>Date: Thu, 7 May 1998 15:03:59 -0400
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>From: medwards who-is-at nsf.gov
>To: Multiple recipients of list <nsfnews who-is-at nsf.gov>
>Subject: NSB Approves Multimillion Dollar Awards
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>
> NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
>
>
>Media contact: May 7, 1998
>Lee Herring NSF PR 98-26
>(703) 306-1070/kherring who-is-at nsf.gov
>
>Program contact:
>Celestine Pea
>(703) 306-1682/cpea who-is-at nsf.gov
>
> NSB APPROVES MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR AWARDS
> FOR ATLANTA AND JACKSONVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
>
> Atlanta, Ga., and Jacksonville, Fla., were named today to
>receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for system-wide
>reform of their K-12 mathematics, science and technology
>education programs.
>
> The National Science Board (NSB), NSF's governing body,
>approved both cities' reform plans at its May 7 meeting in
>Arlington, Va. The approval clears the way for negotiations to
>begin for five-year, $15-million grants, managed by NSF's Urban
>Systemic Initiatives (USI) program. Negotiations will likely
>conclude in late September, in time for the awards to be made and
>for activities to commence in the 1998/99 academic year.
>
> "The addition of Atlanta and Jacksonville to the growing
>list of urban public school systems that have chosen to undertake
>the significant challenge of reform will be a rewarding
>enterprise for both cities and the nation at large," said Luther
>S. Williams, NSF assistant director for education and human
>resources. "Through this bold step, these cities will be
>contributing to the intellectual betterment of their children."
>
> According to Williams, both Atlanta and Jacksonville are
>adopting comprehensive plans that will benefit all students by:
>promoting increased graduation requirements; increasing rates of
>course-taking in rigorous math and science; and promoting better
>support for students through instructional improvements.
>
> Local education policymakers are also revising course and
>curricular content, incorporating a standards-based approach,
>providing math and science achievement benchmarks for students,
>parents, teachers and administrators.
>
> USIs share a common vision to: improve the math and science
>literacy of all students; provide the math and science
>fundamentals that will permit all students to participate fully
>in a technological society; and enable a significantly greater
>number of these students to pursue careers in math, science,
>engineering and technology.
>
> Accomplishing these goals, concludes the NSB, "requires
>systemic change that provides for strong and effective leadership
>at multiple levels."
>
> "I have every reason to expect that Atlanta and Jacksonville
>will elicit higher performance levels from their students, as
>measured by their achievements," Williams said.
>
> Currently, 22 cities participate in the USI program, which
>began in 1993. These cities have very large numbers of school
>aged children living in poverty. "NSF purposefully took on some
>of the hardest possible cases," said Williams, "in an attempt to
>focus reform where it is most needed and to test the feasibility
>of the program designs and strategies."
>
> Starting in 1993, each eligible city received $100,000 from
>NSF to undertake an assessment of its K-12 system of math,
>science, and technology education. Each city was then asked to
>develop a plan of system-wide reform addressing critical issues
>of standards, student achievement, policy development, resource
>allocation and a system of support from the local community. The
>resulting proposals were then subjected to competitive merit
>review through peer evaluation.
>
> The USI program was initiated with the funding of nine
>cities in 1994. Atlanta and Jacksonville are the first cities
>chosen this year to receive funding.
>
> -NSF-
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