PI: Jim Hensley Over the Top in TEaMS ( OTT) blends the efforts of an urban school district and an array of partners in a long-range project to significantly increase minority enrollments and success rates in courses comprising the science, mathematics, engineering, technology (SMET) pipeline. The Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS) is a minority majority school district in the Kansas city Metroplex. 68% of the students are minority, 54% being African American. KCKPS students scored well below national averages on the 1996 MAT-7 and ACT. Of 225 students in Algebra I at grade 8, only 15% were African American males. OTT will double minority enrollment in advanced math/science classes, double minority enrollment in AP/IB science/math classes, increase minority enrollment in grade 8 Algebra I to 75%, prepare all students for success in Algebra II, prepare all students for success in Chemistry I, significantly raise average minority math/science scores on national achievement tests and state assessments, complete a revised math/science curriculum that reflects NTSA/NCTM standards, increase teacher knowledge and use of research based teaching tools, and increase student interest level and student confidence in science/math. KCKPS will implement a set of interventions intended to eliminate barriers and build capacity toward minority quccess in SMET pipeline courses. These interventions include: math/science curriculum reform and improvement of K-8 science/math curriculum resources, intensive staff development enrichment programs outside the school day(summer, after school, Saturday), tutoring programs, providing teacher leaders in math/science at each school, creating community partnerships for mentor support, and developing counselors as pumps for minority students into the SMET pipeline.
