Chapter 8: The Transforming East Alabama Mathematics Teacher Leader Academies

In 2008, Transforming East Alabama Mathematics (TEAM-Math), a mathematics and science partnership funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), received supplemental funding to establish the TEAM-Math Teacher Leader Academy to support 12 secondary mathematics master teacher fellows in high-needs districts through (a) an annual salary supplement, (b) support for tuition to pursue a master’s degree or other advanced degree in mathematics education, and (c) professional development to enhance their ability to take on leadership roles. While the Academy was initially limited to secondary teachers, in 2009, the project leaders received an award from the Master Teaching Fellowship track of NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program to support the participation of 21 elementary teachers in the Academy while working to receive a degree beyond the master’s level. Thus, the project sponsored two cohorts of teachers with substantial overlapping components, which benefited both sets of teachers, as they were able to attend workshops and some courses together. These benefits included learning from discussions of the curriculum across grades K to 12, doing mathematics together and viewing a wide range of solutions, and hearing multiple perspectives on issues related to leadership and mathematics education.