The Problem: The Paramount Unified School District is a microcosm of the population of Los Angeles County, California, with a 90% non-Asian minority population. Fewer than 60 students out of a graduating class of 400 go on to a four-year college and even fewer major in mathematics or science. The Solution: Objectives. By June 2001, at the end of the fifth year of implementation, Paramount High School will have had 1,450 of its seniors complete a college preparatory sequence (currently only 57 per year do so). All of these graduates will have successfully progressed through this project, Paths Toward Significant Achievement (PTSA) to successfully complete precollege courses. Subsequent years will show even higher numbers of students who pass through the PTSA pipeline. Project Staff: The Principal Investigator, the Superintendent, and Project Co-Directors have a strong background in successful educational project implementation and will be responsible for the achievement of PTSA goals. Participants/Activities: The Advisory Committee will advise participants in the design and implementation of the long-term, systemic plan for K-12 to change the way science and math are taught and learned in the District. Five hundred teachers (90% of District teachers) will participate in curriculum reform/enrichment and teacher enhancement activities; they will learn how to motivate students to enjoy and want to learn science and math through staff development, peer coaching, and collaboration activities. Teachers will become more sensitive to the special problems of minorities, Limited-English proficient students, and disabled students. They will help students set higher expectations using strategies adapted from the successful program, Advancement Via Individual Determination, AVID. All 14,352 students will experience science and math across the curriculum, participate in student enrichment activities such as tutoring, summer school and intersession courses, distance l earning, and keeping electronic portfolios. The quality and quantity of science and math instruction at the elementary school (K-8) will "hook" children in the active pursuit of mathematical and scientific knowledge. At the ninth grade school, students will link concrete learning acquired in elementary school with the more abstract concepts and critical thinking demands of high school science and math. In high school (10-12), students will attend rigorous science and math courses taught by their high school teachers or college teachers within the context of their career path through distance learning technology. At all levels they will be grouped into smaller groups called "Families" as a safety net. Community resources such as businesses, museums, colleges, and other community partners will provide many types of hands-on experiences and programs, including distance learning, to stimulate and enhance science and math education. Parents will support children's math and science learning by promoting science and math activities at home and in the community, leading family discussions, monitoring homework, setting aside time for reading and study, limiting television viewing, and encouraging their children to take advanced science and math courses. Cost the total costs of program implementation and dissemination will be $1,750,000 for five years. Most of the costs will relate to participant collaboration time in program and staff development as well as the development and implementation of a significant array of hands-on student enrichment activities entailing some equipment and supply expenditures. ***
