COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Texas A&M University

EAHR Named Regional Math and Science Center

Read more about our T-STEM partners by clicking here.

8/17/06

By Jenna Smith

Texas A&M University's Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development has been designated a regional Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM) center.

T-STEM is a $71 million statewide initiative designed to improve instruction and academic performance in science and math related subjects in Texas secondary schools.

Jim Scheurich, principal investigator of the project responsible for implementation of the T-STEM grant, said that the project is the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) response to a 2005 National Academy of Sciences report, titled "Rising Above the Gathering Storm," that called for measures be initiated to reform math and science education in schools across the country.

In that report, a panel of highly respected scientists, university presidents - including Texas A&M President Robert Gates - as well as politicians and business leaders predicted the future decline of the United States as the world's leader in science and technology.

"The fact that Texas is involved in reform measures of this caliber so soon after the national conversation says a lot for Texas's educational system and long-term educational goals," Scheurich said. "Because of TEA, Texas is one of the first states to implement reforms to rebuild math and science curriculum at all grade levels."

The report also explained why U.S. 12th-graders recently tested below the international average for 21 countries in mathematics and science. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about one-third of the fourth-graders and one-fifth of the eighth-graders couldn't perform "basic mathematical computations."

"Educators have had success in changing curriculum and teaching methods in elementary schools, but change in high schools is hard," Scheurich said. "There is a lot we don't know about how to change high schools, but we do know that in order to be successful in our large, urban schools, a lot of hands must be on the wheel for change to happen. One group can't do it alone."

Scheurich said his team drew on past research literature on teaching math and science and facilitating school change to develop the instructional design for the T-STEM center. Every university in the state submitted a proposal for a center, but only five were selected.

"It is highly important for us [Texas A&M] to have our hands in the dirt with TEA in improving education in Texas," Scheurich said. "As one of the leading universities in the state, it is a responsibility, a mandate, and a necessity for us to help sustain and improve the level of achievement for all kids going to school."

Texas A&M will collaborate with the other four centers in Texas, with partner companies and with College of Education and Human Development researchers to identify problems in the classrooms, develop solutions, test those resolutions and communicate their results, Scheurich said. In addition, each center will develop new instructional materials and provide professional development training to teachers and administrators.

"There are implications for all of us whether or not all of our kids are learning science and math," Scheurich said. "Since T-STEM is much more real-world project oriented than others, our faculty will be able to directly collaborate with administrators and teachers to change the way science and math is taught."

"The biggest change needed is a cultural one," Scheurich said, "making science and technology engaging to today's students."

The T-STEM center at Texas A&M is also supported by Texas A&M's Dwight Look College of Engineering and the Verizon Center for Distance Learning Research, Texas Instruments, Advanced Micro Devices, and the Big 12 Center for Economic Development. Participating partners include Dallas ISD, Education Service Center Region 10, Verizon, Dallas Museum of Nature and Science, Britt Rice Electric of Bryan-College Station, Texas Science Collaborative at Region 10, and DFW Semiconductor Workforce including Texas Instruments, DRS-Infrared, Raytheon, Micron, TriQuint, TriQuint Semiconductor, ST Microelectronics and Dallas Semiconductor/Maxim.

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