A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

APPLICATION NO     :    R168A30037 APPLICANT          :    Michigan Department of Education                         Box 30008                         Lansing, Michigan 48909 CONTACT PERSONS    :    Theron Blakeslee TELEPHONE      	   :    (517) 373-0454 AWARD TO DATE      :    $573,792 PROJECT PERIOD     :    10/01/93-09/30/96 

The State Department of Education proposes to develop a set of content instructional frameworks that bridge the gap between national standards (and statewide goals and objectives) and classroom instruction in mathematics, science, and technology education. Through the state's NSF SSI grant and the Michigan Partnership for New Education (a plan to transform the state's teacher education system), significant progress has already occurred. However, its impact to date has been limited to a few reform-oriented districts (and schools) and its content has lacked specificity and the practical instructional guidelines for the state's teachers.

This project will establish collaboration between teachers, content, and pedagogy specialists at Michigan's teacher preparation institutions, school boards, and school administrators, district math and science supervisors. It will also produce multi-faceted frameworks that specify guiding principles. It will produce guidelines for integration of mathematics, science, and technology; innovative uses of learning technology; rigorous approaches to pedagogy and assessment; and will pilot these frameworks in diverse settings, encouraging understanding of the new frameworks among other statewide reform efforts in local school districts and parent/community groups.

During the second year, the project will design and pilot test new inservice professional development models. The approach advocated by the state department will emphasize more scientific literacy and mathematical power within a school's entire faculty. Six schools that are involved in the curriculum redesign process will become models of school-based professional development that draws resources from the outside but integrates these opportunities within a school culture of learning and growing.

The third major component will build upon existing collaborative efforts among Michigan colleges of teacher education. (Michigan graduates more teacher education majors than any other state.) It will consider the implications and synthesize and build consensus for the reform of preservice teacher education.

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