NSF PR 02-87 - October 23, 2002
NSF Establishes Five New Centers to Develop Teaching
Leadership in Science and Mathematics
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing
its investment in five new Centers for Learning and
Teaching to answer the need for a new generation of
professionals who can inspire and challenge students
while engaging in research on how students learn.
The new centers - established at the American Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington,
D.C., Washington University in St. Louis and at the
universities of Wisconsin, Washington and Georgia
- will receive an estimated $10 million each over
the next five years.
Individual efforts continue in the K-12 component of
the program, ranging from development of new math
and science curricula, to instructional materials
and professional development of teachers. Meanwhile,
a higher-education component, which is new in this
year's awards, will provide for coordinated reform
of teaching and learning through a wide array of research,
faculty professional development and education practice.
The 10 nationwide K-12 Centers for Learning and Teaching
represent an estimated NSF commitment of $100 million
to increase the numbers, professionalism and diversity
of K-12 math and science teachers, and faculty members
who prepare future teachers. The two additional higher
education centers, initiated this year with an NSF
commitment of $20 million, provide coordinated efforts
in research, faculty professional development and
education practice at colleges and universities.
"The Centers for Learning and Teaching are our test
sites for innovative approaches to preparing a new
generation of science, engineering and mathematics
faculty who can work well together, who can introduce
a strong research component into their educational
approaches, and who can create the capacity for challenging,
engaging learning opportunities for students in formal
and informal settings," said Judith Ramaley, NSF's
assistant director for education and human resources.
"These centers, in company with our other research
efforts, including our proposed Science of Learning
Centers, will give us the ability to share new ideas
in teaching, learning and educational research while
preparing and supporting educators who can inspire
their students."
The K-12 centers, in addition to countering the expected
impact of mass retirements of teachers and higher
education faculty, are also expected to build a body
of research, especially in emerging and interdisciplinary
mathematics and science topics. Centers are also gearing
up efforts to reduce the high proportion of teaching
professionals who are teaching "out of field." Meanwhile,
higher education centers are designing programs to
enhance the content knowledge and pedagogical skills
of current and future faculty. The research agendas
of these centers will focus on undergraduate education
in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
"We want to increase the mathematics and science achievement
levels of our students and prepare them for a society
increasingly shaped by science and technology. So
we need to provide a nucleus of coordinated reform
efforts that reach into and coalesce teaching, learning
and research across K-12 and higher-education boundaries,"
Ramaley concluded.
For more information see: http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/esie/programs/clt/clt.asp
Attachment: List of current
Centers for Learning and Teaching
Attachment
CENTERS FOR LEARNING AND TEACHING
Awards for 2002 - K through 12
The Center for Proficiency in Teaching Mathematics
- University of Georgia
The St. Louis Center for Inquiry in Science
Teaching &Learning - Washington University
(St. Louis)
Center for Instructional Materials in Science
- American Association for the Advancement
of Science (AAAS), Washington, D.C.
Awards for 2002 - Higher Education
Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education
- University of Washington
Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching
and Learning - University of Wisconsin,
Madison
Previously funded Centers for Learning and Teaching
- 2001
The Diversity in Mathematics Education Center
for Learning and Teaching - University of
Wisconsin
The Appalachian Collaborative Center for Learning,
Assessment, and Instruction in Mathematics -
University of Tennessee
The Center for Informal Learning and Schools
- The Exploratorium (a San Francisco-based
museum)
The Center for Learning and Teaching in the
West - Montana State University
The Center for Assessment and Evaluation of
Student Learning - WestEd Inc. (nonprofit
research, development and service agency)
Centers for Learning and Teaching - 2000
Mid-Atlantic Center for Mathematics Teaching
and Learning - University of Maryland
Information Technology (IT) in Science -
Texas A&M University
* Note: Funding for these programs comes primarily
from the NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources,
with additional funding from the Directorate for Engineering
and the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical
Sciences
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