The Institute for Research on Learning is undertaking a multifaceted effort to help parents become more involved in the mathematics education of their children. This project establishes a Design Consortium; develops new materials and collaborative activity structures; provides outreach, training, and technical assistance to communities; and disseminates these products to the educational community. The design consortium creates contexts for raising parent participation in communities where it is most needed and uses these contexts to plan and construct mathematics materials based on issues parents face in everyday life. The outreach activities include planning support and workshops for schools, community organizations, and parent groups. Dissemination is done through presentations and talks and through research articles.
The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) is implementing a new, 41-month phase and augmentation of a national public service advertising campaign that was launched in 1995. The Math is Power campaign was developed by NACME in partnership with The Advertising Council toward the goal of creating an increase in the number of students who graduate from high school with prerequisite courses to enroll in any rigorous, math- or science-based undergraduate program. The current project is designed to reach all students but is especially targeted to groups currently underrepresented in math and science and will be anchored by highly directed television, radio, print, and outdoor advertising. The new phase will introduce a Math is Power interactive web site. The website will allow NACME to add direct services to the information packets that are sent to students and parents who respond to the public service advertising. It will include: content relevant, age appropriate math challenges, games, problems, and contests; a national registry of math opportunities where students, parents, and teachers can find mathematics resources; an on-line special events chat room; and a best practices bulletin board. NACME will coordinate their outreach efforts with services such as the Community Technology Center Network (CTCnet) in order to facilitate web access for youth and parents in disadvantaged neighborhoods. They also will work directly with 25 cities with the greatest numbers of citizens who fall in the target population. Math and Science education services in these cities will be able to localize much of the material through such means as placing a local tag on the television ads. In addition, the NACME production and distribution capabilities will be substantially expanded to meet the tremendous demand for Math Is Power materials.
The Developmental Studies Center is supporting the active involvement of parents in their children's mathematical development, helping parents understand more about how their children learn mathematically and socially, and increasing the likelihood that children will discuss mathematics with an adult who is significant in their lives. The first phase of this project develops, pilot tests, and evaluates a Homeside Math resource book for each grade level, K-2, with activities teachers can send home to foster positive interaction about mathematics between parents and their children. These activities are related to exemplary school curricula, particularly those developed with NSF support. The next phase develops a limited number of additional activities to add to the Homeside Math collection to be published as Community Math. Community Math is a resource book for youth workers with activities that foster mathematical discussions between children ages 5-8 and a significant adult and can be used in a variety of community organization settings and sent home for family use. Workshops are developed for parents, teachers, and youth workers to strengthen their knowledge of child-centered instructional strategies, meaningful activities, and how children develop mathematically and socially. And facilitator workshops are developed for parents, teachers, and youth workers to enable them to lead workshops for parents.
The Wildlife Conservation Society is developing and implementing a five-year science program for 420 parents and 210 teachers of children in grades K-8. Linked directly with school curricula and the new National Science Education Standards, the program will bridge the gap between parents and schools, and position the Zoo as a partner and intermediary to help parents and teachers improve the quality and quantity of science education. The program consists of four interrelated components: 1) A series of workshops that will prepare the 420 parents and 210 teachers to work in teams for better and more widely available science education; 2) A series of education projects that will enable workshop participants to teach thousands of other parents and educators about the importance of science literacy, the need for active parental engagement in children's education, and the crucial role that informal science institutions play in augmenting formal science instruction; 3) A series of four Science Advocacy Fairs at the Zoo that are expected to raise the visitor's consciousness on a large scale about the above issues; and 4) A symposium for educators from schools and informal science centers in the region to disseminate successful methods for involving parents in science education.
