DRAFT Version 1.0 June 28,1989 A PROPOSAL TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR AN ACADEMY FOR SCIENCE AND MATH TEACHING _______________________________________________________________________________ i. Executive Summary ____________________ We propose that the DOE fund an Academy for Science and Mathematics Teaching, where elementary school teachers and middle and high school science and math teachers would learn new techniques of teaching analytical thinking skills, and be exposed to new resources and teaching methods in a real classroom environment. We have come up with this proposal as the most valuable contribution the DOE can make to the Chicago public schools by applying the following criteria: 1. The DOE contribution should make a long-term impact on the quality of math and science instruction. 2. It should benefit ALL of the kids in the school system. 3. It should be a model which can be followed widely across the nation. 4. It should be a coordinated part of the overall plan for school reform in Chicago. 5. It should be related to the DOE national role, The mandate of the Teachers Academy is to upgrade the teaching of math, science and problem-solving skills across the whole Chicago Public School (CPS) system. The biggest impact we can have on the schools is by helping the teachers since each teacher influences many generations of children. Every teacher who teaches math and/or science in the system would receive instruction through the Academy. The Academy would also be a resource center, would provide support for the teachers after they have returned to the class room, and would provide a continuing collegial environment through workshops and meetings to maintain professional contacts for the teachers. The Academy will provide an environment where teachers and researchers can propose and test new curriculum developments and teaching techniques in math and science. The management of the Academy would be by a consortium of the interested parties under contract to the DOE, much as a high-energy physics lab such as Brookhaven or Fermilab, is run by a consortium of universities (AUI or URA, respectively). A Board of Trustees, with representatives from the City, the State, the Board of Education, the Teachers Union,the principals,the business community,local universities and colleges, Argonne and Fermilab, and school reform groups as well as others, would set overall policy and hire the Director. Again, using the national labs as a model, there would be a program committee and a policy committee reporting to the Director, and a visiting committee reporting to the Board of Trustees. The Teachers Academy will have three parts: an elementary-middle school, a high school, and a teacher science and math resource center. The schools are operating schools, with classroom teachers selected for their outstanding teaching skills. Teachers visiting the Academy will participate in a two-part 5-week program. The first phase will consist of curriculum instruction and expanding the background knowledge related to the curriculum, with classes offered for different skill levels. The second phase will be in-class teaching of the new curriculum, under the guidance of the Academy teachers, who will act as master teachers. In the first year two teachers from every school in the system would be trained to be 'lead teachers' in their school. Principals and an assistant principal will also be trained in a shorter program. The lead teachers will introduce the programs into the schools, and conduct in-service training on a weekly basis (1 hour per week), training local teachers in techniques and curriculum. Through the in-service training all teachers in the system will focus in the first year on improving the quality of their teaching. This initial in-service training would be followed by five-weeks of training in the central Academy. The Academy would run on a 5-week cycle, with 10 course cycles per year. In five years all teachers in the system would have attended at least one course cycle. The science and math resource center will provide ongoing support for the teachers returning to the classroom. It will provide a place for teachers to return to discuss results and problems, to run workshops, to involve professional scientists in the schools, to develop and evaluate new curricula, to manage a library of commercially available math and science materials, and to provide laboratory space for testing and evaluating new educational developments. New programs and ideas can be introduced here. A sense of professionalism and collegiality among teachers will be fostered by the center. I. Introduction. The Chicago school reform movement of 1987-88 has created a unique educational opportunity. After four strikes in five years, the last of which kept 440,000 children out of school for a month, the city decided it would not tolerate its inadequate public school system any longer. In addition to the strikes, the low achievement scores, poor classroom learning environment, and a confrontational attitude between the School Board and the Teachers Union had lead to a poor public regard for the schools. All of these aspects are symptomatic of a nationwide problem in elementary and secondary education in large urban systems. As a result of the reform movement, revolutionary changes are taking place in the Chicago Public Schools system. New State legislation bringing decision-making down to the local school level, mandating systematic educational planning at the local school level, and instituting accountability at all levels of the system was written by a city-wide community effort, and has just gone into law. With these structural changes, there has come a new committment by all parties, the teachers, the Board, and the parents to improve classroom learning. This change in atmosphere creates a unique opportunity to improve the teaching of science, mathematics and critical thinking in the Chicago Public School classroom, and establish a nationwide standard for improving education in an urban school system. II. DOE Role: The problem of