MSP of Southwest Pennsylvania: Year Three Evaluation Report
Description
This is the second year evaluation conducted by the Assessment and Evaluation Team of SWPA MSP and published by RAND Education, a unit of RAND Corporation."In 2002, the National Science Foundation (NSF) launched the Math and Science Partnership program, which builds on the nation's dedication to educational reform by supporting partnerships that unite the efforts of K-12 school districts with science, mathematics, engineering, and education faculties of colleges and universities. RAND evaluated the Math Science Partnership of Southwest Pennsylvania, one of seven comprehensive partnership projects funded by NSF in 2003. The evaluation investigates the effectiveness of the partnership, its impact on institutional practices and policies at partner educational institutions, changes in math and science instruction, and changes in student course taking and outcomes. Data were collected from focus groups and interviews of key project personnel, surveys of principals and math and science teachers, case studies in partnership school districts, documentation of partnership meetings and activities, artifacts produced by the partnership, math and science achievement data for K-12 students, and course completion data for K-12 and students in institutions of higher education. This working paper provides a baseline description of the partners and a formative assessment of the projects progress and challenges."