A new foundation hopes to entice top college math majors into careers as high school teachers in New York City public schools with the promise of tuition for graduate school, as well as annual stipends for four years.
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The New York City-based Math for America Foundation, established by investment banker Jim Simons, announced last week a $25 million initiative to improve mathematics teaching in the city. The foundation will select up to 200 recent college graduates and midcareer professionals to earn master’s degrees in math education and certification to teach in city schools.
The foundation will pay for the recipients’ schooling and provide an additional $28,000 during the one-year graduate program. The Newton Fellows, as they will be called, will receive an additional $12,500 a year for their initial four years as teachers. Forty veteran math teachers are also being recruited for extra training, with the promise of a $50,000 stipend over a four-year period.
“We would really like to increase the pool of good math teachers, with an emphasis on ‘good,’ and an emphasis on ‘math,’ ” said Irwin Kra, Math for America’s executive director.
The first 13 fellows are expected to start teaching next September. Forty more fellows and 10 Newton Master Teachers are expected to complete the training in time for the start of the 2006-07 school year, according to Mr. Kra.
