The Math and Science Partnership program at NSF responds to a growing national concern — the educational performance of U.S. children in mathematics and science.Through MSP, NSF awards competitive, merit-based grants to teams composed of institutions of higher education, local K-12 school systems, and their supporting partners. The 2011 National conference of MSP Partnerships will meet in Washington DC from January 23-25. The theme of this year's meeting is MSP: From Partnerships of Innovation to Student Success.
The main meeting will begin on the morning of Monday, January 24th, at 8:30 am, and will conclude by 3:00 pm on Tuesday, January 25th. Up to five members from each Comprehensive, Institute, Phase II and Targeted Partnership project, four members from each MSP-Start, and two members from each RETA project are invited to attend. Each four- or five-member team should include at least the PI, a K-12 administrator or teacher leader, a STEM faculty member, and an evaluator.
Special Interest Group: Engineering Main Ballroom: Over the past 2 years, the National Science Foundation has awarded 3 MSP Targeted Partnerships and 1 MSP Start to groups with a general interest in STEM education as well as a specific focus on engineering education. Collectively, these recent MSPs cover nearly the entire K-16 educational continuum and are involved in working with pre-service and in-service teachers to create and deliver innovative and exciting curricula that will allow their students to discover what engineering is, what engineers do, and the role that engineering plays in shaping their world. Specifically, these grants are Purdue University's Science Learning through Engineering Design (SLED) which focuses on the use of engineering design as a vehicle for teaching science in grades 3 through 6; Stevens Institute of Technology's Partnership to Improve Student Achievement in Physical Science: Integrating STEM Approaches (PISA 2) which will employ contemporary societal challenges as vehicles to engage and motivate teachers and their students in grades 3-8; Springfield Community College's MSP Start Partnership's Drafting a Blueprint for Educating Tomorrow's Engineers Today which includes the community college perspective and The University of Texas at Austin's UTeach Engineering which focuses on preparing secondary educators to teach design-based engineering courses. This SIG session will include brief overviews of each MSP, a summary of results to date, accomplishments and challenges, and a structured discussion on how to best move forward, both individually and collectively, in leveraging each others’ experiences and expertise as well as how to effectively include stakeholders across the nation interested in engineering education.
Facilitator: Anthony J. Petrosino, University of Texas at Austin
