professional development provider and grant manager. This work underscores the ongoing commitment the university has to advancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.”
U.S. Department of Education’s Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) Program is a federal formula grant initiative that funds collaborative partnerships between science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) departments at institutions of higher education (IHEs), and high-need school districts. These partnerships provide intensive, content-rich professional development to teachers and other educators, with the goal of improving classroom instruction and, ultimately, student achievement in math and science. Currently, funds are distributed through a formula grant to states, which then hold their own competitions to award project funding.
The MAT-PD2 project at JSU will focus on seven objectives including:
- Increased teacher content knowledge in mathematics in Grades K-8
- Increased mathematics teacher efficacy
- Improved teacher adaptations of curricula
- Improved teacher practice through mathematics content enactment
- Increased attention to the integration of technology
- Increased teachers effectiveness and student results
- Increased school administrators’ knowledge and appreciation for high-quality in-service training in high-quality mathematics classrooms