About BALANCE
The BALANCE Project is a partnership of the University of Southern Maine, the University of Maine at Machias, MSAD 17, MSAD 19, MSAD 77, mathematics leaders from across the state, and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA) with technical assistance from Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). This partnership was formed to build the capacity of administrators and mathematics content leaders, at both local and regional levels, to establish and support a vision of teaching and learning that builds numeracy PK-16. This vision incorporates recommendations described in the National Research Council’s publication Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics (2001) and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Principles and Standards of School Mathematics (2000) including mathematics classrooms with a balance between concepts and procedures, problem-solving, reflection, and connections between mathematics and the real world.
The project begins by providing an intensive leadership institute for teacher leaders, mathematics specialists, and administrators in mathematics content, leadership, professional development, supervision and support, and networking technology. Leaders, supported by university faculty and MMSA and EDC staff, are supported to replicate 3 day content workshops in five regional sites for up to two hundred of their area colleagues. These content and pedagogy workshops are to be followed by face-to-face meetings and continued follow-up through online forums for discussion and professional development during the school year. At the same time, administrators, teacher leaders, and mathematics specialists from the Partner districts, with the support of the university partners, and MMSA and EDC staff, will replicate the 3 day content workshops in their districts, engaging all K-12 teachers of mathematics. This district work is supported during the school year with online activities and through site-based technical assistance provided by BALANCE partners.
BALANCE Partners
The BALANCE grant builds upon the individual and institutional strengths and capacity of its partners. The partners include: Maine Math Science Alliance, the University of Southern Maine, the University of Maine at Macias, and Education Development Center's Center for Online Professional Education. Below are links to the BALANCE partners' websites.
