Preparing Teachers to Foster Algebraic Thinking: Conducting and Studying Development within the STAAR Project. Dr. Hilda Borko’s presentation focuses on the teacher professional development component of the STAAR project. STAAR – Supporting the Transition from Arithmetic to Algebraic Thinking – is a multi-year, multi-site research program funded through an IERI grant. The research team at the University of Colorado at Boulder is developing and studying a professional development program intended to help teachers foster algebraic thinking in their classrooms.