MSU’s Bondurant strengthens statewide secondary mathematics education through NSF grant
Contact: Bethany Shipp
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s Liza Bondurant is supporting secondary mathematics teachers across the Magnolia State through a National Science Foundation grant.
A secondary mathematics education professor in MSU’s College of Education, Bondurant serves as co-investigator of a $5 million grant awarded to the Mississippi STEM Education Alliance, or MSEA. The initiative is funded by the NSF’s National STEM Teacher Corps Pilot Program, bringing together school districts, universities, industry partners and nonprofits to advance mathematics and data literacy education statewide.
The project kicked off during the 2025-26 academic year with the competitive selection of 16 educators as inaugural MSEA National STEM Teacher Corps members. Representing Mississippi’s four congressional districts, the members have expertise in middle school mathematics, Algebra I, geometry and data science.
With a nearly $160,000 subaward, Bondurant serves as project lead for the Algebra I and geometry MSEA teachers. The Algebra I team high school teachers include Ashton Winstead, Northwest Rankin; De’Adriana Jackson, Natchez Early College at Copiah-Lincoln Community College; Melinda Austin, Hernando; and Reneice Glasper, Lewisburg. The geometry team high school teachers include Franchesca Afrim, Brandon; Jennifer Crissey, Germantown; Judith Terry, Center Hill; and Reshondra Lakes, West Tallahatchie. Over the next four years, Bondurant is leading the teams to develop and implement an algebra and geometry institute, with the goal of this becoming an approved supplemental endorsement pathway for currently licensed teachers to add the two subjects to their teaching license.
“It is a joy and honor to be a part of the MSEA project,” Bondurant said. “From 2006-2012, members of the co-PI team were running Math Science Partnership institutes across the state. The MSPs provided K-6 and special education teachers with supplemental endorsements in grades 7-8 mathematics. Since then, we have collectively dreamed about offering institutes for high school mathematics, too. I have to pinch myself that our dreams are becoming a reality.”
Bondurant holds a doctorate in mathematics education, master’s degree in secondary math education and bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University at Albany, State University of New York. Among her many accolades, she received MSU’s Online Teaching Award in 2025 and was named College Teacher of the Year by the Mississippi Council of Teachers of Mathematics in 2020. A sought-after presenter across the country, she has garnered more than 40 grants and shared her expertise in numerous peer-reviewed publications.
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