The Preparing Elementary Mathematics Teachers for Success: Implementing a Research-Based Mathematics Curricula NSF project provides a sequence of Standards- Based mathematics coursework for underprepared prospective teachers adapting materials from NSF K-12 curricula and the Emerging Scholars Program workshop model developed by Uri Treisman at the University of California at Berkeley. The major activity of the Emerging Scholars Program for Teachers (EST) is to develop a four-course sequence of mathematics courses designed to help students reconceptualize mathematical content and pedagogical knowledge. It is designed for preservice elementary teachers, particularly those who are underprepared. Implementation has:

Assisted students to make sense of mathematics, create connections, promote problem solving, and communicate effectively.
Enabled students to review and reconceptualize the mathematics at all levels.
Reduced levels of math anxiety and increased levels of confidence.
Helped students change negative beliefs and overcome mathematical misconceptions.
Established university/community college collaborations to implement and evaluate materials.
Strengthened the correspondence between the mathematical content of the community college programs and the content of university-level mathematics programs.

The philosophy of the collaborative project emphasizes reconceptualization of mathematics rather than review or remediation. Besides regular class work, students attend weekly workshops where they work in teams to solve challenging problems, in some cases under the mentorship of more advanced peers. Preliminary findings suggest that increases in conceptual understanding, symbolic anxiety, and metacognition are significant. The investigators are also identifying essential components necessary for replicability. In addition, Eisenhower Higher Education funding has supplemented and supported the teacher education program. The project has strengthened communication and collaboration across institutions among the instructors involved in the study. The instructors meet regularly to share, create, and compare materials, program structure, and administrative concerns.