The National Science Foundation has awarded a $12.5 million grant to the University of Massachusetts Boston and other higher education institutions in the city to support a venture to improve the quality of science instruction in the Boston public schools.
The money will establish the Boston Science Partnership, a five-year endeavor aimed at helping the 60,000-student school system.
By increasing teacher training, boosting the number of advanced-science courses taught, and improving curriculum, the partnership will attempt to improve instruction. College faculty members will work directly with Boston public school employees, focusing particularly on teachers who work with 6th through 12th graders, according to a statement announcing the grant this month by the University of Massachusetts.
Northeastern University, in Boston, and Harvard Medical Center, in Boston, are also participating in the project, along with the College Board, the New York City-based sponsor of the sat, and the Education Development Center, a research and policy organization based in Newton, Mass.