The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (former Massachusetts Department of Education) has awarded Northeastern University the lead organization in the Greater North Shore Science Partnership (GNSSP), a 3-year $748,356 grant.

The Partnership aims to improve middle school science and mathematics education in the parts of the Greater North Shore area of Massachusetts by delivering appropriate science and mathematics content for middle and high school science teachers.

The GNSSP brings together the following core partners: Lynn Public Schools, Malden Public Schools, Northeastern University (NU), and EDC and the University of Massachusetts, Boston (UMB) as supporting partners.

The partnership stemmed from the desire to address some of the fundamental needs of the partnership school districts: Lynn MCAS scores are consistently below state averages. Over 90% of eighth grade students earned a score of Warning/Failing or Needs Improvement, while 71% of fifth grade students received scaled scores in the same range and are not at the proficient level in science/technology. Similarly, Malden public schools have performed poorly on the grades five and eight science and technology MCAS examinations. 37% of eighth grade students received a Warning/Failing score. Malden's scores are below state averages.

In order to address the needs of the partner school districts, The GNSSP will offer a series of courses with relevant follow-up activities to their grades 5–10 science teachers. These courses are closely aligned with the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework. They carry graduate science credit and will satisfy 90% of the requirements for a Master of Education degree in Middle School Science from Northeastern University. Furthermore, the courses have been informed by research on “How People Learn,” research on effective assessment, and research on how to provide effective professional development workshops.

This partnership was initiated by the director of the program, Professor Christos Zahopoulos of Northeastern University. Professor Zahopoulos is also the Executive Director of Northeastern University's Center for STEM Education and a Research Professor at Northeastern's College of Engineering and Department of Education.

The GNSSP's vision is to improve science and mathematics student achievement in grades 5-10 in Lynn and Malden public schools, by increasing teacher knowledge and skills through professional development and support activities, thereby creating highly qualified teachers and ultimately, better classroom instruction.

The goals of the Partnership are to:

• Develop and implement an effective and sustained course of study for in-service teachers of science and mathematics by integrating the courses of study into the schools of arts and sciences and/or education at Northeastern University;

• Increase the number of science teachers in the partner districts who are licensed in the subject area(s) and grade level(s) they teach

• Significantly improve the quality of science teachers in Malden and Lynn public schools

• Increase the number of students who succeed in middle school courses in science and mathematics

Since the courses have already been institutionalized at NU and UMB, they will continue to be available after the completion of this grant. Furthermore, Northeastern will offer one additional course needed to complete the Master in Education Degree with a concentration in Middle School Science to all the participants from the partner school districts.

The work of the GNSSP will provide resources to approximately 93, teachers in both the Lynn and Malden School Districts and has the potential of impacting greater well over 5,000 5 th -8 th grade students.

The GNSSP project begun in September 2008.

http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/grants/grants09/awards/150B_a.html