Blackfeet Community College (BCC) proposes to examine past activities of Phase I, look at what was learned, and continue into Phase II as a development grant. Phase I efforts in developing and maintaining a comprehensive and sustainable systemic reform effort in mathematics, science, and technology fell short of expected activities and BCC has learned from its past activities. BCC will utilize the lessons learned from Phase I activities and will continue to promote the NSF drivers while at the same time seek current strategies to assist in their effort to have a comprehensive program that will catapult Blackfeet Indian reservation and its students to meet the National standards. Special emphasis will be placed on a holistic approach to community reform using RSI activities as a springboard for a comprehensive reform effort.
There are fourteen K-8 schools (1,814 students) and two high schools (563 students) in the service area of BCC. BCC will work with eight of these schools in a comprehensive effort for systemic reform, impacting 1,777 (98%) in the K-8 area and 563 (100%) of the High School students. BCC will work with mathematics and science teachers and administrators through existing channels established during Phase I in setting goals and objectives for Phase I implementation activities. A task force made up of reservation school administrators will be chaired by the BCC college administrator and will include all school administrators of schools served. A mathematics task force will be developed and will include area mathematics instructors (recommended by school site administrators) and BCC mathematics instructors. It is this group that will examine, recommend, and assess efforts in mathematics. Another task force in the sciences will be formed composed of all service area science teachers and BCC science instructors. They will work closely with the science curriculum of area schools and look at how they are involved in the overall reform effort.
The Phase II developmental efforts will continue to promote systemic reform in math and science education at two school districts consisting of six different school buildings located in rural Montana. The utmost goal of the program is to develop and maintain a population that is prepared to meet the needs of a technologically competent work force.
