In this section we provide answers to the questions most frequently asked about our inservice programs. If you don’t find the information you’re seeking here, please feel free to contact us.

Q. How do you decide where to offer Math Solutions courses?

A. We respond to requests that we receive from teachers, math supervisors, and district administrators who are working to improve math instruction. Each request begins the process of exploring how Math Solutions courses can help implement and support lasting change.

Q. Where can I attend a Math Solutions course?

A. Most of our courses are offered by schools or districts for their teachers. For information about bringing a course to your school or district, see our Courses section.

Q. I see that most Math Solutions courses are for teachers in kindergarten through grade 8. What focus will there be on the particular needs of the grade level I teach?

A. It depends on the course format, which is customized for the educators in your school or district. Often one-day or multiday courses will be tailored to a specific grade range. During math institutes, which are usually presented district-wide, teachers attend grade-level sessions for part of each day, meeting with one instructor throughout the week who has had extensive experience with students that age. However, during the rest of the week, teachers meet in randomly formed K–8 groups. In these sessions, the focus is on learning mathematics, and participants attend sessions taught by all of the instructors on site. Also, large-group sessions are held during the week in which all participants meet together to focus on particular educational and pedagogical topics.

Q. What’s the difference between About Teaching Mathematics I and About Teaching Mathematics II?

A. About Teaching Mathematics I presents teachers with practical and proven ways to increase the effectiveness of their math teaching. Using classroom-tested activities, the course shows teachers how to develop students’ ability to think and reason, build students’ number sense and computation skills, use manipulative materials, and organize instruction for cooperative and individual learning. Course leaders with extensive classroom experience address specific grade-level needs. About Teaching Mathematics II is a second-summer continuation of About Teaching Mathematics I. The course is designed for teachers who have had classroom experience with using the ideas, activities, and approaches learned in About Teaching Mathematics I. Teachers receive feedback and help with their classroom instruction, view videotapes of classroom lessons, examine student work, and investigate new classroom activities. Assessment and student writing are integral to the course.

Q. It seems that some districts offer Math Solutions courses for three, four, or more successive years. What is their plan?

A. A growing number of districts are working with us in a partnership plan for change. Through our long-term partnerships, which usually span three or more years, we’re able to offer math institutes as well as school-year professional development and, in turn, provide support for planning, implementing, and sustaining system-wide improvement in mathematics teaching. Partnership programs are driven by specific needs identified by your district. Plans of this kind involve not only teachers but principals, math supervisors, district staff developers, school board members, and parents.

Click here to find out more about the types of partnerships we’re involved in.

Q. I'd like to be able to talk with someone from a district like mine to find out about how Math Solutions served him or her. Is this possible?

A. Yes. Just call our office at 800.868.9092 to speak with our Client Relations manager. You can also send a message to crservices@mathsolutions.com.

Q. How do districts fund Math Solutions?

A. Well-known sources are Title I; Title II, Part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruitment Fund); and Title II, Part B (Math and Science Partnership). Corporate or private foundations, such as the Exxon Education Foundation and Toyota TIME, offer support from a national level. For continual updates on funding sources, check these websites: ed.gov (click on “Grants & Contracts”) and nsf.gov.

Note: The U.S. Department of Education’s website, ed.gov, allows you to create a personal profile in which you receive regular updates about new funding opportunities as they become available.

Many funding sources funnel through state departments of education. Private foundations in every state support mathematics education reform and improvement. Consult the website of your state department of education or contact Math Solutions for more information on how you can obtain state funding for Math Solutions courses.

Community foundations often combine resources to make something important happen for local schools. Consider submitting a proposal requesting their sponsorship in exchange for you or your team presenting a program upon your return from a Math Solutions course.

For more information, just call our office at 800.868.9092 to speak with a representative from Sales and Client Relations, or send a message to crservices@mathsolutions.com.

Q. Can an individual teacher attend any Math Solutions course?

A. Unless otherwise noted on our schedule, all Math Solutions courses are open to teachers from outside the host district.

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