The National Science Foundation’s Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program James E. Hamos, Ph.D., Elizabeth VanderPutten, Ph.D., Kathleen Bergin, Ph.D. Program Directors, MSP February - March, 2006

The National Science Foundation National Science Foundation Act of 1950 Mission: To promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense; and for other purposes

The National Science Foundation Original Responsibilities The NSF Act authorizes and directs NSF to initiate and support: Basic scientific research and research fundamental to the engineering process, Programs to strengthen scientific and engineering research potential, Science and engineering education programs at all levels and in all fields of science and engineering, and An information base on science and engineering appropriate for development of national and international policy. Additional Responsibilities through later Legislation Fostering the interchange of scientific and engineering information nationally and internationally, Maintaining facilities in the Antarctic and promoting the U.S. presence through research conducted there, and Addressing issues of equal opportunity in science and engineering

The National Science Foundation NSF oversees about 25,000 active awards directly supporting more than 190,000 people – teachers, students, and researchers at every education level and across all disciplines in science and engineering Merit review results in about 10,000 new awards each year from over 40,000 proposals submitted by the research and education communities. FY2007 Presidential Request: >$6.0 Billion; >$800 Million for education-related activities Directorate for Education and Human Resources funds projects devoted to: K-12, undergraduate and graduate education Educational Research, including research on learning Informal Science Education Human Resource Development, attending to issues of diversity (racial, ethnic, disabilities) in science & engineering

President’s Initiative to Strengthen and Reform K-12 Education No Child Left Behind  Too many teachers teaching out of field  Too few students taking advanced coursework  Too few schools offering challenging curricula and textbooks

NSF’S RESPONSE Establish a research & development program in which: higher education – NSF’s core constituency – accepted a critical role and responsibility for furthering K-12 education reform. higher education’s involvement – especially that of STEM faculty – in the teacher professional continuum also would undergo reform. there would be a strong emphasis on developing effective partnership models, resulting in institutional change that could be implemented, expanded and sustained.

Math and Science Partnership The MSP program seeks to improve K-12 student achievement through a sharp focus on three inter-related issues: Ensuring that all students have access to, are prepared for, and are encouraged to participate and succeed in challenging and advanced mathematics and science courses; Enhancing the quality, quantity and diversity of the K- 12 mathematics and science teacher workforce; and Developing evidence-based outcomes that contribute to our understanding of how students effectively learn mathematics and science.

Partners in MSP Projects

MSP Program Distinctive Features The role of science, engineering and mathematics faculty The role of partnerships Commitment to identified institutional change Emphasis on research and evidence A collaborative learning laboratory

FY ’02, FY ’03 & FY’04 MSP Competitions FY ’02, FY ’03 & FY’04 MSP Competitions Comprehensive, Targeted & Institute Partnership Projects and RETA Projects Comprehensive Projects – Mathematics and/or Science, entire K-12 spectrum; 12 awards Targeted Projects – Mathematics and/or Science, focus on narrower grade bands in K-12; 28 awards Institute Partnerships – Content and leadership; 8 awards Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance Projects – over 30 awards The total investment in these projects and other elements of the NSF MSP program is ~$600 million

- States in which partnerships are active - Lead institutions / Comprehensive partnership projects - Lead institutions / Targeted partnership projects - Lead institutions / Institute partnership projects Math and Science Partnership Program National Distribution of Partnership Activity

MSP Projects – Key Features MSP Projects: offer challenging courses and curricula for students provide solutions to issues of teacher quality, quantity and diversity are partnership-driven involving mathematics, science, and engineering faculty have evidence-based design and outcomes provide evidence for likely institutional change and partnership sustainability

Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance Adding Value to the MSP Evaluations Norman Webb, University of Wisconsin-Madison Alternative Approaches to Evaluating STEM Education Partnerships Gordon Kingsley, Georgia Institute of Technology Assessing Teacher Learning About Science Teaching Patrick Smith, Horizon Research, Inc. Building Evaluation Capacity of STEM Projects Cathy Callow Heusser, Utah State University Causal Inference in Instructional Workforce Research Mary Kennedy, Michigan State University Design, Validation and Dissemination of Measures of Content Knowledge for Teaching Mathematics Heather Hill, University of Michigan

Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance Distributed Leadership for Middle School Mathematics Education James Spillane, Northwestern University Envisioning Quality Science Assessments Stuart Elliott, National Academy of Sciences Facilitating Mathematics/Science Partnerships Jay Labov, National Academy of Sciences Leadership Content Knowledge and Mathematics Instructional Quality in the MSPs Barbara Nelson, Education Development Center Longitudinal Design to Measure Effects of MSP Professional Development in Improving Quality of Instruction in Mathematics and Science Education Rolf Blank, Council of Chief State School Officers MOSART: Misconception Oriented Standards-based Assessment Resource for Teachers Philip Sadler, Harvard University

Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance MSP Motivation Assessment Program Stuart Karabenick, University of Michigan Online Technologies to Enhance MSP Teacher Quality Programs Glenn Kleiman, Education Development Center Redesign of the AP Biology Course, Examination, and Teacher Professional Development Experience Howard Everson, The College Board Research on MSP Teacher Recruitment, Induction, Retention Edward Britton, WestEd The Effect of STEM Faculty Engagement in MSP: A Longitudinal Perspective Xiaodong Zhang, Westat, Inc.

MSPnet Joni Falk, TERC, Inc. An electronic learning community for the Math and Science Partnership Program Project Showcase: News clippings, Press Releases, Reports and Multimedia presentations Library: Educational Change & Policy, Professional Development, Teaching & Learning, MSP 5 Key Features, MSP Project Papers Resources: Useful Websites, MSP Toolbox/Materials, MSP Program Information, NSF News, ED News, Related Programs Conferences: MSP Conferences, RETA Conferences & Workshops, STEM Conferences State Coordinators for ED MSPs have their own space on MSPnet