Open arms: Question and Answer with outreach mathematician Jerry Dwyer.

Q: What are your duties as an outreach mathematician?

A: I visit at least one [school] per week to make classroom presentations and encourage students to participate in service learning. I seek funding for outreach activities, and currently we operate a funded program to encourage middle school girls to pursue mathematics.

It is good to engender a love of mathematics at an early age, and if we create enthusiasm [early, it] will last. There is also a greater need for mathematics content knowledge among teachers at the K-8 level. My teaching load [mainly] involves classes for both current and future teachers.

Q: How does your position reflect the growing interest in K-16 partnerships?

A: My type of work is often carried out by mathematics education faculty.... Funding agencies look favorably on partnerships between school districts. Our department here in Tennessee has always worked with teachers.... There is a growing awareness among professional mathematicians that they must become involved in educational issues if the profession is to prosper. The existence of my position is a concrete manifestation of that awareness.

Q: What can school districts and mathematicians learn from each other?

A: Many university faculty ... would like to help districts [but] just don't know where to start. We are fortunate to have a lot of freedom as university educators. I can design and teach a course as long as there is a consensus among my colleagues. I see too many [K-12] teachers ... tied to curricula that are flawed in my opinion. The teacher is constrained by high stakes testing, which I believe is detrimental to education. It also seems ... there is much more politics involved at the K-12 level. Everything has to go through certain channels. There are mountains of bureaucratic paperwork. I want to teach mathematics and pass on something to the next generation. I don't want to waste time in needless bureaucracy and politics.

Schools benefit in many ways from having a mathematician in the classroom, [from] new material to new methods of presentation. [A mathematician can be] a resource for a teacher to ask technical questions [and be] a role model. [These] relationships [help] break down ... traditional barriers between schools and universities.

Q: How might an administrator pursue a university partnership?

A: Call the University math department and ask if anyone is interested in working with K-12. Have some specific event in mind to begin with. Faculty don't like to organize events but are happy to participate and lend their expertise to particular events.

I am also a major proponent of service learning, where undergraduate students receive university class credit for volunteer work performed in K-12 classrooms. Ask if the department has student volunteers or service learning options.

[Another] ideal situation would be one where the superintendent collaborates with a university faculty member in writing a proposal to fund some teacher training courses or workshops. There is a tremendous need for professional development in the mathematical sciences, and we are more than willing to provide this. But we cannot get the teachers to attend. The school district has to ... commit to ensuring that teachers will attend if we offer the courses.

Q: Should districts expect to contribute funding for university partnerships?

A: I have obtained small grants from local agencies [for projects]. I prefer grassroots efforts on a small scale. Other groups form major centers with several school districts involved. University math departments have a lot to offer to the school districts, and I think that districts should be willing to contribute some funds to joint projects. At the very least, they should collaborate enthusiastically in seeking funds.

Q: Do you see K-16 math partnerships growing in popularity in the future?

A: I definitely see the potential for [growth]. But there are barriers that need to be broken down.... Many faculty are unwilling to spend time dealing with [the K-12 system's bureaucracy and politics]. Individual teachers respond with enthusiasm, but it seems that their hands are tied. I am a mathematics teacher, and I find it easy to develop a rapport with fellow teachers. It seems much more difficult to be treated well by administrators.

[Another barrier is that it's] often easy to develop enrichment programs at good schools.... The weaker schools, that need the help [most], are less willing to try anything new.

Jerry Dwyer outreach work is a major part of his assistant professor position in the mathematics department at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.