Indicator P.1.2. Provide Institutional Support

To have a high-quality teacher preparation program, an institution must provide the resources and the support needed to achieve this vision. In particular, the preparation program’s reward structures, including awards, commendations, salaries, and promotion and tenure criteria, must clearly support this work. Mathematics teacher preparation cannot be viewed as a duty or chore delegated to graduate assistants or instructors but rather a core activity of all involved departments.

Institutions must support program-improvement activities, including supporting mathematics teacher educators’ attendance at relevant professional conferences so they may learn about other high-quality programs. For example, attending any or all of the following could expand faculty members’ awareness of effective program components: the annual meetings of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators (AMTE), the Council of Exceptional Children (CEC) Teacher Education Division (TED), and the Professional Development Schools (PDS) conference.

Institutions must provide resources necessary to support teaching and learning. Mathematics teacher educators need access to the materials vital to teaching mathematics in Pre-K–12 schools to prepare beginning teachers for the classrooms in which they will teach. For example, faculty teaching a mathematics methods course should have access to textbooks, online resources, and other instructional materials used by Pre-K–12 teachers in their area to help beginning teachers learn to use curriculum materials effectively.

Education Preparation Providers (EPPs) must value the work involved in developing and improving mathematics teacher education programs. Such work includes communication and collaboration with stakeholders, program-assessment work, and work related to program reviews and meeting program standards. This important work must be valued in the promotion and tenure process.