A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE
July 12, 2000

Contact:
David Thomas
(202) 401-1579

$14.7 MILLION AWARDED IN MATH - SCIENCE ASSISTANCE GRANTS

U. S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley announced today that a total of $14.7 million will support 10 regional organizations that will assist states, districts and schools throughout the nation with their mathematics and science education improvement efforts.

The Eisenhower Regional Mathematics and Science Education Consortia Program funds 10 consortia grantees, each serving a multi-state region. The projects selected in the FY 2000 competition provide continued services in their respective multi-state regions for an additional five years. Each grantee will receive $1.47 million in the first year and $1.475 million in years 2-5.

"Improving math and science teaching and learning must be one of the nation's top education priorities," Riley said. "These grants will help sustain efforts to provide exemplary instructional materials for math and science education and provide technical assistance to schools and teachers."

For example, at the Appalachia Educational Laboratory in Charleston, W.Va., the grantee's plans include conducting an annual equity conference on strategies for closing the achievement gap for underserved and underrepresented students, and establishing web-based communities to provide continuous support for educators.

And at the Mid-Atlantic Consortium in Philadelphia, plans include professional development workshops for more than 3,000 participants, regional and state leadership conferences, technical assistance to schools, and the Middle School Math Project.

The consortia program supports a regional and national technical assistance and dissemination system that focuses on mathematics and science education to help build the capacity of states and schools to implement their school reform initiatives. Grantees also help coordinate federal, state and local education plans and activities, and assist educators to adopt, adapt and implement promising and exemplary practices for improving teaching and learning.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Following are grant contacts:

Appalachia Educational Laboratory (serving Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia)
Charleston, W.Va., Contact: Pam Buckley (800) 624-9120

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (serving American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau)
Honolulu, Hawaii, Contact: Paul Dumas (808) 441-1300

University of North Carolina at Greensboro (serving Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina)
Greensboro, N.C., Contact: Francena Cummings (850) 671-6033

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (serving Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas)
Austin, Texas, Contact: Steve Marble (512) 476-6861

TERC, Inc. (serving Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island,Virgin Islands and Vermont)
Cambridge, Mass., Contact: Mark Kaufman (617) 547-0430

Research for Better Schools (serving District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania)
Philadelphia, Pa., Contact: Keith Kershner (215) 574-9300

*Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (serving Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington)
Portland, Ore., Contact: Kit Peixotto (503) 275-9594

WestEd (serving Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah)
San Francisco, Calif., Contact: Art Sussman (415) 241-2730

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (serving Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming)
Aurora, Colo., Contact: John Sutton (800) 949-6387

North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (serving Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin)
Oak Brook, Ill., Contact: Gil Valdez (630) 571-4700

* New Center