3 New Haven Teachers Chosen For Noyes Math Teacher Leader Program

NEW HAVEN, CT — Three New Haven teachers were chosen for the Noyes Math Teacher Leader Program, a five-year professional learning and service program intended to expand Connecticut’s capacity to advance more equitable mathematics education, according to the school district.

The three teachers are among 20 statewide from the 33 "so-called Alliance districts," those with the highest need, schools spokesperson Justin Harmon wrote in a news release.

Sara Cole of Conte West Hills School, William McKinney of Engineering and Science University Magnet School, and Justin Wentworth of Davis Academy for Arts and Design Innovation are the teachers who were chosen for the program.

The cadre of math teachers receive a stipend and are integrated into math leadership roles within their schools, districts, and state, while continuing to teach and impact students in their classrooms, according to the district. Funding for the program comes from the National Science Foundation and private donors. Program partners include the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education and its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of Mathematics, as well as the Connecticut State Department of Education.

Cole is a New Haven native who attended West Hills School through seventh grade. After college, she spent a decade as a professional mariner and educator on sail training ships. She then attended Harvard University and earned a master’s degree in mathematics education. She has been teaching seventh and eighth grade math at Conte for eight years.

“Some of the highlights of my teaching career have included winning a Fund for Teachers grant to travel to Crete to study the ruins of the Minoan civilization with my friend and colleague Theodora Dogani, and working with our Math Counts team at Conte,” Cole was quoted as saying.

McKinney serves as math department chair and teaches AP calculus, statistics and macroeconomics at ESUMS, whose faculty he joined this year. At Wilbur Cross High School from 2009 to 2021, he taught AP calculus, macroeconomics, and microeconomics, plus algebra 1 and 2. As a lead teacher, he developed professional learning opportunities focused on improving instructional practices through peer-to-peer observation and feedback. As a curriculum facilitator, he co-wrote the pacing and sequencing guide, common formative assessments, unit outlines and sample lessons for the algebra 2 curricula.

Wentworth is in his ninth year teaching at Davis Street School.

“I love Math Counts and the wonderful memories that it creates,” he was quoted as saying. “I believe that building a strong mathematical foundation is the key to future generations' success.”

In addition to math, he enjoys music and hockey—“the coolest game on earth.”