Advancing Teachers of Mathematics to Advance Learning for All (ATMALA) will serve the national interest in strengthening mathematics teaching and learning for underserved students and communities in urban areas in and near Orange County in southern California. The primary focus of the project will be at the middle school and early high school level, a pivotal time during which students' self-concepts about and interest in pursuing mathematics are crystallized. To this end, through funding from Track 3: Master Teacher Fellowships of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program, ATMALA will create a cadre of 20 Master Teaching Fellows who will receive up to $17,000 per year for up to 5 years ($85,000 total) for their engagement in project activities. These Master Teaching Fellows will be teacher-leaders in high impact districts serving a significant population of English language learners, who will not only model effective instructional practice but will also support their peers in learning to do so. ATMALA will offer a model for supporting instructional shifts in schools where students historically have had less access to deep mathematics learning. The Master Teaching Fellows will become experts in their use of culturally responsive mathematics teaching (CRMT)- an approach that values students' cultural assets and focuses on authentic and relevant mathematical experiences - and the eight Mathematics Teaching Practices (MTPs) identified by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. As a result, they will become leaders in their districts who support current and future colleagues in their use of CRMT and the MTPs. To accomplish these goals, each Master Teaching Fellow will: (1) work to earn National Board Certification; (2) demonstrate competency in using CRMT and the MTPs; (3) support colleagues' professional growth by creating and facilitating engagement with microcredential modules, each focused on a well-defined skill related to CRMT and the MTPs; and (4) support future teachers as cooperating teachers.

See press release here.
​
Image of Abaciscus Atmala by Didier Descouens - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16143721

---