American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20001-2079 (202) 393-6384 Fax: (202) 879-4537 www.aft.org

The mission of the American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, is to improve the lives of its members and their families; to give voice to their legitimate professional, economic, and social aspirations; to strengthen the institutions in which they work; to improve the quality of the services they provide; to bring together all members to assist and support one another; and to promote democracy, human rights, and freedom in the union, in the nation, and throughout the world.

AFT focuses on PreK-16 education and has been in the forefront of the movement to raise academic standards and to stop out-of-field teaching assignments. Teacher quality and high-quality professional development are among AFT's goals. Since 1981, AFT has sponsored a professional development program for its members, the Educational Research and Dissemination Program (ER&D), that connects them to the scientific research base on teaching and learning. One ER&D course that relates directly to the mission of the Triangle Coalition is Thinking Mathematics. Developed jointly with the University of Pittsburgh under an NSF grant, AFT offers three courses aimed primarily at Pre-K-6 teachers. Other courses in the program target Home School Partnerships; Establishing Learning Environments; and Classroom Management, Reading, and Anti-Social Behavior, all of which are relevant to the achievement of high level learning in mathematics and science.

AFT President Sandra Feldman was a member of the Glenn Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century. AFT represent 1.2 million members.