The Academy for Math and Science Teachers in Chicago is part of a school reform movement which has given parents and community members more power and a greater stake in their schools. The Academy provides the resources in math and science teaching, bringing new knowledge, expertise, teaching methodologies, a collegial environment and even prestige to teachers participating in the academy programs. This first year of a long range project involves 12 participating elementary schools, 12 teachers per school for a total of 144 teachers, half of whom will come from K-3 grade levels and the rest from grades 4-8. The vision of the Academy founders is that it eventually provide inservice for all teachers in the city of Chicago. For this first year, the teachers will be involved in Academy courses during the school year on a schedule of two days every other week for a period of 16 weeks for a total of 120 contact hours. Academy trained teachers will substitute for the participating classroom teachers on an ongoing and regular basis. These Academy teachers will also act as liaisons between the Academy and the schools for purposes of providing resources and expertise to the schools and for implementing a network among the teachers and schools. Two week summer sessions, held both at the Academy and at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), will further involve the teachers in the curriculum improvement and instructional methodology necessary for implementation of a more comprehensive science and mathematics program in the schools. Curricula materials used both in the school year courses and the summer sessions include mathematics and science programs previously funded by NSF, such as MathTools, TIMS, CEPUP and other material. An extensive follow-up segment as well as an assessment and evaluation of the program is planned. The evaluation will contain two components: a) a program evaluation of the follow-up segment and b) an overall formative report on the effectiveness of the total Academy program in meeting its mission and goals. Excellent cost-sharing is provided through grants from the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, the Amoco Foundation, the City of Chicago, the State of Illinois, other private foundations and federal agencies.
