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The Department of Education provides flexible support, technical assistance, and research-based materials to assist state and local education agencies in improving teaching and learning. This year, the Department has identified seven national priorities that will guide its activities building on President Clinton's Call-to-Action over the next four years. The first three focus on specific results that all students should achieve: reading independently by the end of third grade; mastering challenging mathematics (including the foundations of algebra and geometry) by the end of eighth grade; and being prepared for and able to afford college by 18 years of age. The remaining four priorities address key strategies to enable students to achieve these goals: challenging standards and accountability for every school; a talented, dedicated, and well-prepared teacher in every classroom; Internet access in every classroom with technologically literate students; and strong, safe, and drug-free schools. The following programs provide valuable support to States and schools in their efforts to reach the goal of providing high-quality education in mathematics for all students.
Flexible Support to States, Communities, and Schools to Improve Teaching and Learning:
The Title I Education for the Disadvantaged program is the Federal Government's largest program that supports elementary and secondary education, with current funding of almost $7.2 billion for grants to local educational agencies. Title I provides funds to help low-achieving children, particularly those in high poverty schools, learn to high standards. Title I can give disadvantaged children the benefit of, for example, more individualized and accelerated instruction, extended-day programs, and learning laboratories in mathematics, science, and computers. Mathematics has always been a major focus of the Title I program: according to the most recent data, 48 percent of 9 million participating children receive some instruction in mathematics.
The 1994 reauthorization of Title I emphasizes holding students participating in Title I to the same high standard as all students. By the 1997 - 1998 school year, all States must adopt challenging standards in reading and mathematics. By 2001, States must implement high-quality assessment systems aligned to the standards to assess the performance of Title I schools in relation to State standards.
Schools that serve an area in which the percentage of children living in poverty exceeds 50 percent may use their Title I funds, in combination with other Federal, State, and local funds, to upgrade the school's entire instructional program. These programs are called "school-wide programs." Other schools use the money to help those children most in need of supplementary services. In addition, the Title I statute emphasizes the professional development of educators; every local educational agency participating in the Title I program must provide high-quality professional development, geared to challenging State standards, to improve teaching of academic subjects.
Goals 2000: Educate America Act -- currently funded at $476 million, is the primary Federal program supporting states and districts to raise their standards of teaching and learning. All 50 States now participate. Goals 2000 provides flexible funding to the States to enable them to develop and implement their own strategies for achieving the National Education Goals (including the goal of becoming first in the world in mathematics and science). With funding from the program, States are establishing challenging academic standards with which they are aligning their student assessment programs, teacher preparation and licensure requirements, parental and community involvement, and other aspects of their education systems.
Professional development is also an important component of Goals 2000. Program funds allow States to make competitive subgrants for activities to improve pre-service teacher education and support intensive, sustained professional development for educators and other school personnel. Many States and school districts are also using Goals 2000 funds to support effective use of educational technology.
The Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act current provides $1.1 billion to support curriculum reforms, teacher professional development, and the building of Tech-Prep programs that increase student competencies in the core content areas, including mathematics. Likewise, the School-to-Work Opportunities program supports state and local activities to help all students attain high academic and occupational standards and improve the knowledge and skills of youths by integrating academic and occupational learning, integrating school-based and work-based learning, and building effective linkages between secondary and postsecondary education.
Professional Development in Mathematics and Science:
Eisenhower Professional Development State Grants, currently funded at $310 million, support a wide array of professional development activities in the core academic subjects. By statute, at least $250 million of the Eisenhower funds must be spent on professional development in mathematics and science. The strengths of the program are its reach -- funds flow to States and school districts by formula, and the vast majority of local educational agencies participate -- and the flexibility it provides to State and local administrators to carry out program activities that meet particular State and local needs. The 1994 program reauthorization established requirements that the program fund only professional development that is tied to challenging State content standards and is of sufficient intensity and duration to have a positive and lasting impact on teachers' classroom performance.
The Eisenhower Professional Development Federal Activities program supports an array of national professional development initiatives. The Eisenhower program supports the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), which establishes national standards of excellence in teaching and recognizes teachers attaining these standards through a rigorous assessment process. The Department has requested increased funding to enable 105,000 teachers to become board certified by the year 2006 on average, one for every elementary and secondary school in the nation. The Department's proposed budget would also speed the development of certification frameworks and assessments so that by 2002, certificates for 25 teaching fields will be available. Eisenhower also supports nine state-wide projects across the nation that are working on improving preservice education, licensure requirements and the experience of teachers during their first three years of teaching.
