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.

 

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.

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.

Kwastina Jackson, a Middletown Fellow, conducted a workshop on fostering equitable practices in the classroom at AMTEC’s Connecticut Mathematics Preservice Teacher Conference.

Kari Baransky was named the 2023-24 Teacher of the Year at Edison Middle School in Meriden, CT. Congratulations, Kari!

Shawn McClory was named the 2023-24 Manchester High School Teacher of the Year! Congrats, Shawn!

Jackie Rankin is the 2023-24 Teacher of the Year at Bulkeley HS and is a finalist for Hartford Public Schools Teacher of the Year! Congratulations!

 

Hartford teachers and Alums Jackie Rankin and Kate Grayeb also presented with Mario Carullo, the director of math in our partner-district Hartford, on Homegrown Teacher Leadership: Building a Districtwide Model for Supporting Building Thinking Classrooms Implementation. The session was in such high demand, they were asked to run it TWICE

UConn Alum, and Hartford teacher, and Noyce Fellow Jackie Rankin presented at the Associated Teachers of Mathematics in Connecticut (ATOMIC) Conference with New Haven teacher and Noyce Fellow William McKinney on Designing Effective Thin Slicing Tasks: A Look into Multiple Ways of Slicing.

UConn Alum and Noyce Fellow Kate Grayeb was honored at the ATOMIC Conference as the state’s finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, a highly prestigious award given by the National Science Foundation. She is now being considered for the national PAEMST teacher of the year.