Teachers at the Summer 2009 San Antonio area AMDM professional development - part of the first wave of yearlong professional support for teachers piloting the course.

Greater Texas Foundation awarded $410,000 to the Charles A. Dana Center at The University of Texas to support the development of an Advanced Mathematical Decision Making (AMDM) mathematics capstone course. In response to the new graduation requirement that Texas high school students complete four years of mathematics, the Dana Center—in partnership with the Texas Association of Supervisors of Mathematics (TASM)—utilized the funds over a two-year period to support the development of a rigorous and engaging capstone high school mathematics course designed to follow Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II.

The course material presents a very hands-on, real-world application approach to the uses and theories of mathematics.  More specifically,

the course emphasizes statistics and financial applications, and it prepares students to use algebra, geometry, trigonometry and discrete mathematics to model a range of situations and solve problems.”

AMDM is designed to help students prepare for many non-mathematics intensive college majors.  It will also serve students who might not be planning to attend college but instead enter into a workforce training program.  The course is being piloted by 120 teachers in 90 Texas schools, as well as a few schools in Illinois and Indiana.

To learn more about the curriculum, visit the AMDM project website.

Read about what pilot teachers are saying about AMDM here.

FIRST provides the nation a direct solution to an imperative call to action that the U.S. revamp its science, technology, engineering and math workforce in order to maintain its position as a secure nation.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization that strives to inspire students of all ages to embrace the fields of science and technology through hands on exploration.  In all programs, FIRST students team up with professionals (business men and women, engineers and scientists, and professors) and they solve modern day, real problems in the world.  These programs not only help students develop their science and technology skills, but they also help to develop self confidence, personal character and responsibility to oneself and to a team. 

Check it out here, to see how the Foundation support’s FIRST efforts.

To read the new Strategy and Expansion Plan, or more generally about the organization, visit the Dallas FIRST website.

To read about what Texas teams are doing, see here.

Krystin Ramos is a 2009 recipient of the award.  Read an excerpt from her essay below:

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.” Those are the words of Confucius.

Without my father in my life and his positive encouragement there is no way I would have been able to make it this far in life.  He has instilled the knowledge and strength that was needed to overcome numerous obstacles and provide the will that helps me realize that I can achieve anything.  Being the first in my family to get this far in college has brought along many hardships, but he has been there by my side and provided any help necessary to get to the next step.  Because of this and his support I would like to celebrate my father as my elder.

When I was in ninth grade I encountered the hardest year in math: Algebra.  I always could pass all my subjects with A’s and B’s in junior high, but high school made me realize that the courses were a little different.  Math just wasn’t my favorite subject, and because of that I would shut down and couldn’t figure out my homework.  When I came home with my first exam and failing grade my dad sat me down and we had a talk.  I was expecting a lecture and probably a punishment, but instead I got something else.  My dad told me that together we would figure it out and I would pass Algebra.  I thought he was crazy but I knew failing a class was not an option.  Every night I would come home with homework and we would sit down together and try to figure it out with my notes and the text book.  I’d spend hours at the kitchen table with him after dinner until every problem was answered and I understood what I was doing.  Pretty soon the math homework stopped looking like a foreign language and started making sense, and when I brought home my report card I had a solid B in that class. 

My dad inspired me to continue taking math and not avoid it because I was scared.  Now that I’m almost a junior in college I have to admit that now math is one of my favorite subjects.  Now that my little sister is reaching high school, she is having a hard time with math as well and it feels good that I can help her just like my dad did for me just a few years ago. 

I hope I’m inspiring my little sisters and showing them that anything is possible, and you can achieve anything you want in life, just like my dad has taught me.

Read more about the Celebrating Our Elders Scholarship Program, here.

Program Website

Press Releases

$3M Grant Supports iSMART Online Graduate Program

Grant Ceremony at Texas Tech

$3,000,000 to the Middle School Math and Science (MS)²: Understanding by Design master’s degree program. The main goal of the Middle School Math and Science (MS)²: Understanding by Design program is to prepare and increase the number of highly qualified in-service middle school math and science teachers in Texas. This program will provide opportunities for math and science teachers to:

(1) deepen their understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) content and pedagogical content knowledge;

(2) create meaningful connections between STEM disciplines as a method of making math and science content relevant to a diverse population of middle school students;

(3) develop communication and mentoring skills through dialogue with other math and science teachers and with STEM and education faculty regarding the ties between math and science in effective instruction;

(4) experience and produce through group teamwork integrated curricula that focus on addressing common misconceptions to improve middle school education.

For more information see the Texas Tech program website.

Articles:

Texas Tech Colleges Garner $3 Million from Greater Texas Foundation