Grant aims to boost math, science education

PRESQUE ISLE – With their myriad figures, formulas and equations, math and science can be a daunting challenge for many students.

Now a newly formed partnership will set about to demystify the subjects, powered by a significant grant.

Officials from the University of Maine at Presque Isle announced recently that the college had been awarded a $106,000 grant from the Maine Department of Education.

The money established the Central Aroostook Math Science Partnership, a consortium that aims to enhance professional development opportunities for local science and math teachers and improve student achievement in those subjects.

As part of the initiative, the university will join forces with the Caribou Regional Technology Center, the Presque Isle Regional Career and Technical Center, area high schools that send students to those centers, and the Caribou/UMPI Partnership for College Success.

The grant will be administered by the Central Aroostook Council on Education, which is headquartered at UMPI.

David Ouellette, the executive director of CACE, said in a written statement that the grant will allow educators access to frequent meetings where attendees can collaborate on education practices and share teaching strategies with the goal of enhancing student achievement.

He noted that math and science skills not only are crucial for students now, but “critical for long-term economic security in a global economy.”

As part of the initiative, four teams – two for science and two for math – will be formed. The 15-member squads will include high school math and science teachers, vocational instructors, faculty from UMPI and Northern Maine Community College, and local professionals in the math and science fields.

Team leaders from each group met late last month for two days of training provided by the Great Maine Schools Partnership.

Regular team meetings will be held throughout the process, and grant funding also will enable team members to take part in professional development initiatives.

Recent studies show that math and science partnerships in some form appear to be working. According to a report from the National Science Foundation, students’ performance on annual math and science assessments improved in almost every age group when their schools were involved in a program that partners kindergarten-through-grade-12 teachers with their colleagues in higher education.

Ouellette noted that there are numerous benefits to the partnership.

“We believe that there are teachable moments in a shop setting, a welding class – a moment when a math or science concept could and should be taught,” he explained. “By bringing these academic folks into a vocational setting, we’d like to be able to help these teachers identify when they can teach certain math and science concepts at a magic moment.”

At the same time, he added, vocational instructors will be a powerful force in identifying hands-on applications that all educators can use to better teach math and science concepts in the classroom.

Officials are aiming to quickly form learning teams and begin monthly team meetings before the start of harvest break.