LeMoyne-Owen College believes that it is essential to strengthen the mathematics expertise of elementary school teachers in order to:

• Address the achievement gap in elementary student mathematics;
• Build a firm mathematics foundation for these students for later study in middle school and high school;
• Break the cycle of under-preparedness in mathematics.

Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Tennessee State University (TSU) have partnered to involve a consortium of Tennessee HBCUs in a large-scale professional development program over the course of five years.  LeMoyne-Owen College is very pleased to have been selected to participate in this program.  This is the second year of implementation of SITES-M at LeMoyne-Owen College.

Together, with our partner school, Cummings Elementary, LeMoyne-Owen College will reach out  to both in-service teachers at Cummings Elementary and pre-service teachers, who are enrolled at LeMoyne-Owen College. Through a series of professional development activities that include summer institutes, school-year Saturday Math workshops, and training in the use of the ETS standardized observation protocols, ETS weekly Mathematics Challenges, we will organize and offer the newest thinking in professional development for mathematics education.   The focus will be on standards-based instruction that is aimed at increasing teachers’ mathematics content and pedagogical knowledge. Most importantly, students who are enrolled in participating schools will improve their mathematics proficiency, as evidenced on multiple measures,  and increase their enjoyment of mathematics.

Additionally, we have a unique opportunity to reach teachers in the schools of the greater Memphis area.  By establishing a collaborative effort that focuses on both pre-service and in-service teachers who will work jointly in the areas of standards-based instruction, new research-based approaches to teaching mathematics, these teachers will improve their abilities to deliver high quality mathematics instruction.