UMass Boston, Northeastern and Boston Public Schools Awarded 12.5 million for Science Education Reform

The University of Massachusetts Boston has received a $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation for the Boston Science Partnership, a collaboration with Northeastern University and the Boston Public Schools on a five-year science education reform program that will provide teacher training and innovative course development, U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy announced today.

The Boston Science Partnership was designed to improve science teaching and learning for nearly 33,000 middle and high school students in the Boston Public Schools through teacher training, "inquiry-based" science instruction and ground-breaking engineering curriculum.

"This impressive partnership is a significant breakthrough," Senator Kennedy said. "It has the potential to give our city schools much greater liberty to offer world-class science instruction to all students. Our schools are succeeding in improving student achievement in reading and math, but science is another story. Only 9% of 8th grade students score at the proficient level in science, and 80% of science teachers are not 'highly qualified' under the No Child Left Behind Act. The partnership's plan can change all that over the next five years, and it deserves our strong support."

In addition to UMass Boston, Northeastern and the Boston schools, the program includes supporting partners at Harvard Medical School, The College Board and the Education Development Center. The grant is the largest ever awarded to UMass Boston researchers.

"UMass Boston is proud to continue its long history of work with the Boston Public Schools through this partnership aimed at dramatically improving science education for the city's schoolchildren," said UMass Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley. "Boston's public school students deserve the best science teachers available and those teachers deserve the best training and preparation possible."

The grant is designed to build challenging science courses, increase the number of highly qualified Boston science teachers, increase accessibility for BPS students to advanced science courses, and assist university faculty working side-by-side with school teachers.

"The University of Massachusetts, and our Boston campus in particular, holds a deep commitment to working with our communities to solve problems," said UMass President Jack M. Wilson. "The Boston Science Partnership will give thousands of Boston students the opportunity to receive the education they need to participate in the science and engineering economy of the 21st Century."

The Boston Science Partnership has the potential to improve instruction for 14,759 students in grades 6-8 and 18,305 students in grades 9-12; as well as training for 442 full- and part-time science teachers.

"Northeastern works with the Boston Public Schools and the City of Boston on a variety of initiatives to improve the quality of education in Boston schools," Northeastern President Richard Freeland said. "The Boston Science Partnership is the latest such initiative, and I am extremely pleased and confident that Northeastern and our partners will significantly improve the quality of science teaching and learning in Boston schools."

Nationally, two-thirds to three-fourths of students are taught science by teachers who did not attain a major or a minor in the subject. Studies show that low-income and minority children have a much greater probability of having teachers who are unlicensed or teaching outside their fields. However, by the 2007-2008 school year the No Child Left Behind Act requires that all students be assessed on science, in addition to math and English.

In Boston, fewer than 10% of students currently attain proficient or higher levels on state tests in science. Approximately 80 percent of the science teachers at the middle and high school levels require additional training and preparation to meet licensure requirements. By 2006, all science teachers will be required to meet highly qualified subject matter requirements.

The Boston Science Partnership will build on the Boston Public Schools' record of success raising English and math achievement, the district's model Collaborative Coaching and Learning strategy for teacher improvement, and a recently revised science program.

"Boston is at a turning point," said UMass Boston Professor Hannah Sevian, a principal investigator for the project. "Coaching and teacher training are taking place at a district-wide level and a new standards-based science curriculum is in place. So the infrastructure to support high quality science teaching is ready."

Sevian will work with fellow UMass Boston Professor Robert Chen, of the College of Science and Mathematics, and Professor Arthur Eisenkraft, a national leader in science education. They will join Northeastern University's Dr. Christos Zahopoulos and Boston Public Schools Science Director Marilyn Decker as the project leaders.

"What brought the two institutions together is the strong commitment of the science faculty involved to work collaboratively with BPS to improve the quality of science teaching and, as a result, improve middle & high school student achievement in science," said Dr. Zahopoulos, who is also a principal investigator.