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Math for America San Diego is a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) organization with tax exempt status. We welcome support in any amount.
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Our Mission
MfA SD provides highly trained exemplary math teachers dedicated to improving achievement in secondary schools throughout San Diego County. |
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 Dear Math for America San Diego Friend,
Welcome to the first issue of the
Math for America San Diego newsletter. Our aim is to keep you up to date on our
events and accomplishments as our organization continues to
grow.
Since the program began in 2008,
we have successfully recruited 16 outstanding teaching fellows. This spring,
four fellows will complete their first year of teaching at Escondido and Morse
High Schools. Our remaining 12 fellows will finish their teaching credential
programs and begin their teaching careers this fall. We have just completed our interview process and will be welcoming 10 new fellows this summer. All are benefitting from
the rich professional development and support provided by the Math for America
San Diego fellowship.
Your continued support of
Math for America San Diego is vital to the success of our program. We benefit
from our enthusiastic partners at the university and district levels, and from
public and private support.
We are especially grateful for
the generous gifts from the James B. Ax Foundation, the Mara Breech Family
Foundation, the Todd Gutschow Family Foundation, Joan and Irwin Jacobs Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation and the
Viterbi Family Foundation of the Jewish Community Foundation. Their support and
encouragement are truly appreciated as we work towards improving math education
in our schools. We hope you enjoy our newsletter and welcome your feedback and
suggestions.
All the best,Barbara EdwardsExecutive Director
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NSF Grant Funds 2009-10 Fellowships
The National Science Foundation Robert
Noyce Teachers
Scholarship Program awarded $1.5 million to fund the
2009 MfA SD fellows
and will provide
major support for incoming 2010 fellows this fall. The national Math for
America program also awarded the MfA SD site matching grant funds in recognition
of the program's fast-paced growth and strong partnerships.
"We're encouraged by NSF's
acknowledgment of our work and by the financial support we've received," said
Barbara Edwards, MfA SD executive director. "These grants allow us to carry out
our mission to attract, educate and retain new math teachers committed to
teaching students in low-income schools. We've got a lot of work ahead of us,
and are excited to have funding available as we move forward." |
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End of Year Dinner Honors 2009 Fellows
MfA SD 2009 Fellows
 | The 2009 MfA SD cohort celebrates completion of its first fellowship year at a dinner in their honor at Karl Strauss Brewing Company Sorrento Mesa. "This year's fellows are a talented, enthusiastic and dedicated group," said Barbara Edwards, executive director. "they've been hard at work managing first year activities will pursuing their teaching credentials."
MfA SD
2009 Fellows (top left to right): Myron Kwai (CSUSM), Robbie Chasse
(SDSU), Jim Farrar (SDSU) and Brett Patrick (UCSD). Bottom (from
left): Stacy Coakley (CSUSM), Tiana Rutsch (CSUSM), Erin Berry (UCSD),
Yvette Givens (CSUSM), Eunice Lee (UCSD) and Vanessa Davis (SDSU). |
Students Play at BE WiSE Math Workshops
"The Math Behind the Games You Play" workshop series, hosted by Math for America San Diego, encouraged participants to discover math concepts in a variety of popular puzzles and games. Under the leadership of MfA SD fellows, high school girls enrolled in BE WiSE (Better Education for Women in Science & Engineering) mastered the art of origami, learned how to play Sudoku, Ken-Ken and how to solve the Rubik's Cube. BE WiSE is a San Diego Science Alliance program supporting young women interested in science and engineering professions.MfA Fellow Yvette Givens works with BE WiSE Student  |
The BE WiSE workshops are part of first year activities for MfA SD fellows. Each year fellows must design and teach problem-solving lessons in a fun and engaging way. This year's workshops were held on the campus of UC San Diego in November and February.
BE WiSE
executive director Patricia Winter is pleased with the positive collaboration between the two organizations. "Math for America San Diego's creative workshops for middle and high school girls spark interest in how math is applied in everyday life," Winter said. "We're delighted our BE WiSE participants benefit from the knowledge and skills of these dynamic math fellows.
