SlogginandBloggin
Sloggers: (FYI)
Here is a site that may offer us some insights and actionable strategic elements for Technological transformation in K-12 education.
http://www.setda.org
blogger
You can read the full report on States Technological Initiatives………interesting in that the State of Michigan is nearly absent within, ergo where is Oakland Schools.
But I think you will resonate more with the Leadership Toolkit especially the Building Partnerships and Leveraging Resources element. Check out some of the Strategic Directives and associated templates that are provided.
Let me know what your thoughts might be. I will be downloading and printing these documents for reference.
Best,
Jim
Slogger's...
This is an NSF "technological" Research Grant initiative..................jump right in if you know anything at all about same!
Best,
Jim
[ Thu Apr 15, 12:42:17 PM | Edward Stanulis | edit ]
In follow-up meeting, I developed the following research design to support the objectives of the previously posted Executive Summary for the IERI Proposal. Again, please consider the draft as a dynamic process to refine and change as you see necessary. Thanks, Ed Stanulis
Research Design IERI Proposal (DRAFT, April 15, 2004)
Meetings on Thursday, April 15 led to the following conclusions:
To make a solid case to Foundations, Corporations, and County Superintendents that OSMTech is a unique, proven and effective learning approach, there must be solid evidence that the OSMTech model can be supported by sound data and evaluation. Accordingly, the proposal must have the following base-line data to support meaningful analysis and to measure the effectiveness of the OSMTech educational model.
1. Before students leave this term, we must develop a survey that validates the student’s original application.
a. Measure desire and commitment for math and science before entering the program and leaving.
b. Compare 8th grade MEAP scores, ACT or other academic performance measurements at host school with similar scores in junior and senior years at OSMTech.
c. Measure intent of pursuing STEM careers compared to intent before entering OSMTech.
d. Compare similar academic performance measurements and intents of OSMTech graduates.
2. Develop longitudinal study beginning with current enrollees at OSMTech students. (Perhaps will be able to include very recent graduates.)
3. Define “transformational learning” for students and “transformational teaching” for teachers.
4. Clearly identify, measure and compare what teachers do at OSMTech compared to advanced placement teachers at home districts. (Videotape and analyze classes at OSMTech??)
5. Define and compare unique environment at OSMTech with environment in typical secondary school.
6. Identify and delineate teaching strategies and their effectiveness at OSMTech. Compare OSMTech teaching strategies with home district. (Can we replicate effective OSMTech strategies in other teaching environments?)
7. Identify, delineate, and compare assessment tools at OSMTech with typical secondary school assessments.
8. Delineate curriculum and compare with typical secondary advanced science and math curriculum – delineate role of projects and assessment based on OSMTech project based curriculum.
9. Define elements of OSMTech “culture” and its role in creating enthused and engaged students.
a. Smaller classes
b. Collegial learning
c. Teacher availability for student interaction
d. Team concepts
e. Real-world project
f. Problem solving and oral presentation.
10. Define Teacher Profile that creates success at OSMTech. (What teaching, personal, or culture behaviors would lead to failure on part of new teacher at OSMTech?)
I think it is obvious that accumulating data to support an analysis of the above issues is not very likely by May 10. However, it is also clear that the data, once it is accumulated and analyzed would make a very persuasive case to support the OSMTech model. Unfortunately, gut feelings and moving anecdotes are not adequate substitutes for evidence and rigorous analysis. The conclusion of the participants at the meeting today concluded that we should move forward with the project development, even if we cannot meet the May 10th deadline for this round of the NSF proposal. How does the team want to divide up the tasks to address the above issues?
Hello:
The following is a Project Summary for an NSF Grant regarding research and technological innovation within Oakland Schools. Your comments would be most welcome.
Best,
Jim
[ Tue Apr 13, 12:04:14 PM | Edward Stanulis | edit ]
Following is first draft of Project Summary. I have reached my wall of ignorance with the objectives, so please jump right in and change as you see fit. Thanks, Ed Stanulis
Project Summary
Interagency Education Research Initiative (EIRI), NSF 04-553)
Title of Project: Transformational Learning: Exploring the Feasibility of Scaling Up Non-traditional Learning Environments That Integrate Math, Science and Technology Into the Typical High School Curriculum.
