By Fern Tribbey
NCTM's Mathematics Education Trust (MET) relies on contributions from Council members and other individuals, affiliates, and corporations. Gifts to the Clarence E. Olander Fund help support the School In-Service Training Grants (Pre-K-5, 6-8, 9-12) for in-service education in mathematics.
Clarence E. Olander
Clarence E. Olander earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Minnesota in mathematics education. From 1946-1947, he served in the United States Army as a paratrooper. After that, he began his teaching career as a high school mathematics teacher in Minnesota.
In 1958, Olander accepted a position as a high school mathematics editor for Scott, Foresman and Company. His career spanned almost 30 years at this company. He stood out as a mathematics editor; editorial vice-president of the math department; and finally, the senior vice-president and editor-in-chief of the elementary through high school division of Scott, Foresman.
Clarence Olander was a General Electric Mathematics Fellow at Purdue University and a National Science Foundation Mathematics Fellow at the University of Chicago. During the 1960s and 1970s, he also spent several summer sessions at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces instructing teachers in mathematics education.
Clarence Olander's wife, Beverly, described her husband as a man who really enjoyed mathematics. Olander was known for saying that “Mathematics is a way of life.” Beverly is a musician, and he always told her that there is a connection between mathematics and music.
Clarence E. Olander died in 1988 at age 60.
Recent Grant Recipients
The following schools are using grant funds for the plans described below:
School In-Service Training Grant (Pre-K-5): Blake Academy, Lakeland, Florida-Moving from Remembering to Constructing: The Power of Critical Thinking, Questioning, and Problem Solving in Mathematics Exploration
In today's complex world, students are no longer asked rhetorical questions. Instead, students are expected to be sophisticated problem solvers. Real-world experiences can be solved in various ways; therefore, students must be prepared to critically solve problems without simply trying to memorize processes and procedures to apply a particular operation. Perseverance is key to success. Educators must inspire every student to become a critical thinker and problem solver by confidently providing mathematics exploration using the elements of critical thinking, higher-level questioning, guided student conversation, and visual models that set the stage for understanding. Teachers must be confident facilitators in engaging classrooms in which students are actively involved as critical thinkers and problem solvers who will make a positive impact on the future. Grant funding is for facilitator training on number literacy concepts through the use of visual models that require critical thinking, problem solving, higher-questioning techniques, and student dialogue. Teachers will also receive demonstrations with students in which effective instructional strategies and questioning techniques are demonstrated in real time.
School In-Service Training Grants (6-8): Plaza Middle School, Virginia Beach, Virginia-Building Urban Independence, Leadership, and Desire (BUILD) for Success
BUILD Success is a unique program that addresses the whole student. Students will grow academically, culturally, and emotionally by participating in a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) and mentoring program. This program combines a two-week camp session with additional activities throughout the year. Students will sharpen proportional-reasoning skills while building cigar box guitars and developing their own music for the culminating activity, which is a Trojan Trash Band performance. Students will also learn how mathematics is embedded in daily life (how batting averages are calculated in baseball, how to calculate the tax and the tip at a full-service restaurant, and how calories are calculated). Teachers will receive professional development aimed at increasing their knowledge of and effectiveness in implementing real-life, hands-on STEAM activities.
School In-Service Training Grants (9-12): Connecticut River Academy, East Hartford Connecticut-Reducing the Achievement Gap through Curriculum Interventions
Connecticut River Academy (CTRA) is a magnet school founded to help reduce racial, ethnic, and economic isolation in Hartford schools. Hartford is contiguous or adjacent to school districts that, with one exception, are virtually all white and are middle class or upper class in socioeconomic composition. The educational achievement of Hartford students is not nearly as great as that of students educated in the surrounding communities. This gap is readily apparent in math courses. The majority of students entering ninth grade score two or more grade levels below the mean. Students lacking foundational skills persist in lagging behind their suburban and rural peers, jeopardizing academic success. Grant funds support professional development and changes in geometry, algebra 1 and 2 curricula, teaching resources, and learning activities. CTRA anticipates that 80 percent of students will move up at least one or more bands in geometry and algebra during the next academic year.