KU News Release

LAWRENCE — A student at the University of Kansas has earned a $10,000 scholarship to help her continue undergraduate studies in mathematics education through the UKanTeach program.

Madison Shipley, a junior from Hutchinson, has received the 2009-10 Prospective Secondary Teacher Course Work Scholarship given by the Mathematics Education Trust of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This year, the trust awarded the scholarship to one full-time university student at the junior-class level who is preparing to become a certified teacher of secondary school mathematics. Supported by the Texas Instruments Demana-Waits Fund, it provides funding for tuition, books and other academic expenses.

UKanTeach is a collaborative program of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the School of Education that allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree in math or science and a teaching license in four years. Steven B. Case is director of the Center for Science Education and co-director of UKanTeach.

An honor roll student, Shipley earned the scholarship on the basis of her excellent academic achievements, extracurricular activities and volunteerism, which demonstrate the leadership needed by all future math teachers. She is the daughter of Howard and Sarah Shipley and a graduate of Buhler High School.

When asked why she wants to teach, Shipley said, “I simply cannot think of a better job than teaching students calculus for the rest of my life. When I get the feeling that I have truly helped someone, it’s nothing short of amazing.”

Since fall 2007, Shipley has tutored high school students at the KU Math and Science Center, a federally funded TRIO Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2008, she went on to become a resident assistant for the center’s summer program, which brought students to KU for six weeks of academic studies. She is a math department aide at Lawrence High School and a member of the student-organized Future Science and Math Teachers KU, a group developed by students and instructors involved with UKanTeach.

She is a 2009 Peer Adviser, one of 20 KU students who assist faculty, staff, incoming students, parents and guests with the advising process, act as resources for incoming students, help to prepare materials and provide other services as needed during orientation activities.

For more than 30 years, the Mathematics Education Trust has been supporting the improvement of mathematics teaching and learning through the funding of grants, awards, honors and other projects by channeling the generosity of contributors into classroom-based efforts that benefit all students. The trust provides funds to support classroom teachers in improving classroom practices and increasing teachers’ mathematical knowledge. For more information, visit www.nctm.org/met.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics was founded in 1920 and is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education association. With 100,000 members and more than 230 Affiliates in the United States and Canada, the organization is the world’s largest dedicated to improving mathematics education for all students. To learn more about the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, go to www.nctm.org.