PROM/SE Overview: News and Outreach: Media Coverage
Media Release
MSU's PROM/SE Project Seeks Improvement in K-12 Math and Science Education in Michigan and Ohio Schools
EAST LANSING, Mich. – PROM/SE, an innovative research and development initiative led by Michigan State University and five partners, seeks to dramatically improve mathematics and science teaching and learning in grades K-12, bringing U.S. students up to or above international standards.
“Since the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) conducted in 1995, international studies have consistently found that U.S. students in math and science have lagged behind those in many countries,” says William Schmidt, University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University and co-principal investigator of PROM/SE.
The TIMSS study showed that U.S. eighth grade students scored slightly above the international average in science with students in several countries performing significantly better than those in the U.S.
For mathematics, the results were worse. Students scored below the international mean in almost every area.
“In order for U.S. students to compete in the world economy, we have to ensure that they receive the best education possible and that includes a strong background in mathematics and science,” states Schmidt. “Through PROM/SE our ultimate goal is to improve teaching and achievement for all students.”
PROM/SE stands for Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science Education. The project uses school and district assessment data to create powerful tools that help teachers and administrators understand what is happening in their classrooms, adjust accordingly and improve chances for all students to grasp critical mathematics and science concepts.
PROM/SE is a collaborative effort funded by the National Science Foundation’s Math and Science Partnerships (MSP) Program. “The findings from this project will contribute significantly to better understanding ‘what it takes’ to improve learning-outcomes among students studying mathematics and the sciences,” states Joyce Evans, National Science Foundation senior program director for the Math and Science Partnership Program.
The National Science Foundation, through the MSP program, supports innovate research that sheds light on how mathematics and science education can be strengthened in our schools. PROM/SE is funded through a NSF cooperative agreement spanning five years (2003- 2008) and totaling $35 million for the project.
PROM/SE involves unique partnerships between Michigan State University’s Colleges of Natural Science and Education, and five consortiums of school districts in Michigan and Ohio:
- Calhoun Intermediate School District, Calhoun County, Michigan
- Ingham Intermediate School District, Ingham County, Michigan
- St. Clair County Regional Educational Services Agency, St. Clair County, Michigan
- SMART consortium, greater Cleveland, Ohio area
- High AIMS consortium, greater Cincinnati, Ohio area
The PROM/SE partnership serves 62 school districts across two states and 7,000 teachers who in turn reach nearly 350,000 K-12 students. The partner districts reflect a cross section of the United States including rural, urban and those areas in between. Over 37 percent of the children are rural and urban poor.
“The numbers reached through PROM/SE are ambitious but so are our goals,” states Joan Ferrini-Mundy, co-principal investigator for the project and University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. “Our aim is to create a powerful new approach to improving mathematics and science achievement for all students.”
The methods used to achieve the goals of the study are what make PROM/SE different. Researchers are working with school districts to collect data about K-12 mathematics and science curriculum, student learning, teacher professional development, teacher preparedness and parents’ attitudes about mathematics and science education.
In the project’s first year nearly 200,000 children, grades 3-12, were tested to determine what students knew and understood about specific topics in mathematics and science. Teachers were also surveyed about their classroom practices.
These baseline data reveal important information about how students are faring compared to each district’s curriculum and state standards, the amount of time spent on particular topics within the classroom, and how well that time allocation translates into student understanding.
PROM/SE experts, in conjunction with its partners and superintendents, are designing custom professional development for teachers to address knowledge gaps and areas that need improvement. Educators attending these sessions go back to their districts armed with in-depth knowledge of specific topics in math and science, to serve as resources for other teachers. This past summer over 1,000 mathematics and science teachers attended PROM/SE weeklong professional development academies.
Later in the project, students will undergo another comprehensive assessment to see how much their learning has improved. Since the project is working with data derived from a representative microcosm of the United States, the results of this study will be broadly applicable to informing researchers and policymakers nationwide. Evans remarks that this approach has the potential of making a “unique, lasting, and significant contribution to K-12 education nationally.”