June 29, 2005 

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Eric Solomon: (202) 994-3087, solomone@gwu.edu
Lonnie Shekhtman: 202-326-6434, lshekhtm@aaas.org

GW INAUGURATES MATHEMATICS MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAM
 FOR D.C. SCHOOL TEACHERS 

GW's College of Professional Studies and Mathematics Department Partner with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and D.C. Public Schools to Aid Math Teachers

WASHINGTON - If Johnny can't count, who can parents and school officials go to for help in Washington, D.C.? A group of 19 dedicated D.C. middle-grade teachers are now studying to serve as masters of mathematics and mentors for their peers and students in public, private, and charter schools. These teachers are pursuing a Professional Master's Degree in Middle-School Mathematics, a new degree at The George Washington University.

The new curriculum is part of a program administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in partnership with the D.C. Public School System, GW's Department of Mathematics, Department of Teacher Preparation and Special Education, and its College of Professional Studies, which runs the master's degree program. Funding for the program, called DC FAME (DC Fellows for the Advancement of Mathematics Education), was provided by the D.C. State Education Office, through the Mathematics and Science Partnership Program of the U.S. Department of Education. Recently, the same partnership has secured funding to develop a similar master's degree program at GW for D.C. Public Schools' science teachers.
 
In fall 2005, another 20 teachers are expected to join the initial 19 now enrolled in the three-year program. Florence Fasanelli of AAAS Education and Human Resources explained that the 39 master teachers will work directly with five peers each week for two years. "There are only 250 middle-grade mathematics teachers in D.C.," said Fasanelli, who serves as mathematician-in-residence for the program. "We hope to reach every teacher through the DC FAME program, and to help improve mathematics teaching and hence, learning, on every level."

Through DC FAME, the master teachers meet with each other on a weekly basis to practice mathematics and compare teaching styles and methods. In addition to their graduate studies, they also are being provided opportunities to meet leading mathematics educators from around the country. The fellows will convene daily at AAAS, from July 5-22, to examine the mathematics curricular materials for middle grades from the perspective of higher mathematics. From 2-5 p.m., the 19 DC Fame teachers will meet with Dan Ullman, GW professor and chairman of the mathematics department, seeking ways to improve mathematics teaching and learning in D.C. schools.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal, Science (www.sciencemag.org). AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes some 262 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of one million. The nonprofit AAAS (www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org, the premier science news Web site, a service of AAAS.

Located four blocks from the White House, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the nation's capital. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, law, engineering, education, business, and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 120 countries.

For more information about this program and others offered at
GW?s College of Professional Studies, visit www.cps.gwu.edu.
For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.

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