Miami University, in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association, is producing an inquiry-driven science program for use in informal settings. A key component of the program will an Internet component with a web page that complements and supports the existing Dragonfly magazine and the Dragonfly pilot television program that is being produced under a separate grant. The web page follows the same themes as the magazine and provides scientific information, an educational interactive experience, a sidebar of interesting information about topics, and advice about how users can investigate themes further themselves off-line. Other Dragonfly Quest components will include a leader's guide for educators in informal settings, and educator's companion, a Dragonfly Pocket Field Book with challenges to engage youth in investigations in the field, and Dragonfly badges, certificates, and notebooks. Dragonfly Quest clubs will be established at 200 Boys & Girls Clubs (B&GC) of America chapters nationwide. The B&GC are making a major effort to see that their chapters having computer and Internet capabilities available to the participants. Currently, approximately 40% of the 2000 chapters are linked to the Internet. The chapters with computers selected for this project each will all have at least four computers for youth - all capable of running browser software at the level Netscape 3.0. Assessment of the effectiveness of the project will be carried out at all 200 clubs. The evaluation will be conducted at 160 clubs with Internet access and 40 clubs without Internet access to evaluate the added-value component of the web pages relative to the other elements of the Dragonfly Quest package.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Christopher MyersPhyllis MarcuccioR. Hays CumminsChris WolfeCarolyn Haynes
The Exploratorium will develop "The Math Explorer Activity Book," a project designed to build interest in math among youth ages 11 to 14, particularly girls and minority youth; and to engage youth group leaders, parents, and caregivers in math outside the classroom. The project includes a national campaign to raise public awareness among youth and adults of the critical difference that achievement in middle school-level mathematics makes in the life opportunities of students as well as to publicize a new book of math activities, the heart of the project. The new book, tentatively titled "The Math Explorer," will describe how to do activities at home or in nonschool settings with common, inexpensive materials. The experiences and activities in the book will give middle school-aged youth opportunities to see the relevance of mathematics to their lives and to experiment with math outside the social pressure of school. After testing and evaluation, the Exploratorium will publish the book in collaboration with a commercial publisher for wide dissemination.
Learning to Work with the Public in the Context of Local Systemic Change is a five-year Teacher Enhancement initiative to build a knowledge base and develop the necessary tools and resources for teachers and administrators to engage with their parents and public in pursuit of quality mathematics, and to prepare teacher leaders and administrators to successfully lead these efforts in their schools. The project has three major components: (1) focused and sustained work with teachers, administrators, school boards, parents and the public in strategically located current and potential NSF-supported Local Systemic Change communities; (2) the development and implementation of mathematics sessions and materials designed for parents/public and informed by the project's research/findings, and the preparation of teacher leaders and administrators to conduct these sessions within their own communities; and (3) dissemination conferences and other outreach activities. More specifically, the project will (a) engage in studies that identify the elements critical for successful intervention with parents and the public, (b) develop materials that can be used by lead teachers and other educational leaders to work with peer teachers and the broader public in their home communities, and (c) provide the professional development necessary to support implementation. The plan of work for the project is designed around the following questions: (1) What does it take to secure a public that is knowledgeable of issues in mathematics education and knowledgeable of what it means to teach important and relevant mathematics for understanding? (2) Will a knowledgeable public support and/or actively advocate for mathematics reform? If so, what is the nature of their advocacy? (3) What impact will a knowledgeable and/or proactive public have on the efforts of current and potential Local Systemic Change (LSC) projects to improve the quality of mathematics instruction in schools? (4) Are there critical times during mathematics restructuring efforts when parent engagement is essential? If so, what are those times and what is the nature of support needed? (5) What are the critical issues and caveats that need to be considered in designing and delivering successful mathematics education sessions for parents and the public? (6) What kinds of public engagement can best be accomplished by teacher leaders working within their own communities? What kinds of support do local leaders need in order to work successfully with parents and the public? (7) What kinds of public engagement can best be accomplished by national mathematics education leaders who come into a community on a limited basis? The work to be performed in the project is a carefully designed effort to develop a more practice-based understanding of the critical elements needed for productive public involvement in support of quality mathematics. Sites participating in the plan of work are Portland (OR), St. Vrain (CO), and San Francisco (CA). Resources and tools (e.g., deliverables) planned include professional development materials that can be used by teacher leaders and administrators as they work with peer teachers, as well as with parents and the public; rough-cut video tapes that are potentially useful in these professional development sessions; and a website. Cost sharing is derived from participating school districts and the Exxon and Intel Foundations.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Ruth ParkerJaneane GolliherDominic PeressiniLisa Adajian
The Education Development Center, Incorporated, requests $2,081,018 to create informal learning opportunities in science, mathematics, engineering and technology utilizing the study of the ancient African civilization of Nubia as context. Educational activities and resources will be developed based on the extensive ongoing archeological research on historical Nubia. The two main components of the project are a traveling exhibit with related educational materials and a website that will provide the target audience an opportunity to access extensive on-line resources and activities. The project will provide community outreach and professional development for educators in museums, community groups, schools and libraries. The project is designed for thirty-six months' duration. In year one, a network of collaborators in the Boston area will focus on research and development; in year two, project materials will be piloted and evaluated in six cities, and on-line professional development programs will be conducted; and in year three, project materials will be disseminated directly to 60 sites and more broadly via the internet.
