UTM will receive a $690,000 grant to benefit math and science instruction in local schools over the next three years.

The award is part of a $450 million nation-wide competitive grant program that partners UTM with Dyersburg, Humboldt, Lexington and Union City Schools as well as Hardin County Schools.

The grant money will be used to implement Project IMPACT (Immersion in Mathematics Pedagogy, Application, Content and Technology), a program designed to, “strengthen the knowledge base of middle school mathematics teachers in West Tennessee, help these teachers incorporate technology into the classroom, and create a network of experienced teachers who can share their innovative ideas with other teachers throughout West Tennessee,” said Dr. Stephanie Kolitsch, UTM Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics.

Kolitsch believes that the combination of technology, engineering applications and teachers’ creativity will help make middle school classrooms more exciting.

“Middle school students will reap the ultimate rewards of this project,” said Kolitsch.

Dr. Mary Lee Hall, dean of the UT Martin College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, is excited about the opportunity for “cross-fertilization” of departments.

“P-12 teachers need to understand something about engineering and potential careers in order to encourage their students to consider careers in the field. Elementary and middle school teachers must be able to understand the process of teaching math so that they can help their students develop an appreciation for mathematics and why it is so important to think mathematically. This is an opportunity to build professional development for middle school teachers that can have a long-term impact by giving them the knowledge, skills and resources to deliver high-quality instruction to their students,” said Hall.

Three other public school in Tennessee received funding for the project from the Tennessee State Department of Education Obion County (Union City) and Gibson County (Humboldt) schools have 20% and 29%, respectively, of their students scoring below proficiency in math on the Gateway standardized test, compared to the state average of 19%, according to the Tennessee Department of Education Web site. While Henderson County (Lexington) and Hardin County both have 11% of their students scoring below proficiency, according to the Tennessee Department of Education Web site.