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Partnership Representatives:
Chris Cox, Kalamazoo Public Schools
Jon Davis, Western Michigan University
Overview of Partnership Work:
Partnership work between Western Michigan University (WMU) and the Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) began in October 2003, after the announcement of
funding for the Center for the Study of Mathematics Curriculum. A local advisory committee has been established to guide this work. It has met
twice and has provided useful ideas and feedback. The Partnership work continues to progress well and is expanding. The Partnership work is organized
around several major foci, all intended to inform the continuing work of the KPS Mathematics Curriculum Study Committee: professional development and
research supporting a pilot study of a new elementary school curriculum in one building; professional development supporting a pilot of a unit of a new
middle school curriculum in all eighth-grade classes; professional development for middle school and high school teachers on linear functions to provide
a new lens for viewing high school algebra; and a study of district obstacles to curriculum reform.
Although the curriculum team originally met as a K-12 unit, they eventually split into elementary and secondary groups with a further distinction made
on an occasional basis between middle school and high school teachers. Each subgroup is responsible for determining criteria for curriculum selection
and thoroughly looking at available materials to evaluate how well each matches the district criteria. Several research papers related to Partnership
work have been completed, three of which are being presented at the PME conference this fall. A detailed account of the ongoing work and accomplishments
in each component of the partnership is provided in Appendix I.
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