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Alice Steimle, director of the University of ºÚÁϳԹÏ's Center for Mathematics and Science Education, will spearhead the creation of the ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï STEM Education Alliance, which will provide training and recognition to teachers in the state.

"There is a shortage of middle school and high school math teachers in ºÚÁϳԹÏ," Steimle said. "But we've seen that teachers in their communities and areas want to stay there in their communities.

"This is our opportunity to not only create more endorsed teachers to teach the content in the state, but to recognize and elevate the teaching profession."

The noted some 500 vacancies for STEM teachers in the state, highlighting the need for more teacher training opportunities.

The alliance will build on the success of the CMSE's Middle Math Institutes, which provide endorsement and professional development in teaching mathematics at the sixth through eighth grade levels, and expand training to include algebra, geometry, and data and statistics.

"Research over the last several years has shown that data literacy and statistics are the next big need in education," said Julie James, the center's assistant director of professional learning. "More and more jobs and careers are relying more heavily on data, and so we need students to be able to know how to read it, how to interpret it, how to create it and how to analyze it, because that's what their careers are going to involve."

The alliance includes the ; Steimle; James; Bethany LaValley, the center's coordinator of professional development; Joe Sweeney, director of ; and Liza Bondurant, associate professor of math at ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï State University.

In the , alliance leaders will identify the top four mathematics teachers in each congressional district, for a total of 16 statewide. They will receive a stipend and be trained to share their strategies and knowledge of teaching STEM to others.

The educators will help the alliance create four-week endorsement programs for each of the designated areas. By including representatives from each congressional district, the alliance can train and support teachers where they are instead of asking them to travel for professional development.

"The center's goal – and our responsibility – is to provide high quality instruction for all students," Steimle said. "That's why it was very important for this project to include representation on these teacher teams from each of the congressional districts.

"We want to work together to create this for the entire state."

The goal is to have both online and in-person training available to an additional 100 teachers annually by 2030. The four-week intensive program will allow teachers to gain their endorsements quickly while also building a network of support and learning, James said.

"When administrators call and say, 'I need a math teacher,' they need that teacher now," she said. "Not in four years, not in two years. Now.

"So, the program is intense, but it's designed to meet the timeline of the teachers and the schools."

The alliance will also create a high school-level course for data and statistics that can be available to all students.

"This is an opportunity to make data literacy accessible in school districts," James said. "In most cases, if a school offers a data and statistics class, it's going to be an AP class. You only have a small percentage of students who gain access to advanced placement classes.

"This could be a class that would be open to all students and would prepare them for their careers."

Each of the 16 teachers chosen as program leaders will be recognized at both the state level and at conferences for . The alliance will also congratulate them in various ways across the state.

The fanfare is for a reason, Steimle said.

"We all know the important work that teachers do – none of us would be here if we didn't have influential teachers," she said. "But that's not always recognized. We want to change that. We want to elevate the profession.

"We want our teachers to be seen as knowledgeable professionals who care for and want the best for their students here in ºÚÁϳԹÏ."

Applications for the STEM Teacher Corps will open in spring 2026. Check the center's website then for more details.

This material is based on work supported by the .

Top: ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï educators work on a project at the 2025 Middle Math Institute, a Center for Mathematics and Science Education program where teachers from across the state can earn an endorsement to teach mathematics to students in sixth-eighth grades. The ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï STEM Education Alliance will expand that teaching to include geometry, algebra, and data and statistics. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services