MidCareer Math and Science Program (MCMS)

The MidCareer Math and Science Program (MCMS) addresses the critical shortage of well-qualified secondary teachers in mathematics and the sciences. Working closely with cooperating urban middle- and secondary-schools, the MCMS Program provides an opportunity for mid-career professionals from non-educational, but technically oriented fields, to become effective secondary science and mathematics teachers. (Note: To be considered “mid-career,” applicants must have at least five years of applicable work experience.)

Objectives

The objectives of the MidCareer Math and Science Program are:

• To tap a previously under-utilized labor pool — mid-career professionals with a commitment to youth — to help students learn mathematics and science appropriate for their futures;
• To kindle an intense commitment, interest, and pride in the work of practicing educators that has been sorely missed in the past decade;
• To provide an innovative model for other educational institutions across the country to address the condition of secondary math and science education;
• To prepare leaders and agents for organizational and social change in classrooms, schools, and society. These teachers will understand the role of organizational dynamics and power relationships in their work.

Background

The MCMS Program is an eleven-month program that combines teaching practica and clinical internships in area urban schools with courses that address teaching techniques, literacy, the role of race and ethnicity in learning, adolescent development, school reform, issues in urban education, and other subject-related courses. The centerpiece of the Program is extensive fieldwork in secondary classrooms that seeks to bring real-world applications of math and science into secondary classrooms. MCMS candidates come from fields as varied as business, technology, scientific research, engineering, and medicine. Recent graduates have worked in electrical, computer, and civil engineering, biotechnology and microbiology. Investment bankers, members of the U.S. military, Foreign Service and U.S. Diplomatic Service, experts from the U.S. Weather Service and NASA, as well as veterinary technicians, geologists and genetic researchers have successfully completed the program as well.

MCMS enrolls an average of 10 students per year. Graduates may receive certification and licensure at grades 5-8 in the following fields: biology, earth science, general science, and mathematics. At grades 8-12, certification and licensure may be received in biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics and physics. No previous teaching experience is required for entrance into the program. Click here for information on requirements and certification.

The MCMS Program reflects the emphasis of the Harvard Graduate School of Education on integrating practice and theory. This is accomplished through explicit connections between curricula and pedagogy, and between field-based experiences and critical reflection on the nature and purposes of teaching and learning. Founded in 1983, this highly successful program has helped to attract and retain well-trained individuals, and has served as a national model for other universities and state legislatures in addressing the shortage of teachers in the high-need fields of math and science.

The Teacher Education Program actively pursues funding to support mid-career professionals in MCMS. Please contact the Program for information regarding current funding opportunities.

Teacher Journals

During the 2001-2002 academic year and again during the current year, several students have agreed to share their journals about learning to teach on the HGSE website. These students describe their work in urban schools, their coursework at Harvard, and the challenges and exhilarations of becoming a first-rate urban teacher. For a chance to experience and explore the program through the eyes of a student, visit Teacher Journals: In School with Educators.

Recognition

The National research Council recently cited the MidCareer Math and Science Program as a exemplar of a nontraditional K-12 Teacher Preparation Program in its report Attracting PhDs to K-12 Education: A Demonstration Program for Science, Mathematics, and Technology (2002)

MCMS class of 2004