By University of Kentucky News
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 19, 2012) — For the 11th consecutive year, the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) has awarded federal grant funds to improve P-12 educator quality through professional development programs. The University of Kentucky has received two of these Improving Educator Quality (IEQ) grants, one for $130,000 and another for $150,000. Kimberly Zeidler-Watters, director of P-12 Mathematics and Science Outreach for the UK Partnership Institute for Mathematics and Science Education Reform (PIMSER), is serving as principal investigator on both projects.
The IEQ grants, totaling $895,000, also were awarded to other lead institutions in the state, including Morehead State University, Murray State University and Northern Kentucky University. Included in the proposals are partnerships with the University of Louisville, Hazard Community and Technical College, Madisonville Community College, the Kentucky Center for Mathematics, Thomas More College, as well as local high-need school districts.
“These partnerships are breaking new ground in priority content areas, and as a result, more high school students will graduate college and career ready,” said CPE President Bob King.
The focus of the program this year is on fully integrating the Common Core Standards by assisting teachers in providing intervention in content areas for students in need of accelerated learning, which helps successful students advance to the next stage and helps struggling students catch up. To be eligible, a partnership must include a postsecondary institution’s school of arts and sciences, its teacher preparation program, as well as a high-need, local school district.
About the UK projects:
• Continuous Assessment and Algebraic Thinking: Keys for Career and College Readiness: $150,000: UK, in collaboration with the University of Louisville, will provide approximately 60 teachers the content and strategies necessary for them to engineer effective classroom experiences for their students. The focus will be on deepening participating teachers’ understanding of the content and pedagogical content knowledge necessary to teach the algebra standards in middle and high school. Additionally, the project will address the foundational elementary standards necessary for success in algebra.
• Success in Algebra: Improving Special Education Teaching Practice: $130,000: UK will provide content and strategies for special education teachers to facilitate and develop effective classroom experiences for their students. The content focus will be on developing a deeper understanding for the teacher participants on number concepts as they relate to success in algebra. The interventions are necessary for special needs students who have gaps in learning so they are prepared for and can be successful in Algebra I courses. The proposal will target 20 special education middle and high school mathematics teachers.
Other projects, lead institutions and grant awards:
• Reading for the 21st Century: Improving Reading Comprehension Through Project-Based Learning, Morehead State University, $135,000 —Year 2
• Developing Standards-Based Digital Content for Next Generation Learning, Murray State University, $90,000 —Year 2
• Continuous Assessment and Algebraic Thinking: Keys for Career and College Readiness, University of Kentucky, $150,000 — Year 2
• Algebraic Dynamic Duo: Integrating Hands-On Learning and Problem Solving to Increase Student Achievement, Morehead State University, $130,000
• Success in Algebra: Improving Special Education Teaching Practice, University of Kentucky, $130,000
• FLIP: Using Video Podcasts for Mathematics Instruction and Intervention, Northern Kentucky University, $130,000
• Collaborative for Inquiry-Based Instruction, Northern Kentucky University, $130,000
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