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MfA SD Hosts NCTM Dinner
MfA SD hosted a dinner for 100 MfA fellows and staff from across the
country at this year's National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) annual meeting. The dinner, held April 22 at the Hard
Rock Hotel San Diego, was an opportunity for fellows and other
members of the MfA community to meet and enjoy an evening of good food and new
friendships.
MfA national president John Ewing and MfA SD's Barbara Edwards welcomed
guests and introduced fellows and staff members from the New York, Los Angeles, Utah,
Washington, D.C. and San Diego sites. Guests were encouraged to dine with
fellows from other sites to meet and share their experiences as MfA Fellows. The 2011 NCTM national conference will be held
April 13-16 in Indianapolis, IN.
Pictured:
MfA SD Fellows Jim Farrar (left) and Vanessa Davis with MfA SD board
member, MfA LA faculty advisor and Harvey Mudd College mathematics professor Dr. Darryl Yong. |
"What's At Stake" - Second Annual Advisory Council Meeting
Addresses Urgent Need for Better Mathematics Teachers Discussion centered around the grim reality of math achievement in the
U.S. and recommendations to address the problem at the second annual Math for America San Diego Advisory Council meeting on January 15, 2010. The
dinner meeting format also included an overview of MfA SD's professional development program by
UC San Diego mathematics professor Dr. Guershon Harel.
A video presentation on the math crisis facing our schools, created by MfA SD executive director Barbara Edwards, prompted table discussion on the challenges and ramifications of a
math-illiterate society. "Our board recognizes the critical need for an educated workforce able to
compete globally in the 21st century," said Mark Baldwin, chairman.
"Math for America San Diego was specifically designed to help combat the
shortage of knowledgeable math teachers needed in our most under served schools.
Our program is on the right path."
The 2010 MfA SD Advisory Council includes:- Mark
Baldwin, Dean, CSU
San Marcos College
of Education
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Sarah
Breech, Mara Breech Family Foundation
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Barbara
Bry, Associate Publisher and Executive Editor, San Diego News Network
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Robert
Collins, Superintendent, Grossmont Union School District
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Amanda
Datnow, Director, UCSD Education Studies
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Ric
Hovda, Dean, SDSU
College of Education
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Jennifer
Jeffries, Interim Dean, CSUSM
College of Arts &
Sciences
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Brian
Keating, Associate Professor, UCSD Physics Department
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Al
Kern, Director, Biotechnology Programs, CSUSM
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William
Kowba, Interim Superintendent, San Diego Unified School District
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Irwin
Kra, Former Executive Director, Math for America (National Office)
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Stanley Maloy, Dean, SDSU College
of Sciences
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Hugh
Mehan, Director, CREATE, UCSD
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Ed
Nelson, Superintendent, Escondido
Union High
School District
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Larry
Perondi, Superintendent, Oceanside Unified School
District
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Patricia
Prado-Olmos, Associate Dean, CSU
San Marcos College
of Education
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Chris
Reising, Director of Teacher Recruitment, SDCOE
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Karen
Rizzi, Assistant Superintendent, Escondido
Union High
School District
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Duane
Roth, CEO, CONNECT
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Randall
Souviney, Former Director, UCSD Education Studies
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Mark
Thiemens, Dean, UCSD Division of Physical Sciences
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Rene
Townsend, Former Superintendent, Vista and Coronado
Unified School Districts
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Patricia
Winter, Director, BE WiSE
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Darryl
Yong, Associate Professor, Harvey Mudd College Mathematics Department, MfA LA Faculty Advisor
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"What's At Stake"
Presented January 15, 2010 at MfA SD Annual Advisory Council Meeting.
| Click Here to view YouTube video
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Key facts about the grim reality of math achievement in the
U.S. today, why turning this around is critical to our economy and our
future, and recommendations for addressing the problem.
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