New Jersey STEM Innovation Fellowship

STEM Innovation Fellowship meeting

Teacher Prep is a regional center for the NJ STEM Innovation Fellows Announcement

The New Jersey STEM Innovation Fellowship is a new K-5 teacher-leadership program developed by Math for America, with feedback and support from key stakeholders including the Murphy Administration, the New Jersey Department of Education and JerseyCAN, an advocacy group that supports equitable access to STEM education for students. Faculty and staff from Montclair State University's Professional Resources in Science and Mathematics (PRISM) program lead the initiative -- a partnership with Princeton University and Rowan University -- to power statewide innovation in STEM education from the ground up.

Throughout the 2019-2020 school year 30 elementary teacher where identified as STEM Innovation Fellows.  The Fellows implemented a research-based elementary math teaching routine called “number strings” shown to help students – particularly in high-needs schools – develop flexible computational thinking skills to thrive in mathematics in the early grades.  The 10 central region Fellows listed below met each month as a professional learning community with Teacher Prep at Princeton.  The monthly meetings were facilitated by Sarah Ryan, former university Math Education professor, and New York Math Coach and Teacher.

  1. Karen Armano, Math Specialist at Sunnymead Elementary School in Hillsborough
  2. Lindsay Bernstein, Grade 1 Teacher at Gregory Elementary School in Trenton
  3. Kristin DeLorenzo, G&T Math at Francis A. Desmares School in Flemington
  4. Jennifer Furman, Grade 3 Teacher at Village Elementary School in Montgomery Township
  5. Traci Lambert, EIS Math at Lore Elementary School in Ewing
  6. Irsa Sheikh, Grade 1 Teacher at A.P. Morris Early Childhood Center in Hillside
  7. Nicole Stephens, Bilingual Elementary Teacher at Wilson Elementary in Trenton
  8. Jennifer Van Leeuwen, Grade 4 Teacher at Antheil Elementary in Ewing
  9. Monica Watson, Grade 4 Teacher at Lawrence Intermediate School in Lawrenceville
  10. Dana Wilson, Grade 4 Teacher at Sharon Elementary in Robbinsville and District Instructional Mathematics Coach

2019-2020 fellow, Kristin DeLorenzo, and her work with the STEM Innovation Fellowship was featured on a local new platform. 

All 10 Central Region STEM Innovation Fellows will continue working with Teacher Prep during the 2020-21 school year.  Our Overarching Goals for Year 2 are to:

  • support STEM Innovation Fellows in planning, facilitating, and reflecting on math instruction and assessment.  This includes looking for evidence of students' understanding and misconceptions.
  • support Fellows in using number strings or related tasks/routines, that build students' ability to communicate their math thinking.
  • support Fellows in developing collegial relationships that support risk taking and reflection of teaching with each other and colleagues.