National Math and Science Initiative

The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) was launched in 2007 by leaders in business, education, and science to reverse the recent decline in U.S. students’ math and science educational achievement. NMSI’s mission is to bring best practices in math and science education to the 50 million students in the American public school system. NMSI does this by replicating programs nationally that have a documented record of success.

Since 2007, NMSI has taken a leadership role in identifying and replicating successful educational programs on a national scale. NMSI’s particular expertise is in “scaling up” programs – expanding them to multiple states, across multiple jurisdictions, and at multiple universities. By replicating proven programs, NMSI is working toward its stated goal: to prepare more young Americans for 21st Century careers in the new global economy.

NMSI was created in response to the landmark 2005 report, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” that was produced by a blue-ribbon task force commissioned by the National Academies. The United States National Academies comprises four organizations: the United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and the United States National Research Council (NRC). That 2005 report documented that math and science achievement has been declining in the United States as other countries around the world increase their educational focus on math and science. The report’s recommendations included the creation of a non-profit organization such as NMSI to marshal private sector support to improve math and science education in the United States.

Need for a National Initiative

Over 50 percent of jobs in the future will require a background in math, science, or technology^[1], yet U.S. students currently fall far behind their international peers in educational achievement. In recent international surveys, the U.S. ranked 20th among nations in high school graduation rates and 16th in college graduation rates.^[2] Most recent international comparisons by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development show American students ranking 15th in reading, 19th in math and 14th in science.^[2]

Replication of proven programs

While there have been numerous pilot programs focused on the math and science achievement gap, NMSI is the only organization that has rigorously researched and then replicated math and science programs that have produced immediate and sustainable results. NMSI organizes public-private partnerships and coalitions to fund its grants, including corporate and foundation donations as well as federal and state funding.

NMSI’s current focus includes the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program to increase the enrollment and success of high school students in Advanced Placement* math, science, and English classes, as well as the UTeach program to prepare a new generation of math and science teachers who have mastered math and science content.. Both of these programs were commended in the National Academies’ report Rising Above the Gathering Storm for having 10 years of data showing they produce positive results.

Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program

NMSI supports Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Programs (APTIP) in 229 public high schools in six states (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Virginia) and plans to reach 350 schools by the fall of 2012. In its first year in 2009, APTIP increased enrollment in AP courses by nearly 70 percent, including a 122 percent increase among African-American and Hispanic students. APTIP increased the number of passing AP math, science, and English exams by 52 percent, which is nine times the national average. The improvement for minority students in participating schools was even more pronounced, with a 71 percent increase in AP courses passed by African-American and Hispanic students.

The 2009-2010 results announced by the College Board for the second year of the NMSI program showed a 97.7 percent overall increase in math, science and English AP exams passed in the first cohort of 65 schools that have implemented APTIP for two years – more than seven times the national two-year increase of 13.6 percent. There was an 84.6 percent increase in math, science and English AP exams passed in the second cohort of 75 APTIP schools – over 11 times the national increase of 7.5 percent.

The most recent results also showed improvement in passing scores among minority students. The first cohort of 65 schools recorded a remarkable 154.6 percent increase in passing math, science, and English scores in two years among of African-Americans and Hispanics. There was an 107.3 percent increase in math, science and English AP exams passed among African-American and Hispanic students in the 75 schools in the second cohort.

Gains were also recorded by female students, who are often under-represented in science, technology, engineering and math fields. The first cohort of 65 schools recorded a 116.4 percent increase in passing math and science scores in two years among female students, which is almost 13 times the national two-yr increase of 9.2 percent. There was an 91.5 percent increase in math and science AP exams passed by female students in the second cohort of 75 new NMSI program schools – almost 17 times the national increase of 5.4 percent.

