Kutztown University will establish a Center for Mathematics and Sciences Education whose mission will be to promote the collaboration of science, mathematics, technology, and education faculty in order to enhance the recruitment, preparation and on-going development of outstanding teachers of mathematics and sciences. In order to coordinate the work of the Center, a half-time position will be created which will be filled by a faculty member from either the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences or the College of Education. Because of the necessity of involving science faculty and education faculty, the Center will be a joint venture with the two colleges cooperating in its establishment and operation. 

Goals of the Center

1. Maintain and improve mentoring programs addressing the needs of in-service math and science teachers during their first three years.
2. Improve field experiences for pre-service math and science teachers, including tutoring and classroom experiences.
3. Maintain and improve collaborations with school districts to ensure appropriate placement of students and novice teachers.
4. Encourage development of curriculum within the University and school districts that is consistent with national and state standards, including the integration of pedagogy and content.
5. Encourage the use of effective teaching strategies, such as cooperative teaming and inquiry-based instruction.
6. Encourage the use of technology as content area and tool for instruction.
7. Develop a master teacher in residence program. 
8. Develop graduate classes that are a combination of education and math/science courses.
9. Develop a web based resource site devoted to the math/science teacher.

Five areas will be addressed by the Center in working towards achieving the goal of the overall Pennsylvania SSHE project: Centers, Technology, Teaming, Symposia, and Curriculum. While many of the areas are interrelated, each will be discussed individually in this proposal.

Centers

A Center for Mathematics and Science Education will be developed at Kutztown University. The activities for the grant will be coordinated through this Center. A part time director who is a faculty member in either math, science, or education will be the coordinator.

Year 1
Planning for Center and initial implementation.
Year 2
Implementation
Year 3
Expansion
Year 4
Continuing
Year 5
Continuing

Technology

Kutztown University will continue to encourage faculty to utilize technology in their teaching. In cooperation with the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching, workshops for faculty will continue to be offered in areas such as Web CT, teaching with the internet, utilizing computers in the classroom, etc. Specific programs will be established according to the need which continues to be assessed.

A web site (integrated with other members of Collaborative) will be developed for the NSF - SSHE collaborative program. Kutztown University will utilize this site to inform the university and public school community about the grant programs. Additionally, the web site will include:

1. Master Teacher lesson plans from workshops, see above.
2. Available mathematics and science education texts and resources materials within the Kutztown University Library. 
3. Links to web-sites that contain reference materials for mathematics and science education. Also links to government agencies web sites such as US Geological Survey and the Environmental Protection Agency that contain educator sections. 
4. Links to web sites with national standards.

Year 1
Website developed; offer I - 2 day workshops in conjunction with the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching.
Year 2
Continue offering programs for KU faculty.
Develop and offer new programs for KU faculty and area teachers on utilizing technology in teaching.
Year 3
Continuation and expansion.
Year 4
Continuation.
Year 5
Continuation.

Teaming

Kutztown University recognizes the need for faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the faculty in the College of Education to collaborate in offering teacher education programs. The need has been made all the more immediate because of recently revised teacher education requirements from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which, in the science and math areas, focus on students taking the same liberal arts program as non-education majors.

Year 1
Faculty in the science and math departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and faculty in the College of Education will meet to plan implementation of new PA requirements. Initial restructuring of programs will begin. 
Year 2
Faculty will restructure programs in science and math education to include more science and math courses in the curriculum. The revised structure could include courses which will be taught by faculty from both colleges. New courses could also be developed to meet the new need. 
Year 3
Continuation of year 2. Assessment of program will be implemented. 
Year 4
Continuation of year 3. Program will be revised based on assessment results. Program will continue to be assessed.
Year 5
New program will be in place.

Series of workshops to be led by Master Teachers ( Presidential Awardees) on techniques they have used to improve mathematics and science education. These workshops will be attended by elementary and secondary educators, as well as, University faculty involved in teacher preparation. 

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) workshop on the uses of AreView GIS to solve real world problems. These problems often involve developing environmental models that integrate mathematical skills and scientific knowledge. The {ArcView GIS package and data sets have a special pricing of $495.00 per school and may be placed on any number of computers within the school. One drawback is that it is only PC-based.)

Additional workshops/symposia will be developed based on the needs of faculty and public school teachers. These symposia will generally be 1/2 to I day programs which will be designed to meet specific needs and/or goals of the Center.

Curriculum
With the implementation of the new Commonwealth of PA standards and the new teacher education requirements, the faculty members in the math and science departments of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and faculty members in the College of Education have begun discussing curriculum matters which will impact several departments. During the next five years, it is anticipated that major changes will be implemented in the graduation requirements for math and science teachers. To bring about this change, faculty and administrators will need to coordinate and revise course offerings and program requirements. 

Year 1
Continue discussions which have begun during the 1998-99 academic year.
Year 2 - 5
Revise courses, develop new courses, revise program requirements.

Advisory Board

Establish an advisory board consisting of representatives of the University, local school districts, and industry. Firms such as Lucent Technologies, Air Products, Decca Battery, CarTECH, and PP&L will be represented on the advisory panel. Additional members of the advisory board will include public school faculty from elementary, middle, and high school levels; public school administrators; Lehigh Carbon Community College representatives; Kutztown University faculty from the College of Liberal Arts & Science and from the College of Education.

The Advisory Board will review programs proposed by the Center for Mathematics and Sciences Education. Because of the variety of backgrounds of these members, they will offer valuable insights into the innovative programs the Center will offer.