TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – In rural areas, educators face a variety of hurdles to teach students mathematics and sciences. Poverty, isolation, culture and local customs often impede their effort.

Dr. William S. Bush, head of the Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics, will speak at The University of Alabama on dealing with theses challenges to teaching in rural areas. The lecture will be Friday, Sept. 26, at 2 p.m. in Room 127 in the Biology Building on the UA campus. The event is free and open to the public.

He will also discuss several initiatives that have been developed to enhance teaching mathematics and science in rural communities.

Bush serves as professor and director of the Center for Research in Mathematics and Science Teacher Development at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. He spearheaded support and directs both the Kentucky Middle School Mathematics Academies and the Urban University Partnership for Mathematics and Science Teaching. He has also assisted in preparing proposals for numerous projects at the University of Louisville to improve mathematics and science education in Kentucky.

Bush recently established the Bush National Science Foundation-funded Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning, Assessment and Instruction in Mathematics, designed to build a mathematics education infrastructure in the rural Appalachian regions of Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Bush is nationally recognized for his work in teacher development and assessment. He has been invited to numerous National Science Foundation conferences and has edited or co-edited six books on assessment. In 1995, he delivered a presentation on federal support for professional development at the White House.

Bush has been the primary author on grants that have accrued more than $25 million for Kentucky students and teachers. In addition, he has served as director of four statewide education projects.

Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Louisville, Bush taught courses in mathematics methods, classroom management and general pedagogy for undergraduate and graduate elementary, middle and high school teachers at the University of Kentucky.

He also directed the professional development of prospective teachers and supervised more than a dozen doctoral students.

Bush earned his master’s degree from the University of Kentucky and his doctorate in education from the University of Georgia in Athens.

The College of Arts and Sciences is UA’s largest division with more than 25 departments and programs, 6,600 students, and 350 faculty members.