Fellows Spotlight

Jessica Jané, Putnam High School, Putnam Public Schools

Jessica (Jess) teaches Algebra 1, Geometry, Manufacturing Math, and Consumer Math at Putnam High School. She has been in the field of education since 2011, where she began her career as a paraprofessional and long-term substitute. During that time, she decided to go back to school to become a licensed math teacher. In 2015, Jess began working as a licensed math teacher with a classroom of her own for the first time. This was in Killingly, where she taught 7th grade for six years and 8th grade for one year. In addition to teaching math, Jess also served as the Math IC for grades 5-8 and was a Team Mentor.

Three years ago, Jess made the jump to Putnam High School, where she holds leadership roles on the District Math Committee and is a co-advisor on the Student Council. At Putnam High School, Jess (along with Fellow, Courtney!) have begun implementing College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM) last year with Algebra 1 and Pre-Calculus, focusing on shifting towards a more collaborative, problem-based approach to math instruction. This year, they expanded the rollout to include Geometry and Algebra 2. A major focus has been helping students adjust to the emphasis on group work, critical thinking, and multiple solution strategies, while also ensuring teachers feel confident using CPM’s resources effectively. Jess believes her cross-district collaboration with Courtney has been helpful in this process to work together in building a support system for their teachers in effectively implementing CPM. They have shared lesson strategies, and developed best practices for integrating CPM’s problem-solving approach. She believes collaboration is so important, especially in rural districts where resources can be limited.

Last year, Jess presented at the annual meeting of the Vermont Council of Teachers of Mathematics (VCTM). Reflecting on her experience presenting there, Jess shares, “Presenting at the conference last year was an experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible. This might be surprising, but I am not the biggest fan of public speaking, ever since high school I was told I was “bad” at it, but taking on the challenge of sharing my experiences with other teachers helped me grow both personally and professionally. I realized that the audience wasn’t there to judge—they were there to learn and engage in meaningful discussions. The best part was connecting with other educators who shared similar challenges and how our conversations sparked new ideas and inspired others.”

Jess also recently presented at the 2025 Teacher Conference in San Diego, California. She presented on Cross-District Collaboration and PLC Building in Small Rural Communities with Courtney. Jess believes, “Small districts face unique challenges, but they also offer opportunities for meaningful collaboration.” In the session, Jess and Courtney shared about how they cultivated a strong professional learning community (PLC) across districts and provided strategies to help others do the same. Their presentation included practical resources, tips, and tools for implementing PLCs and peer observation programs, with the goal of demonstrating how structured collaboration can enhance teaching practices. They also shared about their own successes using these strategies and how cross-district collaboration has strengthened peer-to-peer support in their district. Jess shares, “Presenting at the conference was a valuable experience that allowed me to step outside my comfort zone and connect with other educators passionate about improving professional growth in small districts.”

Jess’ ILP focuses on the Youth Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (YMPI), a program designed to connect students with opportunities in the manufacturing industry. Her goal is to raise awareness about these opportunities and help students recognize how the math skills they learn in school directly apply to real-world careers. This project is important to her because she wants to help students see a variety of pathways to success, not just traditional four-year college degrees. As a math teacher, Jess says she sees firsthand how often students question the relevance of what they are learning. By connecting math to real-world applications in manufacturing (such as precision measurements, geometric design, and data analysis), Jess believes she can help students understand the value of math.

 

Fellows Spotlight

Kwastina Jackson, Beman Middle School, Middletown Public Schools 

Kwastina teaches Algebra 1 and Geometry Enrichment to eighth graders at Beman Middle School in Middletown. She has been teaching for 15 years. Kwastina’s first 10 years of teaching were in Alabama, and the most recent 5 years have been here in Connecticut. In addition to her role as a mathematics teacher, Kwastina also has two leadership roles at Beman Middle School. She is a TEAM Mentor and a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (

DEIB) coach. Kwastina enjoys being a mentor to new teachers to support their enjoyment of and growth in the profession. As a DEIB coach, she enjoys both supporting the learning of her colleagues and learning from/with them. Kwastina says, “What I love the most about being a DEIB Coach is being a thought partner with my colleagues and helping them find new ways to support and connect to others. It is so enriching to make connections with other humans based on the things that make us different.” 

