and Challenges

The opportunities for mathematics department faculty from institutions of higher education (IHEs) to work with middle school mathematics teachers are on the rise; the U.S. Department of Education has allocated almost $800 million for mathematics and science partnerships since 2004 that require collaboration between faculty from IHEs departments of arts and sciences and school districts. Changes in credentialing requirements due to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mean that middle school mathematics teachers must take more mathematics content courses, yet current offerings for teachers in many mathematics departments typically focus on elementary or high school mathematics and often neglect the needs of middle school teachers. This article talks about the efforts of a group of mathematics faculty and school district personnel to develop mathematics courses that would help middle school teachers develop a Profound Understanding of Middle School Mathematics. An explanation of the curriculum structure – highlighted by the teachers’ responses – is given here