The Telecommunications Demonstration Project (PBS Mathline) uses the professional teaching standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) as the basis for its year-long professional development program called the Elementary School Mathematics Project. This project, which complements Mathline's already-successful Middle School Mathematics Project, allows teachers to learn at times and locations they find convenient. It uses a series of 20 videos, each accompanied by a guide that includes lesson plans, ideas for extending the lesson, additional resources, and discussion topics relating the video content to the NCTM standards. Teachers also participate in a year-long, online learning community of 25-30 fellow teachers, with an accomplished practicing teacher serving as mentor and facilitator. Over the course of three years, PBS Mathline has provided more than 4000 teachers of K-8 mathematics in 36 states with in-depth, standards-based training and has been recognized by the NCTM as an effective professional development program.
Technical Assistance and Information Sharing:
The Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Regional Consortia provide professional support to help teachers teach to high standards. The ten Regional Consortia have three primary objectives: 1) to collaborate and form coalitions with other organizations involved in mathematics and science education improvement; 2) to provide technical assistance and facilitate the use of technology as a tool for instruction and professional development; and 3) to identify and disseminate materials on exemplary instruction in mathematics and science.
The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (ENC), funded under Eisenhower Federal Activities, collects a wide range of materials in mathematics and science and makes them available on-line and on CD-ROM. As of September 1997, which concluded its fifth year of operation, ENC had collected a total of 10,514 items. Between October of 1995 and September of 1997, the Clearinghouse reported over fourteen million "hits" to its Web site. ENC Online (www.enc.org) has been recognized as an exemplary Internet site by Classroom Connect, Syllabus Magazine, Geometry Forum, Education Index, and Multimedia Schools. ENC also works with the Regional Consortia to create demonstration sites throughout the country, where educators can interact with the latest technological developments and access information about the collection.
Information is also disseminated through the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), a national system of specialized clearinghouses that maintain and provide access to the world's largest electronic database of education-related materials.
Research, Statistics, and Assessment:
The National Research Center on Achievement in School Mathematics and Science is housed at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the University of Wisconsin. The Center is a collaboration with the Technical Education Research Center (TERC), Vanderbilt University/Peabody College, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. The Center's mission is to create and validate a set of principles for designing classrooms that promote student understanding in mathematics and science.
Data relating to education are collected, analyzed, and reported by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In collaboration with the National Science Foundation, NCES is currently reporting the results of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and providing follow-up information on those results. Other NCES studies collect detailed, reliable information on the conditions of schools, teachers, and students throughout the nation. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) measures the progress of the nation's students in core subjects, including mathematics and science.
Since its inception in 1950, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has served the Nation by investing in research and education in science, mathematics, technology, and engineering. NSF's goals for education and training require attention to needs at every level of schooling and access to quality science, mathematics, engineering, and technology educational opportunities for all members of society.
PreK-12 Systemic Reform
Systemic refers to fundamental, comprehensive, and coordinated changes made in science, mathematics, technology, and engineering education through attendant changes in policy, financing, governance, management, content, instruction, and assessment. Systemic reform occurs when all essential features of institutions and systems are engaged and operating in concert; when policy is aligned with a clear set of goals and standards; and when the improvements and innovations become an intrinsic part of the ongoing educational system for all participants and are incorporated in budgets.
PreK-12 systemic reform is supported through NSF state, urban, local, and rural systemic initiatives. The implementation of high-quality, standards-based instructional materials, assessment systems, and professional development are keys to success of all initiatives. Essential components to the immediate and long-term sustainability of the reform activities include: (1) development and administration of coherent policies and legislation to support science and mathematics education; convergence of resources to support a single, unitary program; (2) promotion of effective partnerships with the private sector and higher education institutions; (3) achievement of support from the community, parents in particular; collection, interpretation and effective use of data, including student achievement; and (4) cohesive, coherent strategic planning to ensure the improvement of all students' achievement. Since 1996, the systemic initiatives have begun to make the transition from building an infrastructure to supporting science and mathematics education reform to the classroom implementation of standards-based curricula, instruction, and assessment. Extensive leveraging of funds from business, industry and other federal agencies occurs in all systemic initiatives, in some case as much as 4 to 1 with NSF dollars.
The Statewide Systemic Initiative (SSI) Program has supported a total of 25 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to establish comprehensive changes in mathematics and science education through the implementation of K-12 standards-based instructional programs, professional development, and assessment systems; new policies; and effective partnerships. A total of 20 eligible cities with the largest numbers of school-age children living in poverty have been funded under the Urban Systemic Initiative Program (USI). A total of five rural, economically disadvantaged regions are implementing programs to promote high-quality science, mathematics, and technology education through the Rural Systemic Initiatives (RSI). RSI programs have focused on the implementation of instruction through the use of advanced telecommunications networking and distance delivery of quality programs and professional development.
