CGU receives $400,000 from Fletcher Jones, Hearst Foundations to support Math for America Los Angeles
Claremont Graduate University (CGU) has received two grants totaling $400,000 to provide fellowships to mathematically talented graduate students who have committed to becoming urban public secondary school math teachers through the Math for America Los Angeles program.
The Fletcher Jones Foundation has provided a $250,000 grant and the Hearst Foundations have provided a $150,000 grant that will enable fellowships for Math for America fellows at CGU.
"California is facing a critical shortage of math and science teachers over the next decade," said DeLacy Ganley, director of the Teacher Education Program in CGU’s School of Educational Studies. "Through Math for America Los Angeles, CGU is helping to create a pipeline to provide teachers for the students who need them the most. We are grateful to the Fletcher Jones Foundation and the Hearst Foundations for supporting our efforts."
Math for America was founded in New York in 2004 with the mission to improve mathematics education in US public schools by recruiting, training, and retaining highly qualified secondary school mathematics teachers. It bloomed into a national initiative in 2007, which is when CGU partnered with Harvey Mudd College and the University of Southern California to launch a Los Angeles branch.
The five-year program is aimed at college graduates and mid-career professionals who are new to teaching. In the first year, fellows receive a full-tuition scholarship for a master’s degree in education or mathematics and a preliminary single-subject (math) teaching credential through the Teacher Education Internship Program at CGU’s School of Educational Studies.
In years two through five, fellows are placed to teach in a Los Angeles area public secondary school. There, they earn a full-time teacher’s salary and are also incentivized with $80,000 in stipends over four years.
Additionally, these new teachers receive one-on-one coaching from a master teacher mentor, classroom support, and opportunities to participate in Math for America Los Angeles activities and professional development workshops.
“The stipends and professional development opportunities available to fellows through Math For America Los Angeles are rare benefits for teacher education programs,” Ganley said.
The teacher education program at CGU accepts cohorts of students two times a year: spring, and summer. The course of study lasts approximately 19 months.
The Fletcher Jones Foundation was established in 1969 by Fletcher Jones, co-founder of Computer Sciences Corporation. The primary mission of the Foundation is the support of private, independent colleges and universities in California.
The Hearst Foundations are national philanthropic resources for organizations and institutions working in the fields of Education, Health, Culture and Social Service. Our goal is to ensure that people of all backgrounds have the opportunity to build healthy, productive and inspiring lives. The charitable goals of the Foundations reflect the philanthropic interests of William Randolph Hearst.
Based at Claremont Graduate University in Southern California, the school is one of the top schools of education in California. In addition to its Teacher Education Internship Program, the School of Educational Studies offers PhD and masters degrees in education with emphases in: teaching, learning, and culture; education policy, evaluation, and reform; higher education/student affairs; special education; and urban educational leadership.