A Message from Amy

Impact—one word with which we sum up the complexity of how our work affects the world.

When I was teaching, I saw the impact of my work on a daily basis: the look on a student’s face when a difficult concept suddenly clicked or watching students collaborate to solve a challenging problem. And special milestones like congratulating a proud student at graduation made me feel that I contributed in a small way to her accomplishment.

I don’t experience those same kinds of moments working at the Dana Center. Now, I am more likely to see numbers than faces. It’s a different kind of impact—larger scale, but less personal, and sometimes harder to explain to others. For example, today my heartwarming story to share with my husband at the end of the day is about a policy memo.

The Arkansas Department of Higher Education recently released recommendations on the applicability of quantitative literacy to programs of study. In that memo, I saw a picture of a not-so-distant future in which, every year, thousands of students in Arkansas will find transfer a little less confusing and onerous, will move towards completion of their degrees more quickly, and will save money by not having to take additional courses. Entering students more likely will take a course with content that is relevant to their goals and interests. Since this is a critical factor in motivation, those students will be more likely to learn and appreciate mathematics.

This memo came out of a process in which mathematics faculty across the state set a vision for improving entry-level college mathematics programs. They were supported by the Department of Higher Education and the Arkansas Center for Student Success and by their administrators and institutional leaders. Faculty in partner disciplines helped identify the math needed in their fields. Advisors and other student affairs professionals will help make the recommendations a reality for students. This is truly systemic change. We at the Dana Center are proud that we had a role in supporting these committed, hard-working educators in creating a better future for their students.

It isn’t quite the same as getting a hug in the receiving line at graduation, but I like to think that because of our work at the Dana Center, many more faculty will be congratulating many more students in the future. That’s impact.


Amy Getz
Manager, Systems Implementation for Higher Education
The Charles A. Dana Center
 

What We Are Doing

DCMP Expands Impact with “Deep Dive” Work in Four States

The steady nationwide growth of the Dana Center Mathematics Pathways (DCMP) initiative expands to new, extended collaborations with higher education systems and institutions in four states: California, North Carolina, Georgia, and Maine. With the addition of these four major engagements, the DCMP continues to have substantial impact on the development of mathematics pathways in over 30 states since the project began in 2012.

Learn about our new collaborations.

 

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Have you seen MathPaths yet? Launched last month, our MathPaths videos profile working STEM professionals who detail how mathematics impacts their personal lives and careers. With three MathPaths profiles available now and more due to be released in coming weeks, our featured professionals demonstrate the ways math is used to innovate, plan, measure, and understand solutions to real-world challenges. These videos are perfect to use in the classroom, for student advising, or to help prompt strong inspiration among aspiring mathematicians.

Visit www.MathPaths.org now.

 

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Beyond developing and applying expertise in mathematics and pedagogy, beyond adhering to rigid sets of rules and expectations in the name of “fairness,” how can educators most fundamentally impact students’ experiences as learners? Connie Richardson explores these questions in the Dana Center’s blog.

Read about Connie’s “light bulb moment” here.

Explore much more from the Dana Center’s thought leaders on our blog.
 

What We Are Reading
 

One of the clearest ways to see the impact of mathematics pathways is by exploring the ways in which different math pathways implementation teams address institutional and systemic challenges. The Dana Center Mathematics Pathways Notes from the Field series presents on-the-ground stories of overcoming these challenges.

Notes from the Field #4 and #5, released today, take a close look at one of the hottest (and most challenging) topics in math pathways implementation: co-requisite courses for developmental math education. These “partner” issues in the series approach the topic from two distinct perspectives: that of a two-year college and that of a four-year university.

Read Notes from the Field #4: “Scaling Co-Requisite Supports at the University of Central Arkansas: Perspective from a Four-Year Higher Education Institution”

Read Notes from the Field #5: “Scaling Co-Requisite Supports at the Tulsa Community College: Perspective from a Two-Year Higher Education Institution”