This Local Systemic Change in Mathematics (LSCM) project builds on and joins the Middle Grades Mathematics Renaissance and the California Mathematics Project to provide teacher enhancement for 2,000 K-12 teachers of mathematics. Elementary and secondary mathematics teachers receive a minimum of 100 and 130 hours, respectively, of professional development over the life of the project. The teachers are in 16 clusters in four regions of California. The cluster, defined by a high school and its feeder middle and elementary schools, is the unit of participation in the project. Algebra -- algebra for all, algebraic thinking throughout the K-12 curriculum -- is the center of the mathematical work. The project also provides the teachers with the knowledge base to implement comprehensive materials, develops a model for K-12 articulation, and informs educators on the process of articulating a coherent K-12 program of professional development and instruction. During this project, linkages are forged among schools engaged in mathematics reform, the California Mathematics Project (CMP) sites, and university mathematicians.
Districts are allowed to choose from a list of high quality instructional materials, both NSF-supported and others, from which to make their adoption decisions. As districts make their decisions, the project assists teachers in classroom implementation of the materials.