System-wide change For All Learners and Educators website - Mathematics and Science - All Grades - All Children

A Final Case Study of SCALE Activities at UW-Madison: The Influence of Institutional Context

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:10:08 -0600

Institutions of higher education (IHEs) play an important role in mathematics and science education by offering undergraduate instruction, operating teacher training programs, and providing in-service training for K–12 teachers. The National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded System-wide Change for All Learners (SCALE) project sought to effect change in its partner IHEs by (a) improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate education; (b) improving collaborations between STEM and education faculty on preservice programs; (c) improving collaborations between IHE faculty and K–12 districts on inservice training; and (d) improving the institutional policies and practices that support these activities. As part of the SCALE IHE case studies line of work, this paper provides findings on the effects of the SCALE project at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW-Madison) between May 2004 and August 2007. This case study includes two interrelated accounts of SCALE activities: (a) a presentation of evaluation findings for each of the SCALE activities undertaken at UW-Madison and (b) an analysis of how specific aspects of the institutional context influenced SCALE activities.

Madison Metropolitan School District Mathematics Task Force Report: Review of Mathematics Curriculum and Related Issues

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:18:10 -0500

The report is the culmination of 18 months of research and discussion on the important factors affecting K-12 student learning in mathematics. The 10 member task force responsible for the report was appointed by former Superintendent Art Rainwater and was composed of community, district, and university representatives. The task force was co-chaired by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Professor of Mathematics, Jim Lewis (who has been a leading figure nationally in mathematics education) and former Deputy Superintendent for Instruction at Los Angeles Unified School District, Merle Price (who now has appointments at UCLA and CSU Northridge). The report (with findings and recommendations) was delivered by the co-chairs to the MMSD Board of Education at their September 8, 2008 meeting.

A Final Case Study of SCALE Activities at California State University, Northridge

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:50:14 -0500

As part of the SCALE IHE Case Studies line of work, this document provides findings on the effects of the SCALE project at the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) between March 2005 and August 2007. Case studies of two other SCALE IHEs—the California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)— have been produced. A cross-case analysis of the three IHE case studies will present a diagnostic approach to evaluating STEM education interventions in complex organizations.

Fifth Annual Evaluator's Report

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:36:51 -0600

As originally proposed to NSF in April of 2002, the “System-wide Change for All Learners and Educators” (SCALE) Math Science Partnership does not rely upon an external evaluator. Instead, four lines of evaluation were proposed and pursued by a separate team for each: a) Building a Partnership under the leadership of Susan Millar, District Case studies under the leadership of Bill Clune, Targeted Studies originally under the leadership of Norman Webb and later replaced by Bruce King, and still later replaced by Eric Osthoff and Adam Gamoran and b) Indicators directed by Norman Webb and more recently joined by Jeff Watson.

Fifth Annual Progress Report

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:35:48 -0600

The System-wide Change for All Learners and Educators Project (SCALE) was funded during the first round of MSP awards. It was recognized that the SCALE plan, as proposed, was complex, challenging and creative. The question in the minds of all was "How could an MSP so diverse with regard to types and sizes of school districts and IHE entities, geographic spread, and so ambitious in its goals, succeed?”

Student Results Show Benefits of Math and Science Partnerships

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:01:02 -0600

Students' performance on annual math and science assessments improved in almost every age group when their schools were involved in a program that partners K-12 teachers with their colleagues in higher education. While an earlier study tracked schools that began work in the first year of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Math and Science Partnership program (MSP), the most recent study followed more than 300 schools participating in partnerships that began to be funded during the program's second year.

Partnership Implementation in the MSP Program

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:55:30 -0600

The Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF) promotes the development, implementation, and sustainability of exemplary partnerships to advance high-quality math and science education. The MSP Program anticipates that the partnerships will be instrumental in improving K-12 student achievement, as well as reducing achievement gaps among diverse student populations differentiated by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, or disability, a strategy advocated by Haycock et al. (1992). The importance of being partnership driven with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) faculty engagement is apparent not only from the name of the program, but also in the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) decision to include it as one of the five "key features" of the program." To prepare for an assessment of MSP partnerships and to examine the start-up and implementation phase, this report provides "an overview of the relevant literature on partnerships, beginning with the basic and most noted definitions of partnerships, integrated with a discussion about the development of an evaluation framework.

