Here’s the latest news from Middle Tennessee State University.
Middle Tennessee State University faculty with the Tennessee STEM Education Center on campus recently hosted a daylong orientation for the first cohort of Midstate educators participating in the newly funded LEADS initiative to improve data science education and instruction in K-12 classrooms.
LEADS, which stands for Leaders in Education Advancing Data Science, is an initiative that aims to bridge the gap in educators and education by providing fully funded Ed.S. graduate degrees to specially selected math and science teachers from area school districts in Bedford, Cannon, Warren and Williamson counties and Murfreesboro City Schools.
The National Science Foundation awarded MTSU nearly $3 million to fund the five-year program for 17 Master Teacher Fellows within the College of Education. The LEADS initiative aims not only to improve data literacy within middle-level grades but also train teachers to become better leaders both in and out of the classroom.
Williamson County Schools fifth grade math teacher JoEllen Schubmehl from Scales Elementary in Brentwood looks forward to the opportunities that can be provided through her extended learning.
“I am thrilled for the opportunity to continue my education. I’m a learner every day in my classroom, but this is a different type of learning and I’m excited about that,” Schubmehl said. “I know that the things that I learn, I’m going to be able to bring back not only to my classroom, but to share with the other teachers in my building and my district.”
The Ed. S. program is built around an existing degree program in education leadership from the College of Education and will be a hybrid on-campus experience. The first two years of the program will focus on coursework required for the fellows to obtain their graduate degree, so then in three to five years these teachers can implement their knowledge into their classrooms and their districts.
The LEADS team principle investigators include Greg Rushton, director of MTSU’s Tennessee STEM Education Center; Keith Gamble, director of MTSU’s Data Science Institute; Ryan Seth Jones, associate professor and member of MTSU’s Integrated Data Research Team; Kevin Krahenbuhl, director of MTSU’s Ed.D. Program; and Kate Miller, research associate with The Concord Consortium. In total, the team is comprised of 14 members.
LEADS Research Project Manager Aspen Malone touches on the importance of educators staying in positions that benefit students’ learning, rather than move to higher positions.
“So, one of our main things that we want is we want a 100% teacher retention for the program. And so, we’ve noticed that a lot of times, you have these really good teachers in the classrooms and then they leave and become great principals or great district leaders,” Malone said.
“The goal with this is to keep these really great teachers in their classroom. And so, we’re hoping this program will equip them with the skills to do that, such as our teacher leadership skills, to feel empowered as a teacher, to lead from their classroom. As well as our data science skills to learn new ways to teach math and science with data science concepts.”
The program is designed to coordinate with teachers’ schedules, granting substitute teachers during any required class time.
To learn more about the LEADS program, visit their website at https://bit.ly/MTSULEADS.
MTSU to celebrate 700-plus grads at 2025 summer commencement
MTSU’s Murphy Center will soon be buzzing with excitement and pride to celebrate more than 709 new graduates receiving their degrees during the 2025 summer commencement Saturday, Aug. 9, on campus.
The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Central Aug. 9 in Hale Arena inside Murphy Center at 2650 Middle Tennessee Blvd. and is open to the public. The event also will stream live at mtsu.edu/live and on the university’s Facebook channel, and will be broadcast on MTSU’s “True Blue TV” station on local cable channels and at mtsu.edu/TrueBlueTV.
Of the 709 students set to graduate in the ceremony, 486 are undergraduates and 223 are graduate students, including 197 master’s candidates, five education-specialist recipients and 21 doctoral candidates. In addition, three graduate students will be receiving graduate certificates, according to the latest information from the Registrar’s Office.
Graduates and their supporters will hear congratulatory remarks from MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and keynote remarks from Suzanne Sutherland, a professor in the Department of History and immediate past president of the Faculty Senate.
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