NSF PR 98-26 - May 7, 1998
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NSB Approves Multimillion-Dollar Awards for Atlanta
and Jacksonville Public Schools
Atlanta, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla., were named today
to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant
for system-wide reform of their K-12 mathematics,
science and technology education programs.
The National Science Board (NSB), NSF's governing
body, approved both cities' reform plans at its May
7 meeting in Arlington, Va. The approval clears the
way for negotiations to begin for five-year, $15-million
grants, managed by NSF's Urban Systemic Initiatives
(USI) program. Negotiations will likely conclude in
late September, in time for the awards to be made
and for activities to commence in the 1998/99 academic
year.
"The addition of Atlanta and Jacksonville to the growing
list of urban public school systems that have chosen
to undertake the significant challenge of reform will
be a rewarding enterprise for both cities and the
nation at large," said Luther S. Williams, NSF assistant
director for education and human resources. "Through
this bold step, these cities will be contributing
to the intellectual betterment of their children."
According to Williams, both Atlanta and Jacksonville
are adopting comprehensive plans that will benefit
all students by: promoting increased graduation requirements;
increasing rates of course-taking in rigorous math
and science; and promoting better support for students
through instructional improvements.
Local education policymakers are also revising course
and curricular content, incorporating a standards-based
approach, providing math and science achievement benchmarks
for students, parents, teachers and administrators.
USIs share a common vision to: improve the math and
science literacy of all students; provide the math
and science fundamentals that will permit all students
to participate fully in a technological society; and
enable a significantly greater number of these students
to pursue careers in math, science, engineering and
technology.
Accomplishing these goals, concludes the NSB, "requires
systemic change that provides for strong and effective
leadership at multiple levels."
"I have every reason to expect that Atlanta and Jacksonville
will elicit higher performance levels from their students,
as measured by their achievements," Williams said.
Currently, 22 cities participate in the USI program,
which began in 1993. These cities have very large
numbers of school-aged children living in poverty.
"NSF purposefully took on some of the hardest possible
cases," said Williams, "in an attempt to focus reform
where it is most needed and to test the feasibility
of the program designs and strategies."
Starting in 1993, each eligible city received $100,000
from NSF to undertake an assessment of its K-12 system
of math, science, and technology education. Each city
was then asked to develop a plan of system-wide reform
addressing critical issues of standards, student achievement,
policy development, resource allocation and a system
of support from the local community. The resulting
proposals were then subjected to competitive merit
review through peer evaluation.
The USI program was initiated with the funding of
nine cities in 1994. Atlanta and Jacksonville are
the first cities chosen this year to receive funding.
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