Math and Science Partnership
February 2002
NSF's Role
The Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program is a
national effort to unite the activities of higher
education, school systems and other partners in support
of preK-12 students and teachers. Envisioned as a
five-year effort, the program is part of President
Bush's No Child Left Behind initiative to strengthen
and reform education.
Goals
MSP seeks to serve all students by supporting partnerships
that will:
- enhance the capacity of schools to provide challenging
curricula and encourage more students to succeed
in advanced mathematics and science;
- increase the number, quality and diversity of
mathematics and science teachers, especially in
underserved areas;
- engage the nation in large-scale reform by establishing
a network of researchers and teachers to share,
study and evaluate educational reform to include
improving teacher preparation and professional
development;
- draw upon lessons from other NSF programs, such
as Centers for Learning and Teaching and Science
of Learning Centers.
Budget Details
NSF's five-year effort includes an estimated investment
of $1 billion in mathematics and science education.
The fiscal 2002 appropriation is $160 million, to
support comprehensive and targeted awards as well
as research and evaluation. NSF's 2003 budget request
includes $200 million for the second year of the program.
Program Types
The MSP will support two types of partnerships in 2002
which will vary on the range and scale of activities.
Comprehensive awards will be funded for a five-year
period and be worth up to $7 million annually. Targeted
awards will be directed at specific issues in preK-12
science or mathematics education and will range from
$100,000 to $1.5 million for each year up to five
years.
Partnership Characteristics
The partnerships will be results-oriented, accountable
collaborations well-grounded in sound educational
practices that are expected to achieve the following:
- students will be taught in mathematics and science
classes with high learning expectations aligned
to local and state standards;
- partnerships will address issues of the mathematics
and science teacher workforce by recruiting qualified
people to become teachers, preparing them for
teaching and providing continued professional
development;
- partnerships will further cultural change within
institutions to support ongoing commitments among
the partners to support its goals;
- data will be collected on all aspects of partnership
work and shared to promote the development of
national capacity to introduce and sustain science
and mathematics education reform.
Program Characteristics
Higher education will play a critical role in preK-12
education reform. Experts in science, mathematics,
engineering and technology disciplines will be involved
in preparing the next generation of teachers as well
as supporting those already in the classroom. This
will be done through:
- research that will deepen understanding of the
nature of learning, linking this knowledge to
pressing educational and workforce needs;
- partnerships that will be linked to each other
and to research communities;
- partnerships that will support sustainable change;
- partnerships that will examine the conditions
surrounding learning with special attention to
the assumptions, expectations and social practices
that influence schools.
For more information, see http://www.ehr.nsf.gov.
See also: NSF Press Release: Math and Science Partnership
Connects Schools and Higher Education to Boost Learning,
January 24, 2002 (http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/02/pr0208.htm)
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