decorative banner image

25 Federal Grants Awarded to Help Improve K-12 Instruction in Mathematics, Science and Social Studies

Archive

4/20/2005


 

Contact: Sandy Connolly, (651) 259-3902

Twenty-five grants totaling over $1 million were awarded to Minnesota higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations to support improved K-12 instruction in mathematics, science, and social studies, the Office of Higher Education announced today.

"The funded programs are designed to improve student achievement by elevating K-12 teacher and paraprofessional quality through training activities demonstrated to be effective by scientifically-based research," said Nancy Walters, Program Manager for the Office of Higher Education. "Each of these programs has a demonstrated track record of success."

The grants to improve teacher quality through higher education - totaling $1,008,401 - were made available with federal funding from the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 targeted specifically to the Improving Teacher Quality program. In total, Minnesota received $38 million for 2004-2005 under the federal Improving Teacher Quality Program. The Minnesota Department of Education administers the larger portion of these funds for state and district-level teacher quality efforts.

With the funds designated for higher education under this initiative, each state higher education agency provides competitive grants to higher education training partnerships that include one or more high-need school districts. This year, continuation grants were awarded to 25 of the 2004 grantees who had successfully met first year objectives and wanted to conduct a second year of program activities.

  • University of Minnesota received seven grants totaling $311,065;

  • Bemidji State University received five grants totaling $199,005;

  • The Minnesota Council on Economic Education received three grants totaling $118,512;

  • The College of St. Scholastica received two grants totaling $82,560;

  • Macalester College received two grants totaling $84,854;

  • Augsburg College received two grants totaling $67,600;

  • St. Cloud State University received a grant of $37,401;

  • Inver Hills Community College received a grant of $30,000;

  • Century College received a grant of $36,615;

  • Communities for Responsible Energy/Environment Demonstration received a grant of $40,789.

As a state formula grant program, the federal award makes funds available to state education agencies, local school districts, and state agencies for higher education to support and help shape state and local activities to improve teacher quality. The purpose of the federal funding is continued student achievement and ensuring that all teachers of core academic subjects are highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.

The grants awarded from the Office of Higher Education for the Improving Teacher Quality Program support sustained in-service programs in mathematics, science and social studies for K-12 teachers and for paraprofessionals in mathematics. Funded projects will work with schools having the greatest need to improve student achievement and teachers in need of licensure by the Minnesota Board of Teaching.

Attached is a list of projects funded for the third year under the Improving Teacher Quality Program of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Office of Higher Education 2005 Improving Teacher Quality Programs April 2005
Project DescriptorGrant Amount
I. In-Service Projects for Teachers in Mathematics
Mathematics Within
University of Minnesota
$42,995
Mathematical Reasoning & Spatial Sense, Geometry & Measurement
The College of St. Scholastica
$48,000
Probability and Statistics in the Secondary Classroom
Macalester College
$39,949
Building Discrete Mathematics & Patterns & Function with Elementary and Middle School Teachers
Bemidji State University
$44,166
Improving Teacher Quality in Geometry & Probability & Statistics
Bemidji State University
$47,337
II. In-Service Mathematics Projects for Paraprofessionals
Foundations of Arithmetic I
Bemidji State University
$29,929
Foundations of Arithmetic II
Bemidji State University
$29,928
AfterMath III
Inver Hills Community College
$30,000
Content and Communications for K-6 Paraprofessionals
Augsburg College
$28,000
III. In-service Projects for Teachers in Science
Monarchs and More: Insect Ecology for Elementary Teachers
University of Minnesota
$47,963
Monarchs and More: Insect Field Ecology for Teachers
University of Minnesota
$44,936
Investigating Plant Biology for Elementary Teachers
University of Minnesota
$47,950
Investigating Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
University of Minnesota
$47,022
Teaching Science through Examples from Renewable Materials
University of Minnesota
$39,083
Earth Science Systems for Teachers of Grades 6-8
Century College
$36,615
A Hybrid On-Line Licensure Program for Physics & Chemistry
Bemidji State University
$47,645
Inquiring Minds: 2005 Itasca Field Biology
University of Minnesota
$42,596
Project IDEA - Inquiry into Diet, Exercise, and Anatomy
St. Cloud State University
$37,401
Discovering Science on the Range in the Field of Energy: Part II
CREED Project
$40,789
IV. In-service Projects for Teachers in Social Studies
Inquiry and Research: An Interdisciplinary Social Studies Institute
College of St. Scholastica
$42,596
Authentic Pedagogy for Integrating Reading in Geography and Social Studies
Macalester College
$44,905
Using Children's Literature to Teacher Economics
MN Council on Economic Education
$34,252
Educator Preparation for Economics Academic Standards
MN Council on Economic Education
$48,000
Enhancing Social Studies Curricula with Economics
MN Council on Economic Education
$36,260
Applying the Socratic Questioning Method of Paidiea Seminars In Social Studies
Augsburg College
$39,600

Note: documents in Portable Document Format (PDF) require Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher to view.

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader