Since its inception in 1989, the San Joaquin Valley Mathematics Project (SJVMP) has impacted hundreds of teachers throughout Central California through its summer leadership institutes, academic year follow-ups, partnerships with area districts/schools, conferences, and its support of events such as, regional MATHCOUNTS competitions, Mathematics Field Days, science fairs, conferences for pre-service and classroom teachers, and the televised homework support program, "Math on Call." The history and structure of the SJVMP and an overview California's educational reforms over the past 20 years are available in the article, "Teacher Leadership Development as a Critical Component of Systemic Reform: The San Joaquin Valley Mathematics Project" (available in html).
The SJVMP's service area is Region VII consisting of Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare counties - a vast area in Central California consisting of 129 school districts and over 630 schools. The host campus for the SJVMP is California State University, Fresno (CSUF). Our Project Leadership Team consists of Lisa Portela (high school mathematics teacher) as Project Director, Dr. Carol Fry Bohlin (Kremen College of Education, CSUF) serves as Principle Investigator, and Dr. Agnes Tuska and Dr. Rajee Amarasinghe (Mathematics Department, CSUF) serve as Faculty Advisors. Nanette Mattos (educational consultant) serves as our lead K-12 Consultant, mentoring new teacher leaders. Alyssia Aguilar is the project's Administrative Assistant.
A major goal of the SJVMP is to increase K-12 teachers' awareness of current mathematics issues in California and to increase mathematical competence and confidence so that they in turn can help their students to develop a deep, meaningful understanding of mathematics concepts and proficiency in mathematics skills. Another goal of the SJVMP is the development of teacher leadership in mathematics. This is accomplished through leadership retreats, by providing teachers with the opportunity to assume leadership roles, and by keeping teachers regularly apprised of the latest news, professional development opportunities, and mathematics education resources. Members of the community of SJVMP teacher leaders are involved in many professional development activities and in leadership positions, including the following:
- They are enrolled in master's programs at California State University, Fresno (MA in Education, Curriculum and Instruction or the MA in Mathematics, Teaching Option) and at Fresno Pacific University.
- They serve as directors, workshop providers, consultants, and tutors for a number of mathematics education programs, including the SJVMP school/district partnerships; Fresno County Office of Education's AB 466; the televised "Math on Call" homework hotline; Region VII - Teacher Leadership Collaborative; and mathematics fairs and field days for K-12 students.
- They serve as regional and statewide officers in the California Mathematics Council (CMC).
- They assist pre-service and new teachers by working as BTSA coaches, content coaches, lesson study facilitators, mentors, and workshop leaders.