Jennifer Talarico, a Professional Development Specialist for Mathematics in our Center for School Improvement and Professional Development, recently had a great experience with colleagues across the country in Seattle. Her administrator, Dr. Ron Barstys, was also invited to attend.
"We were invited to the Focus State Mathematics Convening at the Gates Foundation," says Talarico. "It brought together education leaders and practitioners from California, Florida, and New York to have discussions about advancing equitable access to high school mathematics pathways that align with students’ interests and future goals. We were given an opportunity to network with those from our own state as well as from the other two states. Most of our time was spent in groups having conversations about mathematics courses and sequences, equity, communication and transparency, building partnerships, and sustainability. Each state then created a presentation to show what they believed were the strengths to showcase relating to the conversations and presented them to the entire group. We were happy to discuss our NYSED Numeracy Briefs and Portrait of a Graduate, and emphasized encouraging a positive math identity, extending advisory structures to elementary school, and partnering with higher education institutions for teacher preparation."
