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Embargoed until 1 P.M., EDT
NSF PR 01-53 - June 28, 2001
Media contact:
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Bill Noxon
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(703) 292-8070
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wnoxon@nsf.gov
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Program contact:
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Costello Brown
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(703) 292-8690
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clbrown@nsf.gov
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This material is available primarily
for archival purposes. Telephone numbers
or other contact information may be out
of date; please see current contact information
at media
contacts.
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Big City Students Make Gains in Math and Science,
Report Says
Eight years ago, the National Science Foundation (NSF)
undertook a bold initiative to encourage and invest
in system-wide reform of K-12 mathematics and science
education in some of the most disadvantaged urban
school systems. Students in these systems were performing
poorly in mathematics and science, with wide gaps
evident between minority and majority students. NSF
introduced Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) to enable
cities to implement wide-ranging reforms through standards-based
curricula, professional development for teachers,
and accountability for achievement through data collection
and assessment.
Now, an external evaluation team reports some dramatic
payoffs to these investments.
Academic Excellence for All Urban Students,
a summary report on urban programs making up NSF's
Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI), shows that students
in the majority of the 22 cities where school systems
undertook reform efforts are making progress in several
areas.
The report is part of a larger, ongoing NSF-funded
evaluative study by Systemic Research, Inc. The study
has found that in most of the USI cities, students
are taking more math and science courses and increasing
achievement levels, demonstrated through various assessment
tools. Minority students, meanwhile, are making even
greater gains in enrollments and performance, reducing
the "achievement gap" between themselves and majority
students.
"These results are encouraging because they show that
all students, no matter what their backgrounds or
surroundings, can tackle challenging mathematics and
science courses," Rita Colwell, NSF director, said.
"These preliminary indicators give insights into what
can happen when school systems use investments wisely
to support system-wide policies for learning, to develop
capabilities of teachers, and to connect with the
community through partnerships. Great returns on those
investments are possible when all of the pieces fit
together."
The findings of the report are accompanied by approximately
800 pages of data summaries that the study's principal
investigators developed into a set of "urban school
key indicators of science and mathematics education."
Published on a CD ROM, the study data, which cover
USI cities' participation through 1999, will be updated
in August for the 2000-2001 academic year.
"This is not a complete analysis, but it is a good
beginning for cities to gauge what can be done," said
Judith Sunley, NSF's interim assistant director for
education and human resources. "It takes more than
12 years to educate a young person for high school
graduation, so it is a long-term process to evaluate
complete system-wide change. But we are noticing that
the longest-running, most highly-invested-in urban
systemic programs are making the greatest gains in
math and science achievements."
NSF has invested heavily in Texas, for example, more
than in any other state for a combination of statewide
and urban system programs in math and science education.
And because of the many partnership activities with
universities and industry, the investment has had
a major multiplier effect. According to Academic
Excellence for All Urban Students, all of the
urban programs in Texas have shown much improved assessment
results in math and science at the eighth grade level.
And in El Paso, there has been a dramatic reduction
in the achievement gap between the largest minority
group studied, Hispanics, and white students.
Sunley explained that the value of this report and
of ongoing targeted studies is in the lessons these
urban programs will provide as NSF continues to evolve
its approaches to K-12 mathematics and science education.
"This is a story of school systems willing to do the
work and take on the risks of change," she said. "The
report indicates this is showing results."
Education Editors and reporters: Join in on
an interactive Web news conference announcing study
results from 1:00-3:00 p.m., Thursday, June 28 at:
http://zuul.ncsa.uiuc.edu/arrott2/media/ACCESS_LIVE.ram
NSF director Rita Colwell, former D.C. school superintendent
Floretta McKenzie, school superintendents from Columbus,
(Ohio), Chicago and Detroit, and Richard Schaar, senior
vice president at Texas Instruments, Inc., discuss
various aspects of the study and education system
reform through their own experiences.
For more information on NSF urban system reform, see:
http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/ESR/usp.asp
http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/ESR/driver.asp
See also:
- Backgrounder,
The "Drivers" of NSF's Urban System Reform
- Backgrounder,
Urban Systemic Programs (USP): Beyond Experiments
NSF is an independent federal agency which supports
fundamental research and education across all fields
of science and engineering, with an annual budget
of about $4.5 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states,
through grants to about 1,800 universities and institutions
nationwide. Each year, NSF receives about 30,000 competitive
requests for funding, and makes about 10,000 new funding
awards.
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