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Original post updated August 10, 2018.
NCSSM is partnering with Public Impact (publicimpact.com) with financial support from the College Board for a unique opportunity to engage public school teachers and students across the state with a new approach to mathematics during the 2018-2019 school year.
This partnership builds on the second tenant of the school’s mission, to “advance public education in North Carolina.” Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture model, already implemented in schools across the United States, features excellent teachers who take on greater responsibility as Multi-Classroom Leaders (MCLs). MCLs lead and support small teams of teachers and students to help them reach ambitious goals. Until now, MCLs only operated within a single school, often serving multiple courses. In this pilot project, for the first time, a remotely-located MCL will support a single course, Precalculus, across multiple schools and districts. NCSSM is uniquely positioned to provide this support for teachers and students given expertise from the residential program in employing mathematical modeling and student-centered instruction to produce enhanced student engagement and achievement.
The grant funds an additional position in the mathematics department to plan and deliver precalculus instruction. A current faculty member will serve as the Remote MCL, supporting teachers and teaching students across North Carolina through NCSSM’s interactive videoconferencing studios.
The partnership will reach students in two to four school districts selected by NCSSM’s Distance Education and Extended Programs and Public Impact. Key figures in the search and implementation of the partnership include Melissa Thibault, vice chancellor of distance education and extended programs, Jamie Lathan, dean of distance education, Kendall Hageman, director of distance education and extended programs, and senior consultant at Public Impact, Grayson Cooper ’08.
Dean of Mathematics Taylor Gibson said the program is looking to target schools outside the Triangle area. “We are looking for the schools that could benefit the most,” Gibson said. The program will be provided free of cost to participating schools and districts.
Participating teachers will receive personalized, ongoing support and training from NCSSM’s Remote MCL. The pilot is well-timed to also feature a new release of NCSSM’s authored textbook, Contemporary Precalculus Through Applications, in a digital format that allows for greater interactivity and new instructional approaches. Over the course of the 2018-2019 academic year, NCSSM and Public Impact will document the process so that schools and districts beyond those selected for the pilot program will also have the chance to benefit from the Remote MCL model.
For further information, interested teachers, schools, and districts may contact:
Melissa Thibault
Vice Chancellor of Distance Education and Extended Programs
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
(919) 416-2877
Grayson Cooper
Senior Consultant
Public Impact
(919) 590-4146