Chapter 9: Creating a Viable Elementary Mathematics Specialist Program

Even with all the growth and progress that has been made through various Elementary Mathematics Specialist (EMS) initiatives, challenges and concerns about the viability of such programs are evident through the comments from mathematics teacher educators highlighted above. These issues range from the status of state EMS certification to teacher motivation for completing a program, from enrollment numbers to broad accessibility of courses for interested teachers, and from availability and expertise of mathematics teacher educators developing and teaching courses to the potential for EMS-certified teachers securing a job that draws upon their expertise. In this chapter, we (a) share ideas for creating viable EMS programs in light of the challenges, and (b) provide examples of what others have done to prompt continued dialogue and collaboration toward achieving the recommendation in the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics (ASSM), National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM), and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) joint position statement that advocates for every elementary school to have access to a highly qualified EMS, prepared through programs offered by partner districts, states, and institutions of higher education (Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, 2010).