NKU awarded NSF grant to get math-minded students into high-need schools

Northern Kentucky University’s was awarded a $897,690 National Science Foundation Grant that will fund scholarships for talented undergrads to teach math in high-need schools.The grant is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or national stimulus, and will create at least 28 two-year scholarships for NKU junior math majors who plan to teach in high schools as part of the Regional Increases in Mathematics Educators (PRIME) program. NKU’s Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics and the Kentucky Center for Mathematics will both play a role in the program.  “This grant provides a tremendous opportunity for students interested in teaching secondary mathematics,” said NKU professor Kirsten Fleming, who will coordinate the program. “Students will be supported and mentored as undergraduates students and during their early years of teaching.”The $10,000 scholarships can be renewed for a year and work in conjunction with a larger collaborative effort to train and recruit good math teachers. NKU, along with Cincinnati State and Technical and Community College will sponsor summer programs aimed at encouraging freshman and sophomore to become math teachers. The higher learning institutions also will join for a teacher prep program. The students will teach in Covington Independent, Newport Independent and Cincinnati Public Schools.“Increasing the number of well-qualified secondary mathematics teachers, particularly in high-need schools, is key to ensuring that students receive the foundation needed to be successful in college and the workplace,” Fleming said.