The Institute for Independent Education, Inc., will sponsor a pilot program for the continuing education of 28 teachers from 14 neighborhood independent schools serving minority students. These schools are located primarily in central cities of nine eastern, middle Atlantic, and southern states. This project addresses the need for upgrading teaching skills and increasing the scope of precollege mathematics curricula. The selected teachers from grades 5-8 will be given the opportunity to increase their knowledge of appropriate mathematics content, develop innovative mathematics problem-solving strategies through the use of hands-on curriculum, develop and reinforce their own critical thinking skills, and improve their potential for good classroom management. This program will be carried out during a two-week summer seminar held at American University, Washington, DC. Follow-up will include two on-site visits by project staff to each school. Since this is a pilot project, extensive evaluative processes will be carried out immediately following the summer program and during the school year. Dissemination in schools unable to participate will be through the use of distribution of videotapes of lectures and work sessions of the summer seminar.