The National Science Foundation and the Department of Education recognizes that strong high school preparation in mathematics, is a better indicator that a student will persist in science and engineering programs in college than other variables like the type of academic institution attended, family income, parental occupation, or other social, racial and economic factors. ( Astin, A.W., H.S. Astin, and E.L. Dey. 1992. Undergraduate Science Education: The Impact of Different College Environments on the Educational Pipeline in the Sciences. Report prepared for the National Science Foundation under Grant No. SPA-8955365. Los Angeles, CA: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.)
This finding has also led groups who are trying to improve minority recruitment and retention in science and engineering fields to shift focus to pre-college programs including Saturday science academies, summer science camps and institutes, research apprenticeships, teacher enhancement, curriculum improvement, and problem-based learning. (Grant, L., and K.W. Ward. 1992. Mentoring, Gender, and Publication Among Social, Natural, and Physical Scientists. Washington, D.C.: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Department of Education.)
Similarly, the NSF has been able to establish that tutoring and mentoring programs have been very effective in improving students’ GPA’s, test scores, and overall academic performance, particularly in mathematics (Adelman, N.E., ed. 1992. Research Review: Educational Uses of Time. Washington, DC: Policy Studies Associates, Inc.). Of critical importance is that these positive outcomes also occur among groups of low-income, and racial/ethnic and language minority students (Valenzuela-Smith, M. 1983. The Effectiveness of a Tutoring Program for Junior High Latino Students. San Francisco, CA: University of San Franciso.; (Cohen, P.J. Kulik and Kilik. 1982. "Educational Outcomes of Tutoring: A Meta-Analysis of Findings. American Educational Research Journal, 19(2): 237-48.)
These findings have been put into practice in a unique program that adamantly believes that student curiosity and desire to learn more about science and mathematics is a better predictor of success than high test scores provided that teachers base their teaching on constructivist principles. The Oakland Science, Mathematics and Technology Academy (OSMTech), sponsored by Oakland Schools, one of 57 intermediate school districts in Michigan serving 28 Oakland County school districts with more than 228,000 students (203,718 from public schools and 24,307 from non-public schools), is a shared time program for students, grades 9-12, who have exceptional passion and interest for advanced science, mathematics and technology.
This academic year (2003-2004), 116 junior and senior students attend OSMTech for half a day and return to their home high school for the remaining half-day. OSMTech emphasizes the integration of math, science and technology, applied within a “real world” context in non-traditional learning environments. The curriculum is designed so those subjects are learned in more depth and at an accelerated pace. In the junior and senior years, many OSMTech students work with mentor scientists, mathematicians and technologists from local businesses, universities and industry. Results are impressive. In 2003, every member of the graduating class was accepted into a college program and were awarded more than $600,000 in scholarships
The next cycle of innovation requires understanding the elements of small scale successful math and science programs to find ways that these programs can be successfully implemented in a typical high school environment and engage a broader range of students for success in math and science. Our proposal is contextual project to study the underlying data to explore the feasibility of scaling up the integrated approach of OSMTech for application in typical high school environments.
The objectives of this study are:
1. Measure transformational change in both students and teachers through benchmark development.
Ø Compare performance scores for mentors/mentees.
Ø Compare enrollment changes in STEM preparation.
Ø Compare attitudes toward STEM education and careers.
Ø Compare non-traditional/minority performance and attitudes.
2. Re-instate the “Math and Science Corps” to mentor non-traditional/minority students. More than just content-oriented, the Corps will use new technologies to help students to master content and motivate other students to see that math and science is “cool.”
3. McMath/Hulbert Observatory – (Jim, need your input here)
4. Demonstrate that OSMTech is a prime site for teachers to learn innovative teaching techniques to take back to their classrooms .
Outcomes desired:
Ø Corps participation increased enrollments in STEM subjects in traditional educational environments and Centers like OSMTech.
Ø Demonstrate that minority/non-traditional students improved their performance in STEM subjects.
Ø Demonstrate that technology applications increase mentor/mentee participation and success.
Ø Feedback loop between mentors/teachers created improvement strategies and technology applications for the teaching of STEM subjects as a result of Corps participation.