This past Fall, Kwastina attended the 2024 annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) conference in Chicago, Illinois. She expressed that the conference affirmed and reinvigorated her commitment to teaching mathematics for equity. Kwastina says, “It was the perfect gentle reminder of all the subcultures that exist within our school buildings and a call to action to ensure that they are not ignored.” In February 2025, Kwastina also attended the AMTEC Conference on Equity in Mathematics. It was her first time presenting outside her district since being in Connecticut. She loved getting to present to preservice teachers and share equitable strategies they can implement in their future classrooms. 

Kwastina’s Independent Leadership Project (ILP) this school year is about promoting equity in math classrooms, which she does through leading conversations with other teachers about what equity means and how it can be implemented in practice. As an equity coach and math teacher, she wants to provide teachers with equitable strategies specifically for math classrooms. Kwastina’s previous ILP led to positive impacts in her district this school year. As a result of collecting data from eighth grade students who were enrolled in both 8th-grade math and Algebra 1 simultaneously, and presenting this data to the superintendent and other mathematics curriculum leaders, this led to the restructuring of how Algebra 1 was offered so that students did not have to take two classes simultaneously and miss out on electives such as STEM, Art, and Health. 

A fun fact about Kwastina is that she loves crafting and digital design! She enjoys it as a hobby so much that she even turned it into a small business, which can be found on Instagram and Facebook @AidensKloset.

Alliance District Symposium

At the Alliance District Symposium, our Noyce Math Teacher Leader Fellows proudly presented their posters, showcasing their research. Each poster reflected a unique inquiry into math teaching and leadership, and they were presented to each district that brought classroom teachers, curriculum leaders, coaches, principals, and superintendents. These presentations sparked meaningful conversations, affirmed the fellows’ growth, and highlighted the powerful work happening in our classrooms and schools.

The Alliance District Secondary Math Symposium 2025

The Alliance District Secondary Math Symposium 2025

The Alliance Districts’ biannual symposium took place on April 2, 2025, with over 240 attendees from across all participating districts. Each district brought a diverse group of attendees, including classroom teachers, curriculum leaders, coaches, principals, and superintendents. This event was hosted in partnership with the Noyce Math Teacher Leadership Program and the State Department of Education. 

The Symposium opened with an inspiring keynote by Ted Coe, who delivered his talk, Meaningful Mathematics Experiences: What Would Your Students Say? —a high-energy start that set the tone for the day. 

Following this a select group of our Fellows and their district representatives discussed their time and experience being in the Noyce Math Teacher Leaders in a panel discussion. 

A highlight of the event was the opportunity for our Noyce Math Teacher Leader Fellows to present their work in a poster session. Twenty-Two current and alumni Fellows showcased 46 research-based posters, sharing data, insights, and classroom-based projects with other educators and leaders from across the state. 

Following the poster presentations, participants engaged in four breakout sessions co-led by teams of Fellows on the following areas of a top priority for the state and Alliance districts:  

  • Accelerating Learning for Students Not on Grade Level 
  • Best Practices to Support Student Agency, Identity, and Engagement 
  • Cultivating a Thriving Math Community: Strategies for Retention & Growth 
  • Grading Systems 

The day concluded with a collaborative session where all Alliance Districts teams analyzed maps of their mathematics programming and course sequencing. This prompted valuable discussions about student pathways and opened space for collaboration.  

The materials that were used throughout the day are posted on the state department site at 

Alliance District Symposium 2025 Materials 

MTC 4 Social Justice

Hello Math Educators,

We are excited to announce the new schedule for this upcoming spring. Attached below is a flyer with dates and sessions. Our first session is Counted Out: Algorithms and Biases hosted by MTC4SJ. Here is a link to Register. It will take place virtually on Tuesday, March 11th, 6:30-8:00pm. (Link is provided after registration.)

