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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