ScienceQuest is an innovative program created by the Education Development Center that fosters an interest in science and technology among adolescents ages 10-14. This program builds on the successful "ThinkQuest" model, in which small teams of 2-3 students work with adult coaches to research subjects of interest and share their knowledge through the creation of websites. "ScienceQuest" teams focus on science topics and are housed in HUD Neighborhood Network technology centers, located in communities with HUD-assisted or insured housing residents. Participants include individuals with and without disabilities from low-income urban areas. Students select a science topic and research it using online resources, hands-on experiments and visits to museums and science centers. Coaches such as scientists, teachers, museum staff and other role models, as well as on-line scientists, provide assistance by setting goals, devising an action plan and identifying appropriate resources. The "I-Search" model, a four-step strategy used to direct student inquiry, is used to guide investigations and aid in content acquisition. Once completed, websites are mounted on the "ThinkQuest" server. Parental participation is encouraged throughout the process. "ScienceQuest" will be piloted in the greater Boston area in year one, and disseminated to 75 Neighborhood Network sites throughout the country in years two and three of the grant. Each site may have one or more teams. With more than 500 Neighborhood Networks in place, "ScienceQuest" has the potential for widespread dissemination.
Twin Cities Public Television is producing the second and third seasons of Dragonfly TV, the science television series targeted at children ages 9 - 12. The series presents children showing their own scientific investigations and sharing the excitement that comes from making their own discoveries. Adult scientists are interspersed among the several groups of children who present research. They present their own research, their discoveries and their love of science. These adult reports are laced with home movies and snapshots of the adults when they were kids, linking childhood experiences to successful careers in science. Outreach for Dragonfly TV consists of a Dragonfly insert in the magazine Explorations, an interactive website where children can share their science investigations and programs at selected Boys and Girls Clubs of America and 4H Clubs. Teacher's Guides will be developed by Miami University of Ohio and distributed through the journals of the National Science Teachers Association.
Family Science: Expanding Community Support for Inquiry-based Science is the University of Washington's innovative five-year plan for reaching youth and families in the Seattle school district. This program represents an enhancement of the NSF-funded Family Science program targeting grades K-5 and expansion of this successful program to include middle and high school students. The proposed activities, Science Explorations, Inquiry Science Conferences and Community Celebrations, are designed to help parents understand inquiry-based science instruction while heightening students' confidence in their ability to understand science processes. The hands-on activities also support and complement Seattle's Local Systemic Change project by enlisting teachers, parents and community members to champion science education outside of the formal school setting. The implementation strategy includes workshops to train Family Science Lead Teachers and Parent/Community Leaders to coordinate Family Science programs. Subsequent partnerships between teachers and community organizations are designed to establish regional clusters of community networks to support programmatic activities during and beyond the funding period. It is estimated that Family Science will result in the presentation of nearly 300 school and community-based events impacting 10,000 individuals.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Leroy HoodEthan AllenDana RileyPatrick Ehrman
Native Waters is a comprehensive four-year tribal science education program focused on water. Working closely with leaders from 28 Missouri River Basin Tribes, the project will explore the Missouri River Flood Basin from a scientific and cultural standpoint. Partners are The Watercourse and International Project WET (Water Education for Teachers). Activities include Leadership Institutes for community educators and Native Waters Future Leaders Camps for secondary school and college students. Products to be developed include an interactive traveling exhibit, which will focus on the Missouri River watershed and the physical properties of water, as well as its uses from a cultural and scientific standpoint. The exhibit will travel to cultural centers, tribal colleges and school libraries throughout the ten Missouri River Basin states. A 250-page Native Water's Educators Guide will be disseminated nationally and impact over 500,000 individuals, both youth and adults. Finally, a 16-page student activity book and a Native Waters film will be produced to introduce youth and community members to water resource issues. The training materials will be used in cultural centers, museums, area water councils and schools.
DATE:
-
TEAM MEMBERS:
Bonnie Sachatello-SawyerDennis Nelson