46 



increased since 1991 A vigorous public awareness and community outreach strategy has 

 fostered continuing coverage of the reform effort by over half the state's print media and 80 

 percent of its electronic media 



Success in math and science education reform is demonstrated in the Louisiana SSI 

 (LaSIP) The heart of LaSIP is professional development, focusing on the redesign of 

 professional development programs for mathematics and science teachers Accomplishments 

 to date have been substantial For example, 74 mathematics and science projects, involving 

 over 2,400 teachers throughout the state have been funded by LaSIP in the first three cycles, 

 with approximately 25 additional projects to be funded in 1995-96, affecting 800 more 

 teachers Almost 18 percent of the 59,400 students who took the 1994 Louisiana grade 

 seven mathematics test were instructed by LaSIP-trained teachers In a state with high rates 

 of illiteracy and low rates of high school graduation, the LaSIP students, ethnically ana 

 economically representative, averaged scores two to three items higher than other students 

 This performance is directly related to the professional development of teachers over the past 

 four years In 1995-96, approximately 200,000 students in Louisiana will be taught by LaSIP 

 teachers. 



The Systemic Initiative for Montana Mathematics and Science (SIMMS), initiated in FY 1991 

 has redesigned the state's mathematics curriculum for grades 9-12 into a multidisciplmary 

 approach that is being implemented in 106 of the state's 173 schools It currently is being 

 taught to more than 7,000 students Through SIMMS, professional development services in 

 FY 1995 reached about 550 of the state's 980 secondary math and science teachers, directly 

 or indirectly affecting 31 ,000 students out of a total student population of 47,000 



The Urban Systemic Initiative (USI) program addresses both the need for systemic change 

 in science and mathematics education at the elementary and secondary levels and for 

 enhanced productivity for groups that traditionally have been underserved by our national 

 education system Begun in FY 1993, the USI targets the 25 cities with the largest 

 populations of school-age children living in poverty NSF's USI investment through FY 1995 

 totaled about $63 million, and although the program is relatively young, initial outcomes are 

 encouraging For example, the Dallas Independent School District is developing and 

 implementing a new, integrated K-12 science and math curriculum, and the school district is 

 instituting a new management structure to improve delivery of education to its 145,000+ 

 students Activities in Dallas have resulted in a $2.3 million match from the O'Donnell 

 Foundation to expand USI efforts Also, the city of Dallas passed a $275 million bond issue 

 for capital improvements, including technical applications, which is testimony to the early 

 strength of USI efforts. The Dallas school district has forged important partnerships with area 

 corporations (Occidental Petroleum. Frito-Lay. Texas Instruments. IBM, and Mobil Oil) The 

 school district notes that mathematics test gains have exceeded expectations in seven of 

 eight tested grades All of this activity has occurred in just the first year of USI efforts in 

 Dallas. 



Calculus - The Mathematical Gateway to Science The Calculus and Bridge to Calculus 

 activity has reformed the teaching and learning of calculus nationally NSF has invested about 

 $22 million in this program since its inception in FY 1988. The program objectives are to reform 

 courses and curricula so that calculus serves as a "pump" rather than a "filter," thereby 

 expanding the academic and career options and opportunities for students These courses 

 focus on numerical, visual, and applied interpretations of calculus. Students make extensive use 

 of technology, engage in cooperative learning, and learn to attack the open-ended problems 

 faced in the real world The best selling calculus text last year (over 800.000 copies sold) is a 

 reformed text developed through the NSF funded project produced by a Harvard-led 

 consortium of five universities, two four-year and one two-year college, and a high school. The 

 NSF support was critical to the formation of a consortium of this breadth, an essential feature of 