MSP Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) Projects: MSP MIS Summary Data for the 2003-04 School Year

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:52:36 -0600

The RETA component of the MSP portfolio is intended to enhance the capacity of the other types of projects, help them to achieve their goals, and contribute to the development and dissemination of the knowledge base necessary to achieve sustained educational reform. As part of the overall Management Information System (MIS) developed for the MSP program by Westat, an online survey of RETA principal investigators (PIs) was designed to obtain information regarding each RETA's activities during the 2003-2004 school year. The PIs of all of the 18 RETAs operating during the requisite timeframe completed the survey. The results of that survey, as well as certain responses obtained from some RETA-related questions that were included on the Annual Project Survey for Comprehensive and Targeted Projects completed by the MSP PIs, are summarized in this report.

DoE/NSF STEM Summit Presentation by Terry Millar

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:43:49 -0600

Presentation related to Terry Millar's role as a STEM disciplinary faculty member on SCALE and that of other STEM faculty in the SCALE Partnership.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) in collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF) hosted a STEM Summit in Washington, D.C., on December 11-12, 2007.

Context and Preservice Teachers' Conceptions of Proof

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:49:02 -0600

In this study I examine preservice teachers’ conceptions of mathematical proof in the context of evaluating student work. Although previous studies have examined teacher conceptions of proof, few have specifically focused on the effect the context has on teachers’ conceptions. In this study the preservice teachers’ conceptions of proof shifted when they moved from describing proof in the abstract to evaluating student work. The importance of establishing the validity of a claim and understanding new mathematics dropped when considering student work, while the finding of a solution took on greater importance. This indicates that pre- and in-service teachers’ conceptions of proof in the context of teaching may warrant additional attention by researchers and teacher educators.

Profile: Diana Takenaga

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:14:16 -0600

Out of a wealth of knowledge and experiences, Diana Takenaga, Los Angeles Unified School District Science Advisor, finds that her beliefs about how children learn most closely match the inquiry model as promulgated by SCALE. She draws on her experiences as a former kindergarten teacher, resource teacher, professional development facilitator for SCALE and other projects, adjunct professor for an elementary education science methods course and member of two educational science boards.

Profile: Susan B. Millar

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:10:32 -0600

As a Wisconsin Center for Education Research senior scientist and SCALE researcher, Susan Millar works on a broad canvas yet pays minute attention to the smallest “brush strokes.” A typical day for her might include analyzing large amounts of fine-grain data on organizational behavior. Later, she will integrate

Profile: Ronni Ephraim

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 16:07:58 -0600

For more than twenty years, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has held the distinction of being the nation’s second largest school district. The district serves a diverse and culturally rich population of more than 740,000 students in 60 schools with 34,000 teachers and an annual budget in excess of $13 billion. In 2005-06, K-5 students numbered 350,927 in 504 of those schools, which were staffed with 18,193 teachers. Nearly 41% of the entire student population is English language learners.

Profile: Dan Lauffer

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:58:19 -0600

Underneath his bonhomie exterior, Dan Lauffer is a guy who craves a challenge. As co-director of immersion science for SCALE, he has not been disappointed. And just to make sure he’s always occupied, Dan is also senior outreach program manager with the Center for Biology Education at the University of Wisconsin and directs Science House, a project dedicated to building collaborations among faculty, staff and students.

Profile: Cathy Hunt

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:55:43 -0600

A plan is just a plan until you see it in action. When the SCALE science immersion unit hit prime time at an elementary school in Madison two years ago, no one knew what the results would be. Cathy Hunt, a kindergarten teacher at Mendota Elementary School who just finished teaching the unit for the third time, has a pretty good idea now how it works.