9602137 Kahle This study proposes to analyze changes in student achievement in one State with five systemic initiatives. Systemic reform efforts in the State of Ohio have been conducted for the past 5 years and are expected to continue for more years even without the NSF support that it has received. The reform efforts attempt to provide equal access to science and mathematics classes. The study focuses on the effectiveness of the reform initiatives to reduce learning gaps between students by race, sex, and socio-economic level. The authors assert that the results will contribute to theory-based recommendations that will be applicable to individual schools, school districts, teacher professional development programs in colleges and universities, and to states involved in reforming mathematics and science education. It will identify characteristics of school environments that support reform. It addresses research questions regarding changes in the classrooms that enhance the learning of both science and mathematics and changes in attitudes and behaviors of teachers, administrators, parents, and students. The study will use both a quantitative and qualitative research design with a large sample of schools for survey of achievement and a smaller sample of 14 schools where interviews, observations, and community support and student achievement data will be collected. In addition 4 schools will be chosen for intensive case studies. The schools will be selected from urban centers and extreme rural areas (Appalachia) where equity and opportunity to learn concerns will be addressed.
