The Discovery Center is a "hands-on" science museum with a mission to provide the public with a basic science literacy. The proposed HOFPP project is an outreach program that will take an informal science education activity to disadvantaged parents and children in the facilities of four (first year) collaborating "parents": The Urban League, the Spanish Action League, the North American Indian Club and Girls Inc. of Central NY. The purpose of the program is to encourage and enable parents of disadvantaged school children to play an active role in their child child's education. Phase I of the program is implemented as a series of ten weekly classes in which parents and children will work together on hands-on science activities; Phase 2 follows with a science club program. Graduates will be informally channeled into an inner-city magnet school for science and math. Past Discovery Center outreach programs have already demonstrated ability to attract disadvantaged parents. The proposed program will touch 1,000 disadvantaged persons during the initial three-year period. During the third year the HOFPP project will be transported and implemented at a Science museum in another New York State community. A three year cost-shared NSF project is proposed that will be later sustained by The Discovery Center operating budget with local donations. A professional outside evaluation will be performed to measure program success. Program reports, materials and consultation will be propagated to other interested organizations to gain maximum impact.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Rachel NettletonMary StebbinsAnnette SalsberyElizabeth Kneale
The critically acclaimed film "STAND AND DELIVER" accomplished the formidable task of focusing national attention on the achievements of minority students in higher mathematics. As a motivational tool for educators, the film's value can hardly be overstated. "STAND AND DELIVER" will now have a second life as a play for the stage. The intimate human drama of the story of Jaime Escalante and his inner city A.P. calculus class will be re- written and confined to one set - a classroom - making it a natural for the theatre. Best of all, junior and senior high schools already have the resources to stage a first-rate production. Since almost all the roles depict students and teachers, "STAND AND DELIVER" should be a natural choice for school drama clubs across the country. The transformation of the movie into a play will take place in three stages: First, the screenplay is adapted into a stage play. Second, the initial stage production is mounted. Third, the play is published and made available to schools and theatre companies for local performances.