|
On August 5, 2009, PREP-KC hosted principals, teachers and administrators from the Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri, Independence, Hickman Mills, Grandview and Center school districts in order to share experiences and discuss common challenges facing today’s math teachers.
This first-ever, day-long Math Benchmarking Conference included approximately 80 high school teachers and administrators who had one goal in mind: to significantly improve the rigor of high school math instruction so that every student is prepared for college-level math and 21st century careers.
After a general welcome session – with speakers Susan Wally, PREP-KC President and CEO, and Leo Morton, PREP-KC board Chairman and UMKC Chancellor – participants attended a series of interactive sessions, each focused on improving strategies for teaching math to today’s high school students.
"As I was growing up, a solid public education prepared me for college and a successful corporate career,” Morton said. “PREP-KC’s strategies are ensuring that Kansas City’s urban students will have the chance to be prepared for college and careers in the 21st century.”
The conference’s breakout sessions included:
- Moving from a culture of remediation to a culture of acceleration
- Developing supports that improve student motivation
- Increasing student success in college-level math
"Like many of the math teachers and curriculum leaders at the conference, I thought I was alone with the challenges I was facing," said Sally Newell, Director of Secondary Curriculum for the Center School District. "Listening to the teachers and administrators from PREP-KC's regional districts talk about how they found ways to overcome challenges to improving the rigor of math instruction helped me accelerate our improvement process. We all walked out of that session with a lot of new ideas that we immediately implemented in the classroom."
Learn more about Math Benchmarking.
|
