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K-12 Outreach in an Engineering Intensive University

Jennifer Tafoyaa, Que Nguyenb, Catherine Skokanc, Barbara Moskalb

Environmental Science and Engineeringa/Mathematical and Computer Sciencesb/ Engineering Divisionc, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401

Abstract

The Colorado School of Mines has been active in seeking and receiving educational grants from a variety of sources, such as the National Science Foundation, Colorado Commission on Higher Education, and the Colorado Department of Education. Over the past three years, four funded projects have focused on providing middle school teachers with instruction in mathematics, science, and engineering content and pedagogy. Careful attention has been given to coordinating these projects in a manner that maximizes their impact on the broadest population of teachers and students. A selection of summer workshops and classroom interventions has been developed and tested. Additionally, ten graduate teaching fellows, drawn from the Departments of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, Engineering, Geophysics, and Environmental Science, have been trained to provide direct support to middle school teachers and students during classroom instruction. These fellows have collaborated with participating teachers and faculty in preparing and implementing innovative, hands-on mathematics, science, and engineering curricula. This paper describes the coordination of the four outreach projects and the impact that these projects are having on the educational community.

Introduction

Based on the results of standards tests1,2, a number of well respected groups (e.g., National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Education Knowledge Industry Association, National Science Teachers Association, and the U.S. Department of Education) have raised concerns regarding the low-level of performance in mathematics and science that has been witnessed in the U.S. Students from low-income families are at an even greater risk of displaying weak mathematical and scientific knowledge when compared with their middle class peers. These findings and concerns that they have raised have resulted in a broad range of reform activities, including the passing of the “No Child Left Behind Act” (NCLB).3

NCLB was approved by the U.S. Congress in December 2001, and was signed into law by President George W. Bush in January 2002. NCLB is designed to hold schools accountable for the academic achievements of their students3, and has been cited as the most challenging educational reform act since the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 19644. The core of NCLB is to provide measures designed to close achievement gaps between different groups of

“Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2005, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Nguyen, Q., & Tafoya, J., & Skokan, C., & Moskal, B. (2005, June), K 12 Outreach In An Engineering Intensive University Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--14210