Research

Three UK STEM Partnerships Receive CPE Grant Funding

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 20, 2012) — Three education partnership projects at the University of Kentucky have been selected for funding by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), through the Improving Educator Quality program.

The projects are being administered by UK's Partnership Institute for Math and Science Education Reform (PIMSER) P-12 Math & Science Outreach unit, with Kimberly Zeidler-Watters as principal investigator. UK Mathematics faculty are partners on two of the projects.

The Improving Educator Quality (IEQ) state grant program provides grants to partnerships that deliver research-based professional development programs. To be eligible, a partnership must include a postsecondary institution’s school of arts and sciences and its teacher preparation program, as well as at least one high-need local school district.

The three partnership projects selected for funding are described as follows:

"Continuous Assessment and Algebraic Thinking: Keys for Career and College Readiness" ($140,000) — UK, in collaboration with the University of Louisville, will provide approximately 60 teachers with the content and strategies necessary for them to engineer effective classroom experiences for their students.  The focus will be on deepening participating teachers’ understanding of the content and pedagogical content knowledge necessary to teach the algebra standards in middle and high school.  Additionally, the project will address the foundational elementary standards necessary for success in algebra. This project has been selected by CPE staff as eligible for renewal for a second year based on adequate progress in the first year.

"Special Education Math Cadre" ($145,000, year 2) — UK will provide content and strategies for teachers to facilitate and develop effective classroom experiences for their students. The content focus will be on developing a deeper understanding for the teachers on number concepts as they relate to success in algebra necessary for special needs students so they are prepared for and can be successful in algebra courses. The proposal will target 60 regular and special education middle and high school mathematics teachers. 

"Preparing All Students for Success: Career and College Readiness" ($145,000, year 2) — The University of Kentucky, in collaboration with Western Kentucky University, will tie together important elements of Senate Bill 1 (2009) and Senate Bill 130 (2006) to help 60 teachers focus on integrating the Common Core Standards into preparation for the ACT EPAS exams in 8th, 10th, and 11th grades. In particular, this project will focus on literacy and language arts components of these standards and assessments. Specifically, the project will work with teachers to integrate literacy instruction into science classrooms with a focus on improving science achievement as measured primarily by the EPAS exams. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Keith Hautala, (859) 323-2396; keith.hautala@uky.edu