|
Nurturing Untapped Talent in Mathematics and Science This essay by Penelope Peterson, dean of the School of Education and Social Policy, appears in the October 17 issue of Education Week as one of a series by the Education Deans Alliance. The Alliance is an association of 11 presidents and deans of schools of education who are committed to the improvement of educational policy, practice and research and to the centrality of schools of education in achieving these goals.  In 1999, the superintendents of the Evanston school districts approached Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy with a problem. Although the districts were largely African-American and Hispanic, students of color were underrepresented in their advanced high school mathematics and science classes. Together, we worked on how to address this “achievement gap” in courses serving as a key pipeline to elite universities like ours—especially given America’s increasing shortage of talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.From that conversation emerged Project EXCITE, a collaboration between school district personnel and Northwestern’s Center for Talent Development (CTD), funded primarily by Northwestern with additional support from Evanston school districts, Morgan Stanley, Citicorp, and Coca-Cola. The initiative builds on the work of CTD director Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, who has spent decades studying and teaching gifted children. Paula has demonstrated that for children who become eminent adults success is driven not only by personality traits but also special kinds of educational and social experiences, adult mentoring, grouping with peers of equal ability, and support networks—assets most likely to be enjoyed by wealthy, typically white, children. The goals of EXCITE are to identify talented children of color early on and provide them with continuous support and enrichment to help them sustain high performance over an extended period. Third-graders become eligible for the program if they demonstrate high levels of interest in learning mathematics and science and the ability to work beyond their grade level. Admission is based on performance on the Naglieri Nonverbal Test, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, and classroom performance as assessed by the children’s teachers. Students participate in EXCITE for six years, and academic enrichment is a core feature of the program. Lesson plans at every age level feature hands-on work and demand independent inquiry and analysis. Participants study robotics, neuroscience, and advanced topics in mathematics on the Northwestern campus and take biology, chemistry, and physics classes at Evanston Township High School. In each grade, students receive one-on-one teacher support and meet in peer support groups, while the program also works with their parents to encourage support for good study habits at home. Does EXCITE work? More than 150 students in seven cohorts have participated since the program’s inception. Last fall, the first 17 entered high school as freshmen. Their number is small, but results thus far show great promise. Of the 17, 13 enrolled in honors mathematics or science classes. Moreover, 90% of Black EXCITE eighth-graders “exceeded standards” on the 2006 Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT) in mathematics compared with just 18% of eighth-grade Black students district-wide; 67% percent of Hispanic EXCITE eighth-grade students “exceeded standards” compared with 27% district-wide. The data also reveal cumulative program effects over time: only 30% of these same Black EXCITE students and none of the Hispanic EXCITE students had “exceeded standards” on their mathematics ISAT three years earlier. These preliminary data suggest that targeted interventions in mathematics and science with underrepresented students can indeed have positive effects on closing the achievement gap. The key factors are enrichment and support, but these activities need to occur early and be sustained over the years leading up to high school in order to overcome the lack of critical resources and supports hindering most at the starting line. Our successes suggest that cohesive and sustained programs such as EXCITE hold promise for identifying and nurturing previously untapped talent among our children. For more information, see the following articles by Paula Olszewski-Kubilius: Olszewski-Kubilius, P. (2006). Addressing the achievement gap between minority and nonminority children. Gifted Child Today, 29(2), 28-37. Olszewski-Kubilius, P., Lee, S., Ngoi, M. & Ngoi, D. (2004). Addressing the achievement gap between minority and nonminority children by increasing access to gifted programs. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 28(2), 127-158. by Penelope Peterson Updated October 24, 2007  E-mail this story
|
Questions/comments