Emmanuel School of Education Earns A+ in Math Instruction

The Emmanuel College School of Education was recently awarded the highest possible score for elementary math instruction by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ). 

Emmanuel received an A+ grade following an NCTQ review of 838 undergraduate teacher prep programs nationwide.

The evaluation focused on classroom hours dedicated to pedagogy (i.e. developing teaching skills) and ensuring that future teachers have a strong foundation in math. Allocation of classroom time was key; the 16% of programs that earned an “A” or higher met all NCTQ baselines for four types of math concepts and methods of teaching mathematics. Emmanuel was among the 9.9% of programs that earned an A+. 

An accompanying NCTQ report found that most programs do not allocate sufficient time for math concepts, which contributes to teachers experiencing anxiety about teaching the subject and students falling behind. 

“Teachers need to know how to do more than just follow the steps in math to get the right answer. They need to know why those steps work,” said NCTQ President Heather Peske. “It’s like the difference between a basketball player and a coach. The player can learn their role and follow directions, but the coach needs to understand the bigger picture—the why behind every move.”

Imparting that next-level of understanding is a top priority for the “Foundations of Mathematics for Teachers” courses within the Emmanuel College School of Education. 

The three-semester series of required courses provides a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of K-8 mathematics, with a focus on unpacking the underlying concepts of how math works. For example, students in Foundations 1 begin with review of how counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division work in the standard base-10 system taught in schools. 

So far, so familiar. But then those discussions move to how those concepts operate in a base-5 system, which only uses numbers 0-5. Department of Mathematics Senior Lecturer Dr. David Earls teaches the Foundations courses, and listed substantial benefits from this approach. 

“I think part of what makes the math instruction so great is that we give our future teachers a deeper understanding of concepts they already know, and put them in the position of someone learning these concepts for the first time, so they can think about how their future students might be viewing unfamiliar mathematical concepts,” said Dr. Earls. 

A Strong Foundation Against Math Anxiety 

The NCTQ evaluation was accompanied by a report, Teacher Prep Review: Solving for Math Success, which noted that nearly a quarter of fourth-grade students in the United States lack basic math skills. 

Math anxiety among educators was cited as a likely factor, with the report noting that 25% of elementary teachers feel anxious about teaching the subject. 

“Teachers suffering from math anxiety have a negative impact on their students’ math outcomes,” said the report. “Providing aspiring teachers with strong preparation offers an antidote to math anxiety by helping them become the confident and competent math instructors [that] students need.”

It’s an issue that’s addressed head-on through the Foundations courses at Emmanuel, said Dr. Earls. He requires students to journal about the topic, which helps develop familiarity with that issue, to reflect on if they’ve experienced it, and build knowledge on strategies to mitigate it. 

“We don’t shy away from it,” said Dr. Earls.  “We know it's a real thing and we think the best thing to do is to acknowledge that it’s going to exist…I think starting off with it right away plays a big role in helping them with that.”

The faculty also offers support outside of the classroom, with opportunities for students to receive feedback on their progress and rework assignments for a better grade. Dr. Earls said it’s the most common reason students visit during office hours.

“Nothing submitted to me is ever expected to be perfect the first time,” said Dr. Earls. “I think that helps with the math anxiety piece, because students know they can do their best... and if we need to, I can give them feedback and another chance to demonstrate that they get it.” 

Making the Grade 

The NCTQ recommends 150 classroom hours dedicated to math, a standard that was met by 39% of programs evaluated. 

The NCTQ recommends 45 hours of math pedagogy (which is taught in Methods courses at Emmanuel), plus the following allocations for math concepts: 45 hours of Numbers & Operations, 25 hours of Geometry & Measurement, 20 hours of Algebraic Thinking, and 15 hours of Data Analysis & Probability.

On average, undergraduate programs were 20 hours short of the 105 recommended for math concepts, with numbers & operations and algebraic thinking typically seeing the largest shortfalls. 

In making those recommendations, the NCTQ acknowledged it can be difficult to balance everything into a four-year undergraduate program. Assistant Professor of Math Education Dr. Miriam Gates credited Emmanuel’s School of Education leadership - Dean of Education Sr. Karen Hokanson, SNDdeN, and Education Department Chair Dr. Christine Leighton - for structuring the program to meet those best practices. 

“Both of them are very intentional and thoughtful about how we provide all of the content our students need, and also all of the methods,” said Dr. Gates. “They work hard to ensure that we're staying aligned, staying up to date, and reviewing what's going on; so that as things shift [in the education landscape], we're also shifting our courses.”