science and mathematics literacy in the nation is far-reaching. It extends beyond just knowledge into the crucial skills of general problem solving, critical thinking, and the ability to function in a world which is becoming more and more complex. The problems of global- warming, the energy crisis, energy conservation, nuclear power, and nuclear waste, to name but a few, are problems for an informed electorate to decide. The present typical urban school education does not provide the a basis for making good decisions on these crucial issues. A second aspect is that the country needs a pool of workers able to solve technical problems. There is a growing need for laboratory technicians, electronics and computer experts,science and math teachers,etc. The Department of Energy has a very successful model for dealing with national problems in the national laboratories. The first laboratories were created during WWII for the Manhattan Project as the fastest and most efficient way of dealing with a critical national need. They have remained, in conjunction with the research programs at the universities, as the most effective solution to making rapid progress on difficult problems. The laboratories have directors of international scientific distinction, and have a management structure which lends itself to focussing on the problems themselves. The Academy we propose here, concentrated on mathematics and science, is modelled after a national laboratory such as Argonne or Fermilab. We are not proposing that the DOE take over science and math education nationwide. We would like this project to show that changing science and math education CAN BE DONE in a large urban environment, in a way that can be reproduced nationwide. Chicago is special in that it is in the middle of a major reform, there is a new spirit of cooperation and urgency, it has both the Argonne and Fermilab national laboratories close by, and it has scientists with DOE connections who are already actively working on science and math education and the reform movement. III. Guidelines: We have come up with this proposal as the most valuable contribution the DOE can make to the Chicago public schools by applying the following criteria: 1. The DOE contribution should make a long-term impact on the quality of math and science instruction. Schools in the USA have a fundamental difficulty in teaching science and mathematics. The achievement levels of elementary and high school students in the US on cross-cultural math and science standardized tests are among the lowest in the developed world. Within the USA, striking differences in test scores between so-called "elite" schools and regular schools are found. Against this backdrop, the prospects of a secure future for our nation are reduced. To reverse these trends, a long-term fundamental improvement in the scientific, mathematical and critical thinking skills must be achieved. Thus, the DOE program must have a fundamental and long-term impact on the Chicago public school system. 2. It should benefit all of the kids in the school system. In order to achieve the goal outlined in no. 1 above, all children in the school system must see their education improved. 3. It should be a model which can be followed widely across the nation. The problems encountered with inner city education in general, and with math, science and critical thinking teaching in particular, are present in many school systems across the nation. We are pioneering a solution to these problems, and that solution then becomes a model that can be followed across the nation. 4. It should be a coordinated part of the overall plan for school reform in Chicago. The details of the solution developed here in Chicago to improve math, science and critical teaching in the schools must take advantage of the new environment created by our new legislation in order to make the kinds of revolutionary changes envisioned here. 5. It should be related to the DOE national role. The DOE should not get involved in problems better solved by other government agencies. The involvement should be one which is directly related to both the interests of the DOE and its strengths. Science and math literacy by the general population is crucial to solving many of the difficult technical problems faced by the nation. A technologically competant work force is also a national need. Finally, the presence of Argonne and Fermilab in the Chicago area form an immense resource in terms of talent and interest in educational reform for science and math. OUTLINE _______ I. Introduction. Unique educational opportunity: nationwide problem. A little history (9 strikes in 15 years, city-wide community reform effort, new reform legislation, commitment by all (teachers, Board, community)to improving education delivered in the classroom. II. DOE role. National interest in developing analytical skills to prepare nation for the future... III. Guidelines. We take as ground rules for a DOE contribution that: 1. It should make a longterm impact on the school system. 2. It should benefit all of the kids in the school system. 3. It should be a model which can be followed widely across the nation. 4. It should be a coordinated part of the overall plan for reform. 5. It should be related to the DOE national role, 6. It should be highly visible and clearly identifiable. IV. Proposal: Science and Math Teacher Training Academy Teacher training for analytical skills Biggest effect is by teaching the teachers: many generations of children Training teachers already in the system New teachers (4th year 'residency') Model programs Resource management and distribution Cooperative venture by Teacher's Union,Board, LQE, City,State, and DOE V. Scope of program A. Teachers Number of teachers Time spent per teacher (11 month contracts) Number of new teachers Time spent per new teacher B. Staff C. Management D. Evaluation E. Physical Plant VI. Implementaion. A. Establishing the Center B. Five-year program: time line C. Second five years VII. Budget A. Rough estimate B. Contributions from Teacher's Union,Board, LQE, City,State, and DOE