Ø Demonstrate that Corps concept can be scaled to include all Math and Science Tech Centers in Michigan to fully implement Science and Math Corps in all school districts served by Michigan’s Math and Science Tech Centers.
Thanks Paul:
Maybe I can begin by asking what is BMMT? I'm the "newby here" and ill informed. Can anyone help me better understand the Oakland Schools Technology Centers K-12 technological mission and/or progam direction. I know I'm an outsider but I have some history (25 years) in technological innovation in the world of business. Perhaps we can co-create some transformational possibilities and/or opportunties but I will need some understanding of your initial instructional design and direction.
Best,
Jim
Well....I think that the others.....who don't know you.....probably deleted the invitation.....thinking it was SPAM.
This might require an attempt at regrouping....if anyone thinks that it's worth it.
Slogger's:
Anyone still interested in this blog initiative?
Best,
Jim
Hi folks:
Thanks for responding to the invitation.
Summary:
I'm not sure of the problem Mike is having regarding the apperance of the Blogger page and Bdogs Blog. It may just be the operating system difference in which the screen-face display is somewhat different. But Mike has successfully "posted" so I will assume that we are o.k. Mike if this is still a problem give us more specific's.
This artilce appeard in the Oakland Press today and I wanted to share it with everyone. It is one of the projects that we are working on. If anyone has any ideas and/or interest in how we might collaborate to help the academy forestall it's demise I would appreciate your thoughts on same.
Best,
Jim
Technology-based school faces closing
Web-posted Mar 25, 2004
By DAVE GROVES and SVEN GUSTAFSON
Of The Daily Oakland Press
Unless the widely popular Oakland Science, Math and Technology Academy can find more students or grant funding to support programs, it will close next year.
The Oakland Schools Board of Education has voted to no longer subsidize the academically-based technology program for high school students in northern Oakland County.
"What we're talking about is having it be self-sufficient," said Board Secretary Pan Godchaux.
"If they're able to come up with 120 students or get some of the grant funding they're seeking, we won't pull the plug on it."
Finding students to add to the current enrollment of 105 presents a formidable challenge, however.
Welcoming students from the Lake Orion, Holly, Brandon and Clarkston school districts, OSMTech receives half of the state funding the districts receive for each student.
Facing considerable budget challenges of their own, Lake Orion and Clarkston school officials have begun bowing out of the consortium. These districts will allow current OSMTech students to complete their high school educations there, but are not sending new students.
Holly schools Superintendent R. Kent Barnes said he, too, has recommended to the school board that it stop sending new pupils to the program while allowing those currently enrolled to finish.
Barnes said the district spends roughly $80,000 per year to send about 25 students to OSMTech - enough to hire a teacher to work with 150 kids in Holly, where the district intends to develop more technologically-based curriculum.
Regis Jacobs, assistant superintendent of career-focused education and regional services for Oakland Schools, said that the funding the center would have received with new students is critical to maintaining services.
"You have to have so many teachers to provide the breadth of curriculum we offer at OSMTech," he said. "We've already pretty much stripped away all of our indirect costs."
Despite administrators' attempts to explain the budgetary considerations OSMTech is facing, parents of students in the program were less than pleased with the board's decision forcing the school to become self-sufficient.
Beth Nuccio, president of the Brandon Board of Education and parent of two OSMTech students, said parents had proposed a restructuring plan that seemed to please intermediate district officials. "It was a win-win-win, as Dr. Jacobs called it," she said.
"I don't know what happened between the first part of March and the 22nd of March, but it died. I've gotta' believe there's some politics going on there that probably aren't for kids."
Parents and OSMTech staff had submitted proposals to make the program eligible for vocational education funds provided by the state.
Jacobs said, however, the proposals failed to meet necessary criteria, primarily because OSMTech has long provided primarily academic rather than vocational curriculum.
"The more we looked at the details of it, the more the proposal did not have integrity," he said. "They're just very different approaches to educating."
The Oakland Schools Board of Education plans to decide the fate of OSMTech in June, based on whether proponents can demonstrate financial self-sufficiency.
Nuccio said parents will look for corporate or foundation funding to keep the program afloat.
"I guess we're looking for somebody who understands the value of this program, and Oakland Schools is not it," she said.
