PHILADELPHIA- The Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania will be among three participants in a five-year, $10 million National Science Foundation grant to create a center for improving mathematics education in city schools.  The center will focus on discovering how urban children learn math, equipping teachers with effective instructional strategies and developing a research-based model for successful math education in America's cities.  The project, MetroMath: The Center for Mathematics in America's Cities, unites Penn, lead-recipient Rutgers and the City University of New York Graduate Center with other institutions and the school districts of New York City, Philadelphia, Newark and Plainfield, N.J.

According to Janine Remillard, a Penn GSE assistant professor and co-principal investigator, participants will develop research-based initiatives to increase the knowledge of math teachers and school leaders through the programs at each university.

Participating faculty bring expertise in a wide range of specialties, including mathematics, mathematics education, cognitive science, urban studies and urban education.  Educators from public school districts and institutions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York will be involved in the math education project as well.  Joseph G. Rosenstein, a Rutgers mathematics professor, is the principal investigator.  Other team members are Jean Anyon, professor of urban education at the CUNY; Gerald A. Goldin, professor of mathematics, physics and mathematics education at Rutgers; and Roberta Y. Schorr, associate professor of mathematics education at Rutgers-Newark.

The center will involve urban communities in supporting mathematics education by soliciting parents to help in mathematics instruction and to advocate for strong schools in their communities.  Churches and civic associations will be tapped to promote successful mathematics learning.