IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute Receives $1.25 Million Gift to Support Teacher Leadership Program

The IAS/Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI), an Institute for Advanced Study outreach program of professional development for the entire mathematics community, has received a $1.25 million gift from a private foundation. This grant, which is a renewal of a $1 million gift from the same foundation, will support the existing K–12 Teacher Leadership Program, which provides a unique and unparalleled opportunity for American K–12 teachers of mathematics to connect with a diverse community of fellow teachers, students, and researchers of mathematics, and to immerse themselves in targeted activities that help them to become better educators and leaders. The gift will also further extend the reach and impact of the Teacher Leadership Program, by providing access to meaningful teacher development at numerous points throughout the year in communities throughout the United States.

“PCMI touches an incredible number of people, and brings together K-12 teachers, students at all levels, and researchers in a remarkable way,” said Rafe Mazzeo, Director of PCMI and Professor at Stanford University. “The Teacher Leadership Program within PCMI provides a strong, mathematically-driven professional development and networking opportunity for teachers. This grant renewal is a strong show of support for what we are doing and will make it possible to continue and increase the reach and effectiveness of the program.’’

First held in 1991, PCMI was established through a grant from the National Science Foundation, and has been an outreach program of the Institute since 1994. PCMI’s annual summer session brings together participants from across the spectrum of the mathematics community for a three-week, residential program in Park City, Utah. It combines high-quality lectures and seminars with activities and events designed to foster strong bonds among the community’s various constituents and increase awareness of the roles and the contributions of all professionals in mathematics-based occupations. The more than 300 participants across the PCMI summer session programs include undergraduate students and faculty, graduate students, and some of the world’s leading researchers in mathematics, along with approximately sixty teachers who participate in the K–12 Teacher Leadership Program. PCMI is supported by the National Science Foundation, Math for America, the Clay Mathematics Institute, and a private foundation.

For more information about the Park City Mathematics Institute, visit http://pcmi.ias.edu.