Massachusetts Department of Education Awards Grant to Harvard Graduate School of Education

Nearly One-Half Million Dollar Grant Supports Math and Sciences

Today, the Harvard Graduate School of Education announces that the Massachusetts Department of Education has awarded the school a 3-year, $459,000 grant through the Massachusetts Math and Science Partnership Program.

HGSE will partner with Cambridge Public Schools, Boston Renaissance Charter School, Prospect Hill Academy Charter School, the Richard J. Murphy School in Boston, and the Education Collaborative — a consortium of 11 metro-west districts — to offer content training and classroom- based support to middle-school mathematics teachers.

The project, led by HGSE Senior Lecturer and director of the Teacher Education Program, Dr. Katherine K. Merseth, will involve working with teams of accomplished educators from each partnering organization to draft case materials about common challenges that teachers and students encounter with middle school math concepts. Distinguished math and science faculty from Harvard College will assist in the development of the case studies, which will serve as the basis of a course that will be offered tuition-free to teachers from the partner districts. The Project will provide follow-up support to the teachers who complete the course through the use of videotaping and school-based inquiry groups.

"This grant allows us to address a most critical need in Massachusetts schools — the teaching of mathematics at the middle school level," said Merseth. "We are proud to have the opportunity to involve outstanding faculty members and innovative teaching methods in local schools and to address student and teacher learning in Massachusetts."

For More Information

Contact Kay Merseth at 617-496-3785 or kay_merseth@gse.harvard.edu.