The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine current practices regarding math specialists in the eight southern counties of New Jersey. Additionally, information on training opportunities offered by several universities was presented and compared to the certification requirements of other states. A written survey was mailed to a proportional stratified random sample (n=45), categorized by county and socioeconomic status. Both simple percentages and tests of significance (t-test and chi-squared) were used in analyzing the data. This study found there were no significant differences in the number of math specialists working in economically disadvantaged districts compared to other, more affluent districts. There were, however, significant differences in the desired qualifications/ characteristics of math specialists across socioeconomic classifications. The evolving nature and lack of standardization regarding math specialists was noted throughout, as was the absence of scientific research on the effectiveness of such individuals. The implications of the findings of this study are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine current practices regarding math specialists in the eight southern counties of New Jersey. Additionally, information on training opportunities offered by several universities was presented and compared to the certification requirements of other states. A written survey was mailed to a proportional stratified random sample (n=45), categorized by county and socioeconomic status. Both simple percentages and tests of significance (t-test and chi-squared) were used in analyzing the data. This study found there were no significant differences in the number of math specialists working in economically disadvantaged districts compared to other, more affluent districts. There were, however, significant differences in the desired qualifications/ characteristics of math specialists across socioeconomic classifications. The evolving nature and lack of standardization regarding math specialists was noted throughout, as was the absence of scientific research on the effectiveness of such individuals. The implications of the findings of this study are discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Eith, Susan M."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A. in Elementary School Teaching","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Molinari, Louis"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2006,"date_issued":"2006-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2006-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:13:46Z","subjects":["Mathematics teachers--New Jersey; Mathematics teachers--Training of","Elementary Education and Teaching"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/861","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Molinari, Louis"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Eith, Susan M."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-03-31T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A. in Elementary School Teaching"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Mathematics teachers--New Jersey; Mathematics teachers--Training of","Elementary Education and Teaching"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/861"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine current practices regarding math specialists in the eight southern counties of New Jersey. Additionally, information on training opportunities offered by several universities was presented and compared to the certification requirements of other states. A written survey was mailed to a proportional stratified random sample (n=45), categorized by county and socioeconomic status. Both simple percentages and tests of significance (t-test and chi-squared) were used in analyzing the data. This study found there were no significant differences in the number of math specialists working in economically disadvantaged districts compared to other, more affluent districts. There were, however, significant differences in the desired qualifications/ characteristics of math specialists across socioeconomic classifications. The evolving nature and lack of standardization regarding math specialists was noted throughout, as was the absence of scientific research on the effectiveness of such individuals. The implications of the findings of this study are discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The prevalence and function of mathematics specialists across southern New Jersey"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Molinari, Louis"],"dc:creator":["Eith, Susan M."],"dc:date.available":["2016-03-31T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine current practices regarding math specialists in the eight southern counties of New Jersey. Additionally, information on training opportunities offered by several universities was presented and compared to the certification requirements of other states. A written survey was mailed to a proportional stratified random sample (n=45), categorized by county and socioeconomic status. Both simple percentages and tests of significance (t-test and chi-squared) were used in analyzing the data. This study found there were no significant differences in the number of math specialists working in economically disadvantaged districts compared to other, more affluent districts. There were, however, significant differences in the desired qualifications/ characteristics of math specialists across socioeconomic classifications. The evolving nature and lack of standardization regarding math specialists was noted throughout, as was the absence of scientific research on the effectiveness of such individuals. The implications of the findings of this study are discussed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/861"],"dc:subject":["Mathematics teachers--New Jersey; Mathematics teachers--Training of","Elementary Education and Teaching"],"dc:title":["The prevalence and function of mathematics specialists across southern New Jersey"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A. in Elementary School Teaching"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:13:46Z"}