In partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education and local public school districts, Belmont University has announced a new initiative to recruit, train and support the next generation of mathematics teachers in the Mid-state region.
The newly established Belmont University Math Teacher Residency will leverage partnerships with area school systems (including in several rural communities) to enable high-quality potential candidates to become mathematics teachers in secondary schools across Middle Tennessee.
With $2 million in grant funding awarded to Belmont University through a competitive state grant process, the program will place each teacher candidate in an in-school ‘residency’: a paid educational position in a classroom where they will learn from and receive support from an experienced mentor teacher. Concurrently, candidates will enroll in high-quality, intensive online coursework at Belmont, deepening their content knowledge and learning effective pedagogical strategies. Belmont professors will work alongside candidates’ mentor teachers to ensure that instruction has immediate and meaningful classroom application.
“At Belmont we are committed to solving complex problems that keep our communities from thriving,” said Belmont President Dr. Greg Jones. “This incredible new program will tackle one of those challenges (access to education) by providing high quality mathematics educators for a variety of communities, including those in more rural areas of the Middle Tennessee region. I am excited for this program and look forward to the many ways it will further our opportunities to help communities and people flourish.”
This new program will recruit, train, and support two cohorts of 25 candidates over the next two years, meeting a need in local public schools. Candidates will complete the program in one year, graduating with a Master of Arts in Teaching and with eligibility for initial licensure as a math teacher in Tennessee.
Teacher candidates will have tuition for the graduate degree program discounted by 86%. The program aims to develop 50 exceptional math teachers who will commit to staying within their residency district for at least five years after graduation and be well prepared to deliver high quality instruction.
The math teacher residency will leverage effective practices from Belmont’s highly successful existing Teacher Residency Partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools, including recruiting a diverse pool of aspiring math teachers. Candidates can also pursue an additional endorsement in English as a Second Language.
“Belmont University’s College of Education always seeks to support and meaningfully enhance the education of students in our region,” said Dean of the College of Education Dr. Jim McIntyre. “This grant initiative will enable us to do exactly that by partnering with local school districts, including in rural communities, to meet one their greatest needs: excellent math teachers.”
