HRD-9353597 Coleman, Rose and Hoefakker, Dave Normandy School District St. Louis, MO "Environments for Excellence: A Model for Increasing Science & Mathematics Enrollment in an Inner-Suburban Minority District." Normandy School District in suburban St. Louis County Missouri has experienced dramatic change. Today, enrollment is 95% black. A generation ago it was 80% white. student performance by most measures is fair to poor, with most nationally normed test revealing most Normandy students as "below average." Recently, however, the district has made important strides toward improvement. A strategic planning process helped residents and staff focus on critical areas. Partnerships with local businesses and the University of Missouri-St. Louis have resulted in significant improvements and nationally recognized programs. The percent of graduating students going on to further education has increased. Today, as the district prepares to mark its centennial, it is proposing the Environments for Excellence program as the platform for fundamental science and mathematics curriculum change that will result in substantially more minority students completing a four year science/mathematics high school curriculum to prepare for higher education and careers in science, engineering and mathematics. The goals of Environments for Excellence are: 1) to have more than half of all students enter 9th grade having successfully completed algebra at the end of the fourth and fifth years of the project; 2) to double the number of high school students enrolling in a four-year science and/or mathematics sequence by the end of the third program year and to achieve a further fifty percent increase by the end of the fifth year; 3) to develop, implement and assess a "major investigation" exit competency for students. Specific intervention strategies include curriculum reform, teacher enhancement and student enrichment programs. Objectives include: 1) extensive staff development for hands -on lessons and action research teams, 2) expanded enrichment activities, 3) a new middle school experiential transition unit, 4) a new K-12 science/math Buddy System which links students at all levels including the university, 5) new Independent Study curriculum modules for high school students leading to an exit competency based on Project 2061 concepts, and 6) and Essential Friends volunteer corps of community and university guest teachers who can demonstrate practical applications of schooling. The project is a teacher-driven, staff development oriented model. In partnership with the Network for Educational Development and the university, summer workshops and collaborative action research teams will provide on-going development opportunities to Normandy teachers with a focus on improved teaching strategies and methodologies. The staff will implement a thematic, "beyond the classroom" 2-week transition experience at the start of each school year for all middle school students to improve science and mathematics learning readiness. This will be accomplished in partnership with Camp Wyman, a respected local outdoor education program, and University. The present award-winning science/math enhancement programs (University partnership) will be expanded to all schools in the district. A new link between the middle and high school enhancement components will be implemented. The five year program is designed to reach directly over 800 minority middle and high school students each year - and through teaching strategies and methods for hands-on science, over 3000 minority elementary students. Evaluation will be designed and guided by the University of Missouri - St. Louis.