The core components of the APTIP program include:

• Open enrollment to provide opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds
• Rigorous content-focused teacher training
• Master teacher mentoring and vertical teaming
• Student mentoring and increased time on task
• Teacher and student incentives
• State non-profit organizations to administer programs within states

As of September 2010, more than 6,000 AP and Pre-AP teachers have been trained with NMSI support. More than 50,000 students are now enrolled in the APTIP program.

Initiative for Military Families

The first phase of the Initiative for Military Families (IMF) was implemented by NMSI in fall 2010 to provide Advanced Placement courses in math and science for children from military families. The AP training and incentive program was launched in four school districts in collaboration with Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Engineers in the Classroom program and the Military Child Education Coalition.

The goal of the Initiative for Military Families is to provide consistent, high-level science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in high schools serving military bases.

The first high schools to benefit from the Initiative for Military Families were in Fort Campbell in Kentucky and Fort Hood in Texas. On November 9, 2011, NMSI announced a major expansion in Hawaii of the IMF. A special ceremony was held at Leilehua High School in Wahiawa, Oahu, featuring State Rep. Mark Takai, D-Hawaii; Colonel Matthew S. Kelley, Deputy Commander (Rear) 25th Infantry Division; Alan Hayashi, Director of Public Relations and Public Advocacy at BAE Systems; Ronn Nozoe, Deputy Superintendent of the Hawaii State Department of Education; and Gregg Fleisher, NMSI’s National Director of APTIP.

NMSI’s IMF program is being expanded this fall from four initial sites to a total of 10 states and 29 high schools, including five from Hawaii. Approximately 25 percent of the students at Leilehua High School are from families stationed at the historic Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield and the Naval Communication Station in Whitmore. The other Hawaii sites include Kalaheo, Radford, Campbell and Mililani high schools.

This program already is producing results in IMF schools: In its first year AP math, science and English passing scores increased 45 percent - almost six times the national average and AP math and science passing scores increased 57 percent - over seven times the national average.

More than 160,000 young people in the U.S. have a parent currently deployed in active duty combat, and over one million children have had a parent deployed during the last eight years. In total, there are over two million children of active duty, National Guard, and reserve military personnel in public schools in the U.S.

UTeach

The NMSI-supported replication of the UTeach program for preparing teachers was launched in 2008 in 13 universities in nine states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Texas). More than 1,100 math and science majors enrolled in UTeach-based programs on their own campuses during the first year of replication, and enrollment has more than tripled in the third year of expansion. UTeach is now being replicated at 22 universities, providing a new corps of qualified math and science teachers. Enrollment is projected to reach more than 3,800 in fall 2010.

UTeach allows students to graduate with both deep content knowledge and teaching credentials in the same amount of time it would take them to graduate with a degree in their content areas only. Ninety-two percent of UTeach graduates at The University of Texas at Austin become teachers, and 82 percent are still in the classroom after five years. Nearly 45 percent of UTeach graduates teach in high-need schools. Originated at The University of Texas at Austin in 1997, the UTeach program enables students majoring in math, science, or computer science to receive full teaching certification without adding time or cost to their degrees. The national replication process is directed by NMSI in conjunction with the UTeach Institute.

On Jan. 6, 2010, President Barack Obama highlighted the UTeach program at a White House education event, saying, “To bring more educators into the classroom, the National Math and Science Initiative is working with Texas Instruments and the Dell Foundation to prepare almost 5,000 new math and science teachers in the next five years -- through a program that allows young people to earn teaching certificates and science degrees at the same time.”^[3]

The core elements of the UTeach program include:

• Active recruitment and student support, such as offering tuition reimbursement for the first two courses and student internships and scholarships
• Streamlined degree plans that allow students to graduate in the same time it would take for a content degree only
• A strong focus on acquiring deep content knowledge in math and science, in addition to inquiry-based teaching strategies for math and science
• Early and intensive field experiences, beginning in the first semester
• Personal attention and guidance from highly experienced master teachers, faculty, and successful public school teachers

