Seeing local teams work long days to collaboratively refine project plans was once again a reminder of just how important math improvement for students is to Washington educators. This year’s TMP Institute was a bit different than past ones. A request went out to any team in Washington to submit an innovative idea to improve math education and post-secondary transitions. A number of proposals came in and those most closely aligned with the TMP strands (curriculum and instruction, supporting teachers, rich classroom tasks, communication and outreach, balanced assessments) were selected to attend. Fourteen teams participated.

The Institute’s backdrop – the beautiful Eastern foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains – proved awe-inspiring and team results impressive: over 20 concurrent and plenary sessions led by teams and national experts and a raft of new connections and concrete plans. It was TMP's goal to create an event that allowed for quality planning time and that fostered idea sharing, local partnership development, and action-planning.

While teams and team time took center stage at this year’s Institute, a number of national resource experts and presenters (too many to all list here) provided helpful direction and inspiration to all in attendance. Drs. Uri Treisman and Susan Hudson Hull of the Dana Center, Professor Katherine Merseth of Harvard University, Washington State Superintendent Terry Bergeson, Yaa Cole and Imani Masters-Goffney of the University of Michigan, University of Sussex Professor Jo Boaler, Linda Fisher and Sandy Devlin of the Robert Noyce Foundation/Silicon Valley Math Initiative and Dr. Kurt Kreith of the University of California-Davis.

Institute special guest, State Superintendent Dr. Terry Bergeson, speaks with Shep Siegel of the Seattle School District. Shep is a member of the Applied Math Project - Seattle, a new cross-sector TMP grantee. For more on this project and others, click here>>

Dr. Uri Treisman of the Dana Center shares feedback and resource ideas with Institute teams.

A special thank you goes out to all of the Institute's presenters and teams who shared their expertise and presented on promising work related to the Institute’s themes. In addition, TMP thanks Janet Ray, Ron Donovan, Cindy Morana, Kris Lindeblad, Ted Hull, Connie Hughes, Mark Stephenson, Melissa Heaton, and Mary Lou Rozdilsky for serving as kibitzers and resource supports to the teams.

You can now view the raft of resources presented on and shared at the Institute by clicking the links below.

>>Institute Resources (including Presenters' PowerPoints and Companion Documents)
>>Team Pre-Institute Work Plans, Institute Logs and Post-Institute Action Plans

Please check back often to track the work of the teams as they head toward next year’s Institute which has been set for August 4-8, 2008 in Leavenworth, WA.

Additional Institute Information:

>> Logistics
>> Agenda
>> Expertise
>>Teams Roster