More than 1,000 MƒA Teachers Active in Over 400 New York City Public Schools

NEW YORK, NY – Math for America (MƒA) today announced that its fellowships now include 1,043 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teachers who teach in 411 New York City public schools. While the annual attrition rate for experienced STEM teachers across NYC is nine percent, only four percent of MƒA Master Teachers leave teaching each year.

“As our fellowship program continues to grow each year, we add outstanding teachers to our community who inspire not only their students but other teachers as well. Almost three-quarters of MƒA teachers work in high-poverty schools,” said John Ewing, MƒA President. “At a time when teachers leave the profession at an alarming rate, the MƒA Master Teacher community keeps the most accomplished in the classroom by changing the way they experience the profession. It makes teaching exciting and rewarding.”

Both new and experienced teachers leave the classroom for many reasons ranging from lack of respect to higher paying alternatives to feelings of isolation and disengagement. Yet MƒA teachers remain in their jobs for longer than other teachers. MƒA fellowships provide teachers with a range of resources and opportunities to excel, hone their craft, and take control over their own careers, giving them the respect they deserve in an esteemed profession.

With the 2016 incoming cohort of nearly 200 K-12 public school STEM teachers in NYC, MƒA teachers span three distinguished fellowships, including over 800 MƒA Master Teachers, over 200 MƒA Early Career Teachers, and about 20 administrators in the MƒA School Leader Fellowship.

“Teacher attrition costs the U.S. up to 2.2 billion annually. It’s far more effective to invest in keeping the most talented teachers in the classroom and to have them serve as role models for early career teachers than it is to continue spending millions of dollars each year hiring and training teachers who leave after their first or second year. If we can keep great teachers in the classroom, we’d increase student success and spend less money doing it,” said Megan Roberts, MƒA Executive Director. “At MƒA, 87 percent of our teachers say that their MƒA fellowship influences them to keep teaching and virtually all tell us that the courses and community here greatly enhances their practice as well as their feeling of professionalism.”

Teachers who are accepted into an MƒA four-year fellowship join a scholarly community of the best minds in mathematics and science. Each semester they either facilitate or attend courses ranging in areas of content, pedagogy, leadership, and policy. Teachers have the opportunity to collaborate professionally – high school teachers pair with middle school teachers, experienced teachers mentor teachers early in their careers, math mavens hear from science specialists. It’s here that teachers inspire one another, find solutions to problems, and share unique techniques to reach their students. They receive substantial stipends (up to $60,000 over four years) to recognize their achievements, to convey prestige on the teaching profession, and to increase their overall income.

“My MƒA experience has played an invaluable role in motivating me to continue to teach and grow as a leader within my profession,” said two-time MƒA Master Teacher Soni Midha, who teaches mathematics at East Side Community High School in Manhattan. “It’s incredible to be a part of a community that has such a dedication and commitment to lifelong learning.”

MƒA by the Numbers: 2016

1,043 Total MƒA Teachers

• 194 teachers admitted to the 2016 cohort
• 807 Master Teachers
• 214 Early Career Fellows
• 22 School Leaders Fellows

411 NYC Public Schools Where MƒA Teachers Teach

• 7 in 10 MƒA teachers teach in high-poverty schools

4% Attrition Rate for MƒA Experienced STEM Teachers in NYC

• 9% Attrition rate for non-MƒA experienced STEM Teachers in NYC
• $2.2 billion cost of teacher attrition in the U.S.
• 99% of MƒA teachers felt a positive impact from MƒA professional development opportunities
• 87% of MƒA teachers felt influenced to stay in teaching due to MƒA
• 82% of MƒA teachers felt a positive impact on their pedagogical practice
• $60,000 stipend over four years paid to MƒA Master Teachers to recognize participation in our community