MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew LaPlant
561-297-3022, alaplant@fau.edu

FAU Partners With Broward County School Board on $3.2 Million Grant

BOCA RATON, FL (September 1, 2004) - Florida Atlantic University was recently awarded $3.2 million by the National Science Foundation through their Institute for Standards Mapped Graduate Education and Mentoring for Middle Grade Math Teachers.

The Institute is a broadening of the current teacher enhancement effort between Florida Atlantic University and the School Board of Broward County. What was initially an intense short-term summer program, has evolved into a five-year cooperative program dedicated to elevating the mathematical knowledge and teaching performance of middle school math teachers, and the performance of their students.

Approximately forty teachers will be selected from various Broward middle schools to participate in evening classes, follow-up meetings, summer camp and teaching conferences beginning in January 2005. Successful completion of the program results in teacher certification advanced graduate credit and a potential master's degree in teaching from FAU. These teachers will be certified leaders and mentors in the mathematical community.

Under the guidance of an administrative advisory board, Dr. Heinz-Otto Peitgen, principal investigator and professor in FAU's Department of Mathematical Sciences, will head the creation of the Institute's revolutionary curriculum. The curriculum focuses on incorporating Florida Sunshine State Standards directly into daily teachings, eliminating the present gap between state expectations and classroom delivery, with the goal of increasing student performance on standardized tests. The program hopes to be a viable model for institutional change and standards mapped graduate education for all science and math teachers.

Last year, the National Science Foundation also awarded $6 million in funding to the Interagency Educational Research Initiative headed by Dr. Nancy Romance in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, to enhance K-6 science teaching. Dr. Romance's work is in partnership with Palm Beach and Broward County schools. For more information on this program, contact Dr. Peitgen at 561-297-2482.

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