MEDIA ADVISORY April 22, 1997 PA/M 97-19
URBAN SUPERINTENDENTS FORM NATIONAL COALITION TO TACKLE CRISES IN MATH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION
Superintendents of the nationÃs largest urban school districts will announce the formation of a national coalition to develop and share solutions to common problems they face in improving mathematics and science education. Revitalizing urban schooling is a key to the success of national education reform programs because urban school systems enroll roughly half of all U.S. public school students.
Each of the superintendents heads a district that has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), either as part of NSFÃs Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program or NSFÃs Comprehensive Partnership for Science and Mathematics Achievement (CPSMA) program. Baltimore, Cleveland, Detroit, New York, New Orleans, St. Louis, and San Diego are among the cities represented by the coalition.
Eligibility for the USI program is limited to the cities with the largest number of school-age children (ages 5 to 17) living in poverty, as determined by the 1990 census. USI is designed to spur officials and the public to undertake a sustained reform of their educational systems by first mounting a comprehensive overhaul of math and science programs. CPSMA has similar goals for smaller school districts.
The IBM Corp. and Texas Instruments, Inc. will help to link coalition members in a national telecommunications network.
Who: Luther S. Williams, head of NSFÃs education and human
resources directorate
Richard J. Schaar, senior vice president of personal productivity
products, Texas Instruments, Inc.
What: Press briefing on the coalitionÃs goals and strategies
When: Thursday, April 24, 1997 at 1 p.m.
Where: Washington Marriot Hotel/Salon C
1221 22nd St NW (Foggy Bottom Metro)
Washington, D.C.
For more information contact: Peter West, (703) 306-1070/[email protected]
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