Building Blocks of System Reform:
Systemic reform is built on a foundation of quality instructional materials, initial education and professional development of teachers in both content and pedagogy, new strategies for the assessment of student learning, a diverse teacher population, and appropriate use of technology. Thus a major focus of activities and budget at NSF is assuring that these building blocks are available and in place.
Teacher Education: Teachers must have a high level of content knowledge and pedagogical skills and be prepared to utilize the most effective instructional materials, assessment strategies, and educational technologies. Teacher education includes both preservice and inservice education.
Over 40,000 teachers in 1,930 schools, reaching over 1.3 million students annually, participate in intensive professional development activities through the Local Systemic Change (LSC) Initiatives. Teachers of mathematics or science receive a minimum of 100 hours of professional development (for K-8 teachers) or 130 hours (for teachers in grades 7-12) and receive ongoing support through the academic year. They implement quality standards-based instructional materials and reform the mathematics and science programs in their schools as a whole. Extensive leveraging of Title 1, Eisenhower, district, and industry funds occurs in at least an amount equivalent to the NSF award in each LSC project. In addition to the Local Systemic Change projects, the Teacher Enhancement Program supports leadership projects that train teachers and other professionals to deliver quality professional development. NSF supports the enhancement of approximately 60,000 teachers annually, of whom, at this time, fewer than half are teachers of mathematics. Only about 10,000 are middle school teachers of mathematics.
Comprehensive Partnerships for Mathematics and Science Achievement projects provide students and teachers with standards-based curriculum reform for K-12, teacher enhancement, strategic use of resources, student enrichment activities, and summer research experiences and related activities. Approximately 5,000 teachers are affected annually.
The NSF Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP) support efforts to achieve comprehensive change in the undergraduate education of future teachers and to increase the quality and number of teachers in science and mathematics. All of the activities are characterized by strong collaboration between discipline-based faculty in schools of science/engineering and faculty from schools of education. Participating institutions of higher education vary from tribal colleges to major research institutions. CETP projects will affect 78,000 future teachers in 110 participating institutions over a five year period, and approximately 30% of the CETP collective effort is focused on future teachers of K-12 mathematics.
Instructional Materials: Instructional and assessment materials influence what students are taught and how teachers and faculty teach. An innovative, comprehensive, and diverse portfolio of instructional materials and assessment tools that implement standards-based reform in mathematics, the natural and social sciences, engineering, and technology education are required for preK-12 education. These materials must be of sufficient quality to be widely adopted and used in schools nationally.
The development of sixteen sets of comprehensive standards-based mathematics instructional materials for K-12 students was begun in 1990, These materials were completed and became available for use beginning in 1996. A report describing the success of these materials in field test sites was released by the University of Chicago, The Success of Standards-Based Mathematics Curricula for all Students, a Preliminary Report in FY 1996. Extensive evaluation data of student achievement in the field testing of these new materials demonstrates improved performance for students using them.
Assessment: NSF supported research and development in assessment of student learning during the mid-1990's through 20 projects. Each of these projects has come to completion. The tools they developed and the increased understanding of student learning that resulted are now being used by schools throughout the country. The Balanced Assessment in Mathematics Project was among the projects funded to develop assessment tools for middle school mathematics. The tools and test items the project generated have become the central component of the New Standards Mathematics assessments now used in numerous schools throughout the country. NSF continues to fund new assessment projects.
Technology: Research efforts in technology are developing new methodology and pedagogy for improving the achievement of students in science and mathematics, especially those who have not been well served by the education system. The new methodologies will make use of advances in technologies such as visualization and simulation that build on different learning styles among students. Funded projects successfully create new forms of visualization of scientific and mathematical concepts. NSF has supported more than 20 projects that successfully create new forms of visualization such as graphics, and simulations. Full and sustainable integration of technology into the fabric of the educational system is required for these to have wide impact on education systems.
Informal Science Education: The Informal Science Education sector reaches out to all segments of population to engage them in self-directed learning in the areas of science, mathematics, and technology. Because, over a lifetime, people spend more hours learning out of school than they do in school, a strong informal science education program is critical in the comprehensive education of our citizens. Members of the public who participate in informal science education learn about the process of science and scientific thinking; are motivated to participate in science and mathematics activities; are aware of the relevance of science, mathematics, and technology in their everyday lives; and increase their knowledge about specific topics and about scientists and careers in the sciences.
Support is provided for informal learning science, mathematics, and technology projects designed to reach large numbers of the general public through television and radio series; public films on the process and substance of science and mathematics; exhibits or other educational activities at science and natural history museums, science-technology centers, aquaria, nature centers, botanical gardens, arboreta, zoological parks, and libraries; and educational programs and activities at community and youth centers.
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