Hartford Athletic STEM & Camp; Soccer Education Day

Hartford Athletic – CT’s professional men’s soccer team – will be, for the first time ever, offering their STEM & Soccer Education Day on two dates in 2025: Tues May 6 & Tues May 20! STEM & Soccer Education Day is an engaging field trip opportunity at Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, running from 9:30am – 1:00pm on each date. The event features student projects and displays from corporate & community partners, and a Hartford Athletic Exhibition Match for students to enjoy! All students and educators in attendance receive a STEM & Soccer Education Day Workbook which highlights STEM in Soccer via data, questions & interviews. More information can be found here and information on logistics can be found here. Interested in attending? Fill out the STEM Day Expressions of Interest Form by February 28, 2025! If you have any questions, feel free to email or call Jessie Oram: joram@hartfordathletic.com / 860-945-4207. 

Register for 2025 ATOMIC Conference Now

Register for the 2025 ATOMIC Conference!

Hello All!   

We are happy to announce that we have an exciting line-up of presenters for the 2025 ATOMIC Conference. Register Now!

  Registration Link

Registration closes March 7, 2025

Please note: Session times and room assignments are tentative and may change up until two weeks before the conference date to better accommodate the number of participants in each session. Connect directly with registration using the following link

Application Open: Connecticut Computer Science Leaders Convening – Help Shape CT’s CS Education Future

The Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Connecticut team is excited to announce a unique opportunity for PreK-12 public school educators to help shape the future of computer science education in our state. Through recent grant funding, we are assembling a diverse team of educators and stakeholders to revitalize Connecticut’s Computer Science Plan.

We are seeking 10 dedicated PreK-12 public school professionals to join this initiative. Selected educators will collaborate with 15-20 representatives from state leadership teams, business partnerships, and teacher unions to create a comprehensive vision for CS education in Connecticut.

Event Details:

  • Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
  • Time: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
  • Location: 165 Capitol Ave, Hartford, CT

Your Role and Impact:

  • Help develop a state-wide vision for computer science education;
  • Establish measurable short-term and long-term goals;
  • Participate in ongoing working groups to develop implementation strategies; and
  • Contribute to annual progress assessments and plan refinement.

We are particularly interested in applications from educators representing:

  • Different grade levels (PreK-12)
  • Various school sizes and types
  • Diverse geographic locations across Connecticut
  • Both experienced CS educators and those new to CS education

Important Dates:

  • Application Deadline: February 14, 2025
  • Notification of Selection: March 3, 2025

This is a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact on computer science education in Connecticut. Selected participants will be part of a pioneering effort to ensure all Connecticut students have access to high-quality computer science education. Together, we can build a stronger foundation for computer science education in Connecticut.

To apply, please complete this application form 

Questions? Please contact Cheryl Tokarski at Cheryl.Tokarski@gmail.com.

ATMNE 2025 Fall Conference: “Mathematics Without Limits!”

The conference will be held on October 30 & 31, 2025, at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough, MA.

Join keynotes Howie Hua, Annie Fetter, Julia Aguirre, Maria del Rosario Zavala, and Brian Buckhalter and a diverse lineup of presenters in Marlborough, MA at the ATMNE 2025 Fall Conference. Submit your speaker proposal form by April 1, 2025 to be considered for the program.

We hope that you will consider submitting a proposal. As teachers, we learn best when we learn from each other. Encourage your colleagues to present with you. It’s a wonderful experience and math teachers are the best, most understanding audience. Really.

If you have questions or concerns about the proposal form or ATMNE conference, feel free to contact either of the co-chairs of the program committee – Ann Elise Record (annelise.record@atmne.org) or Erin Barlow (erin.barlow@atmne.com).

Thank you for your contributions toward making this a great conference!