Young Leaders Program

The Young Leaders Program is a program developed in partnership by the National Math and Science Initiative, ExxonMobil, and Fortune Magazine, which was developed to help address the gender gap in STEM fields by exposing participating students to role models that provide leadership development advice and personal encouragement to young women who pursue careers in these fields. The program matches young women who are college juniors majoring in STEM subjects with female executives working in these fields at FORTUNE 500 companies. Twenty-two senior executives and students participated in the 2010 leadership program. Throughout the year, the executive mentors provided leadership coaching and have shown students the tangible impact of math and science in their work through a series web-based seminars and company site visits.

Funding

Major support for the National Math and Science Initiative has been provided by the Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and the Texas Instruments Foundation, with in-kind assistance provided by IBM and Perot Systems. Additional funding for UTeach replication comes from the Texas High School Project, the Greater Texas Foundation, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, the Tennessee Department of Education, the Texas Education Agency, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, and other private philanthropy. With funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, NMSI also is preparing an alumni network for UTeach graduates.

Leadership

The Chief Executive Officer and President is Dr. Mary Ann Rankin, former Dean of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. The Chief Operating Officer is Sue Payne, former Geoscience Resource Manager, Exxon Mobil Corporation. The Chief Financial Officer is Patty Pickard. The National APTIP Director is Gregg Fleisher, former President of AP Strategies. The Director of Public Development is Margaret Hirsch, former attorney at Hughes & Luce (now K&L Gates). The Director of Communications is Rena Pederson, former Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications for the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., serving as a senior speechwriter and communications manager. Dale Fleury is the Regional Director for NMSI and is responsible for the implementation of the APTIP. Rene McCormick is the Director of Standards and Quality. The Director of Science Programs is Carol Leibl.

Board of directors

Tom Luce Former CEO, National Math and Science Initiative; former Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

Bruce Alberts Editor-In-Chief, Science Magazine; former President, National Academies

Norm Augustine Lead Director, NMSI; former Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation

Gov. Gaston Caperton President, College Board; former Governor of West Virginia

Kenneth P. Cohen Vice President, Public and Government Affairs, Exxon Mobil Corporation

Nancy Grasmick Former State Superintendent of Schools, Maryland State Department of Education

Bernard Harris, Jr., MD Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Vesalius Ventures; President and Founder, The Harris Foundation, Inc.; former NASA astronaut, first African-American to walk in space

Dr. Ray O Johnson, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Lockheed Martin Corporation

Shirley Malcom Head of Directorate for Education and Human Resources, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Sally Ride President and CEO, Sally Ride Science; former NASA astronaut, first American woman in space, Vice-Chair, Change the Equation

Arthur F. Ryan Former Chairman, CEO, and President, Prudential Financial, Inc.

Roy Vagelos, MD Former Chairman and CEO, Merck & Co., Inc.

Charles M. Vest President, National Academy of Engineering; President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Advanced Placement is a registered trademark of the College Board.

References

1. ^ Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition.
2. ^ ^{a b} Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Education (OECD) Education at a Glance 2008
3. ^ Remarks by the President on the "Educate to Innovate" Campaign and Science Teaching and Mentoring Awards

External links

• National Math and Science Initiative Website
• National Math and Science Initiative on Twitter
• [1]
• NMSI Board Member Bernard Harris on Fox and Friends [2]
• Albuquerque Journal, op-ed on APTIP results [3]
• Fort Smith Times Record, article on 2010 APTIP Results [4]
• Arkansas Times, 2010 APTIP Results [5]
• Tom Luce on C-SPAN's Washington Journal [6]
• The City Wire, posting on 2010 APTIP Results [7]
• "Alabama tops nation in AP score improvement" [8]
• "Alabama tops nation in gains on rigorous AP tests" [9]
• Article on Cincinnati News Press web site about Young Leaders Program [10]
• Fortune Magazine Blog Posting about the Young leaders Program [11]