Transition to Teaching Math and Science Program Provides Financial, Professional Development Support for MidCareer Math and Science Candidates

With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, in collaboration with the Boston Plan for Excellence and the Boston Public Schools, has developed the Transition to Teaching Math and Science (T2MS) Program to address the shortage of qualified math and science teachers in Boston's middle and high schools.

This two-year program provides academic and teaching experiences as well as targeted support and guidance for selected MidCareer Math and Science candidates who seek certification specifically to teach in Boston's secondary schools. Stressing the balance between theory and practice, the program focuses on how participants can translate their subject-matter knowledge and expertise into curriculum that will best serve the diversity and needs of Boston's adolescent youth.

To apply to T2MS, applicants must first be accepted into the MidCareer Math and Science Program at HGSE. From that pool, selected candidates receive funding. Recognizing that many mid-career professionals need to be employed while making a career change to teaching, T2MS provides its first-year participants with a $4,000 stipend and $10,000 for their role as BPS interns. Upon successful completion of their first year, T2MS students earn the equivalent of the Initial Teaching Certification from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in at least one science or math subject area at the middle or high school level and a Masters of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Participants who qualify to continue into the second year of T2MS are hired as full-time, paid teachers in the Boston Public Schools (at a starting salary of $42,000) and receive on-going support from HGSE as well as an additional $4,000 stipend for their work in the program.

For More Information

Contact Susan Kandel at 617-495-8854 or Margaret R. Haas at 617-496-1884