UD receives three state grants to improve K-12 math and science teacher education
The Ohio Board of Regents has awarded three grants totaling $403,000 to the University of Dayton and several partners to improve mathematics and science education through summer programs and on-going support to teachers.
The teacher education grants came through the regents’ Improving Teacher Quality Program, which supports sustained, intensive, high-quality professional development opportunities for practicing elementary and secondary school teachers and administrators.
“Efforts to improve math and science regionally and nationally are important to educators in general and P-12 students in particular,” said Thomas J. Lasley II, dean of UD’s School of Education and Allied Professions. “These grant dollars will provide specialized program opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of teachers in delivering essential math and science content.”
The programs are for one year and focus on summer programs with follow-up activities for teachers primarily in southwestern Ohio, many of them in high-need districts. All the projects have previously received funding.
UD and its partners received the following grants:
*Problem Solving and Critical Thinking with Discrete Mathematics ($91,447) will fund a two-week summer program for 30 K-8 teachers, including materials and follow-up during the school year, according to Atif Abueida, associate professor of mathematics at UD.
*In Project Soar in Mathematics and Science ($109,342), UD continues its decade-long partnership with the National Museum of the United States Air Force in a one-week summer program at the museum, materials and follow-up for 45 middle school teachers. Activities including building kites and hot air balloons to enhance students’ math and science skills by focusing on aerospace and flight, according to Diana Hunn, associate professor of science education at UD.
*The Life Science, Physical Science and Mathematics Professional Development Project ($202,655), a partnership with Wright State University in its fifth year, allows 72 middle and high school teachers to attend three-week summer seminars. According to Rebecca Krakowski, assistant professor of mathematics at UD, the grant focuses on integrating how math, physical science and earth and life sciences can be taught.
The Board of Regents program is part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, supporting activities to increase student achievement by improving teacher quality.
