This grant will provide Washington MESA teachers with a forum through which they can acquire new information on factors that impact math and science learning as well as time to work with colleagues on strategies to incorporate the new material into their classroom. Fifty-five Washington MESA teachers will be able to attend a series of six one-day seminars. Of these two will be statewide seminars back-to-back with national or state conferences and will be focused on math and science education or on multicultural issues that impact learning. The other four seminars will be local, focused on curriculum development, instructional practices, and career explorations. The areas of focus for the seminar series will include the incorporation of "hands-on" activities; problems set in a real-world context; and strengthening the perceptions that underrepresented minority students warrant high expectations; and sharing of materials, activities, and projects that work well at various levels. Seminar participants will come from 8 districts which serve 71% of the under-represented minority students across Washington state. An amount equivalent to 115.8% of the NSF award is being contributed as cost-sharing.
