Support Staff:
Jamie Birkman
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO  63701
(573) 651-2164
jbirkman@semo.edu

The Missouri Council of Teachers of Mathematics is a 501(c)3 not-for profit organization dedicated to supporting and improving mathematics teaching and learning at all levels. With a membership of 1,800, the organization has a long history of quality activities and programs. Affiliated with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, MCTM maintains strong contacts with the national agenda and with its own affiliated groups within the state.

Teacher Services/Support:

MCTM publishes a monthly newsletter called the Bulletin which keeps members apprised of opportunities and happenings in mathematics education. Regular columns written by teachers feature proven classroom techniques. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education mathematics consultant regularly posts DESE activities in the Bulletin. Each issue also includes a problem page designed for students but enjoyed by their teachers as well.

MCTM holds an annual meeting the first weekend of December in Columbia, Missouri. This conference offers over 100 sessions and has an attendance of 1200-1500 each year. In addition, MCTM co-sponsors a spring meeting with an affiliate group. This arrangement allows the spring meeting to move around the state to provide access to teachers in more remote locations. Every other year the spring meeting is held in conjunction with the Missouri section of the Mathematical Association of America. In October, 1995, MCTM co-sponsored a National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Regional Meeting in Springfield, Missouri, in October, 1996, in Kansas City, Missouri and in January, 1998, in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 1997, MCTM sponsored its first Plus-One-Minus-One Conference, this preconference session for first year teachers and preservice teachers less than one year from the classroom was enthusiastically received. Presidential Award Winners for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics led small group discussions sessions focused on concerns of beginning teachers. Paul Trafton, University of Northern Iowa, delivered the keynote address after dinner.

 Since the release of the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, MCTM has taken the lead in dissemination to mathematics teachers in Missouri. Each year drive-in conferences are held at multiple sites around the state presented by teachers for teachers. Each year a particular topic is selected and a program planned to give teachers actual experience in how this topic can be developed and presented in their classrooms. Approximately 1,000 teachers have attended these conferences each year.

MCTM collaborates with DESE to provide teacher input for the various initiatives developed statewide including development of the Show-Me Standards and the Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks.

Teacher Recognition:

Through the Fund for the Advancement of Mathematics Education (FAME) the Missouri Council annually awards approximately $5000 through competitive minigrants to teachers to improve mathematics instruction. Teacher of the Year awards are made annually at each of four levels-- elementary, middle, secondary, and post-secondary. The Leroy Sachs Award for outstanding service to mathematics education is given annually to an educator who exemplifies the level of teaching and professional service established by Leroy Sachs.

Student Activities/Recognition:

Several thousand elementary, middle and secondary students participate each year in contests sponsored by MCTM. The elementary and middle school contests are held at regional sites across the state with the state finals in Columbia in May. The secondary contest is conducted locally with top scores recognized at the state level. Trophies are awarded for the first three places and ribbons for places 4 through 1 0. At the state level 90 students are recognized in grades 3 through 6 alone. A Mathematics in Art Contest for elementary results in thousands of entries. Winners receive ribbons and their work is displayed at the State finals and at the NCTM Regionals.

Organizational Support:

In 1998, MCTM authorized the establishment of an office and the hiring of part time support staff. Located at UMKC, Executive Secretary provides clerical support for the many functions of the organization.