Umbrella Partnerships: How the MSP Investment Can Build Enduring Capacity for the Ongoing Improvement of Math and Science Education
The data that has been gathered through the activities described above reaffirms the validity of both knowledge claims. The AMSP umbrella partnership has indeed been generative, creating dozens of working collaborations and local partnerships involving IHEs, school districts, and other local institutions. Within the PEP strand alone, the AMSP has awarded a total of 55 grants to support locally designed improvement efforts. In addition to the PEPs, there are multiple modes of AMSP work that have contributed to creating local partnerships. They include, but are not limited to:
the creation of pre-service courses and the development of summer institutes;
the establishment of regional program coordinators at four IHEs and the collaboration among members of the regional coordinator team;
the designation of baseline improvement sites (one school per district per year) and their involvement in the "program improvement review" process
the creation of project-wide student programs, designed to attract young people to the math and science teaching;
collaboration between outreach professors and local school districts
professional development targeting regional principals, school counselors, and so on;
The knowledge claim related to capacity building is also confirmed by the AMSP evaluation data. The work of the ASMP local partnerships has contributed strongly to the building of local capacity for improvement, some entirely new and some enhancing those capacities that existed prior to AMSP. Below is a list of the kinds of capacities we have studied and documented:
Widespread use of local data to inform the development of improvement strategies
Empowered and informed leadership for local improvement
IHE faculty who better understanding the workings of the K-12 system
School district leaders and personnel with the skills to collect and analyze their own data
A cadre of teachers at every grade level who have experienced intense, content-rich professional development and taken that knowledge back to their districts and schools
A greater awareness of and commitment to using student-centered instructional strategies - among university faculty as well as K-12 teachers
Connections across districts pursuing similar improvement paths in math and science education, particularly related to implementing research-based curriculum materials.
Increased numbers of faculty members who are experienced in and committed to the improvement of education in their own institutions as well as surrounding districts
Increased numbers of teacher leaders who have the skills, position and propensities to support the improvement of math and science education in their own schools and districts
The emergent AMSP "improvement community" that consists of strengthened working relationships between faculty, administrators and teachers who are all engaged in supporting a common vision of improve mathematics and science education.
