The Metro State Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, in partnership with Denver Public Schools, recently secured a $70,589 grant to increase the number of highly qualified middle school math teachers in Colorado.

The one-year grant was awarded to Metro by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Improving Teacher Quality program.

"We know this (mathematics instruction in middle schools) is an area that needs attention," said Charlotte Murphy, department chair. "Our department has a strong program with a strong faculty and a proven track record in securing grants."

The need for more highly qualified math teachers in metropolitan-area middle schools is a serious one, according to educators and researchers. The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 calls for "highly qualified" teachers in every middle school classroom. Under the law, middle school math teachers meet that standard if they have completed 24 semester hours of mathematics content preparation.

Faculty from Metro's mathematics and math education programs will work with national experts throughout this spring and summer to research and develop a content-focused program of mathematics coursework. The first course will then be taught to area teachers in the fall.

The coursework will be geared toward Metro students who wish to be middle school math teachers and meet specific requirements; current teachers who are not "highly qualified" in math, such as teachers trained in another subject who may or may not be teaching math; and current teachers who are "highly qualified" in math and interested in continuing education.