Projects

Project Overview

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program responds to a growing national concern about improving the educational performance of U.S. children in mathematics and science. Through MSP, NSF awards competitive merit-based grants to teams of institutions of higher education, local K–12 school systems, and their supporting partners.

The MSP seeks to—

• Enhance schools’ capacity to provide challenging curricula for all students and encourage more students to succeed in advanced courses in mathematics and science.
• Increase the number, quality, and diversity of mathematics and science teachers.
• Engage and support scientists, mathematicians, and engineers at local universities and local industries to work with K–12 educators and students.
• Contribute to a greater understanding of how students learn mathematics and science effectively and how teacher preparation and professional development can be improved.
• Promote institution and organizational change in education systems to sustain partnerships’ promising practices and policies.

For this study, Insight—

• Conducted trend analyses of student achievement data from the inception of MSP projects through each new reporting year
• Tested operations and logistics to assess timeliness, completeness, management, cost containment, and communication
• Engaged subject matter experts and practitioners for input to ensure findings were useful for MSP study stakeholders
• Developed interim reports and briefings to address progress to date, preliminary analysis, and emerging issues
• Prepared a final technical report and dissemination plan

Products

Interim reports 2013, 2014; final report 2014; final technical and dissemination plan 2015