A new report examines the performance of eight relatively large districts that attempted to improve the performance of their students in mathematics and science with the help of a grant from the National Science Foundation.
“What Works Best in Science and Mathematics Education Reform” is posted by the Potomac Communications Group, Inc.
Districts that increased academic demands in those subjects found that students were capable of meeting the challenges, and that students benefited from a heavy dose of science in elementary school, it says. The 36-page report looks at the results of the NSF-funded Urban Systemic Program, which focused on improving minority students’ performance in math and science. The districts studied are Brownsville, Texas; Chattanooga, Tenn.; Cleveland; Houston; Jacksonville, Fla.; Los Angeles; Miami; and San Diego. The program ran from 1994 to 2003.
The report was written by the Potomac Communications Group in Washington, a public relations firm that worked with a grant from the NSF.
