AMTE STaR Fellows Program

Service, Teaching, & Research (STaR) in Mathematics Education: Supporting Early Career Professionals

The STaR Program is an early career induction program for faculty in mathematics education with tenure track appointments in institutions of higher education. It is designed to address common challenges related to developing leadership and service skills, teaching mathematics content and methods courses designed for prospective and practicing K-12 teachers as well as graduate courses in mathematics education, and establishing a research agenda. One important way the program addresses these challenges is by providing opportunities to network with other new mathematics education faculty beyond the participant's home institution.

Program Components

The goal of the STaR Fellows program is to support the development of early career mathematics educators, including their induction into the professional community of university-based teacher educators and researchers in mathematics education.

Senior and mid-career mathematics education faculty organize and facilitate STaR events, serving as mentors to fellows as they participate in:

  • a summer institute, generally in Park City, Utah
  • academic year online networking
  • a follow-up session in conjunction with the annual AMTE conference

To date, over 400 early career mathematics educators working at over 200 institutions of higher education have completed the program as STaR Fellows.

 

Funding

The STaR Program was originally funded by the National Science Foundation (#0922410) and is now operated under the supervision of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE). The STaR Program is dependent on contributions from individuals, foundations, and professional organizations for its continued operation.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Don't universities have their own mentoring programs?

Yes, many do. However, there is great variety in the types of and quality of existing mentorship programs at universities. Many of these programs are short-term, only serving the faculty member for the first semester or first year of service. These programs are generally not specific to the problems faced by an early career mathematics education professor. The AMTE STaR Program is a sustained and targeted mentoring program that will provide career enhancing opportunities.

Will a one-year fellowship program be sufficient to accomplish the goals of AMTE STaR Program?

Although the fellowship program will last only one year, the networks that are created are expected to continue long after the fellowship year ends. In addition, graduating fellows will be integrated into the networks of new fellows, through invitations to participate in face-to-face meetings and electronic connections. Networks established by previous STaR Fellows have thrived and expanded over the years.

Don't mathematics education doctoral graduates learn to teach within their doctoral studies?

Yes, but mathematics education doctoral graduates serve in many different capacities. Within a mathematics department, they may teach mathematics methods courses to elementary, middle, and secondary teaching candidates and also be expected to teach a range of undergraduate mathematics courses. Within an education department, they may be expected to teach a wide range of mathematics methods courses, teach graduate level mathematics education courses, and provide in-service professional development experiences. Thus, these graduates must be prepared to teach a wide range of mathematics content and pedagogy to a broad audience - and it is difficult for doctoral programs to provide this full range of teaching experiences.

How is AMTE STaR Program different from MAA's Program NExT?

While we draw upon the success of MAA's Project NExT, the AMTE STaR Program is unique in its specific focus on mathematics teacher education, rather than the broader field of mathematics. Note that Program NExT Fellows hold rank in mathematics departments, and a main focus of Program NExT has been on teaching with subsequent mentorship in research and service. In contrast, about half the Fellows in the STaR Program hold rank in mathematics departments while the rest have their tenure home in education departments/colleges. Taking into account the differences in research and teaching responsibilities that come with academic positions in mathematics education, the AMTE STaR Program prioritizes all three areas of effort: teaching, research, and service.