Growing Math Teachers
and Institutional Agents
Katrine Czajkowski (Mar Vista HS)
Rafaela M. Santa Cruz (SDSU)
Background:
• Will take advantage of relationships developed with
mathematics teachers through SDSU professional
development projects such as the San Diego
Mathematics Project and the Professional Development
Collaborative.
• Will add to the services provided by various outreach
programs such as the SDSU Compact for Success and
the College Readiness Program
• Will build on SDSU community college transfer
programs
Objectives:
• Increase the number of community college advanced
mathematics students who successfully transfer to
bachelor’s-granting IHEs, earning degrees in
mathematics and science
• Develop relationships among successful, diverse
community college students and aspiring, diverse high
school students
• Integrate community college student math tutors within
supportive communities of exemplary high school
teachers
Central components:
1. Recruit diverse community college students currently enrolled
in advanced mathematics courses
2. Hire community college students to serve as AVID tutors in
high school math classes
3. Train and support tutors to work closely with both students and
teachers
4. Support practicing teachers to serve as mentors and role models
for classroom tutors
5. Encourage and support tutors’ successful transition to
bachelor’s-granting IHEs
6. Maintain long-term relationships with tutors and encourage
them to consider pursuing careers as secondary math and
science teachers
1. Recruit diverse community college students
currently enrolled in advanced mathematics
courses
 Seek students enrolled in Calculus II or more advanced
math courses.
 Visit classes to explain the value of bicultural and
bilingual contributions to local schools.
 Explain mutual benefits of participation with shared
goals.
 Nurture teacher-to-teacher relationships between
college and high school instructors
2. Hire community college students to serve as
AVID tutors in high school math classes
 Concentrate placement of tutors at limited sites for
maximum coherence and support.
 Offer competitive pay that does not undercut
complementary initiatives.
 Connect the program to categorical efforts supporting
implementation of the Consolidated Site Plan at
participating high schools.
 Assign tutors to work with a specific group of
cooperating teachers at each site.
 Develop, implement and monitor use of a collaborative
model maximizing tutor contributions to classrooms.
3. Train and support tutors to work closely with both
students and teachers
 Clearly communicate tutor and teacher roles and
expectations. Consider writing “job descriptions.”
 Build tutors’ work schedules around their college
schedules and provide as many hours as requested or
possible (10-19/wk).
 Place tutors in classrooms and after-school
programs/services.
 Recognize initiative and collaboration by providing
extra duty pay for teachers and tutors.
3. Train and support tutors to work closely with both
students and teachers
 Introduce tutors to critical measures of external
evaluation of students, teachers and schools (API/AYP,
CAHSEE, CSTs (and EAP), ELM, etc.)
 Provide frequent opportunities for tutors to meet and
discuss their efforts and related issues (at least
monthly).
 Expose tutors to Math Project workshops and
opportunities.
 Acknowledge, validate, and address the contradictions
and conflicts tutors encounter and engage.
4. Support practicing teachers to serve as mentors
and role models for classroom tutors
 Identify teachers with strong content knowledge,
pedagogical expertise, concern for equity, and
leadership capacity.
 Build a team (3-4) of these individuals and follow their
direction regarding placement of tutors.
 Assign tutors to these teachers’ classrooms in groups.
 Provide teachers with training regarding tutor use and
instructional strategies maximizing their contributions.
 Pay teachers for the extra time required to participate.
5. Encourage and support tutors’ successful
transition to bachelor’s-granting IHEs
 Nurture relationships between tutors and teachers.
 Encourage networking among tutors.
 Provide opportunities for tutors to lead: curriculum
development, instructional activity design, formative
assessment of student progress, etc.
 Match work schedules to college schedules.
 Provide flexibility when necessary: finals, schedule
changes, weekly hour changes, etc.
 Ensure tutors consistent access to supportive staff at
both high school and college levels.
6. Maintain long-term relationships with tutors and
encourage them to consider pursuing careers as
secondary math and science teachers
 Invest time in learning about tutors’ lives outside of
work.
 Help tutors with practical issues: transcripts, reference
letters, contacts at IHE’s, summer work, etc.
 Provide varied educational experiences: classroom
tutoring, after-school service, professional and
curriculum development, extracurricular activities, etc.
 Celebrate accomplishments: course completions,
transfers, graduations, weddings, children, etc.!
Summary
• Many gifted high school math students do not enroll in
four-year schools upon graduation.
• Too many successful high school students from
marginalized communities leave four-year schools
within their first two years.
• Motivated community college students may have
maturity and life experience that translate to “staying
power” needed to become certificated math teachers.
• The diversity of community college students mirrors
demographics of many CA High Schools. This
diversity is painfully lacking among current math
teachers in most schools.