PMSA-9353637 McAdoos, Eugene, Adenika-Morrow, Jean and Jackson, Charles Los Angeles Unified School District Los Angeles, CA "Region C Partnership for Minority Achievement" Los Angeles unified School District Administrative Region "C" has a well established partnership with the School of Education at California State University, Los Angeles. The proposed project will build upon that partnership and marshal the professional expertise of the Science and Mathematics faculty, in the school of Natural and Social Science and the School of Education, to expand the capability of teachers in 40 targeted schools so that they can more effectively meet the needs of African American and Latino American pupils. Currently the two groups of students that have been targeted are averaging a 48% drop-out rate. The Project will serve a specific geographical area within Region C. It is designed to improve science and mathematics instruction in elementary, middle and senior high schools. The Project will actively address student interest, motivation to study, and excitement about and involvement in science and math activities. At the same time self- concept issues related to the project will also focus on student academics and college possibilities. Project activities include in-school activities at the University, and field work, plus visits to participating technological organizations and industries. The Project Staff has planned intervention activities for students primarily in the 4th through 10th grades, their teachers, parents, and all school site administrators in the targeted schools. The direction is one of systemic change of current practices; interventions that have been shown through research to produce more African American and Latino American students who take college preparatory courses and who subsequently enter the sciences at the University will be used. The PMSA Partnership Project is designed so that as desired outcomes are associated with practices, old, new or in combination, the practices will be integrated into the culture and financial fabric of the school in efforts to institutionalize strategy, attitude and group behavior. The project concentrates its services on approximately 1500 elementary pupils, 600 middle and 300 senior high students, but upward to 8000 students each year will receive services.
