A List
5/6/02

ST. LAWRENCE RECEIVES GRANT TO ENCOURAGE SCIENCE TEACHING

CANTON - St. Lawrence University has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the 
Teaching Scholars Partners program, coordinated by the Independent 
Colleges Office in Washington, D.C. The aims of the program are to 
encourage promising mathematics and science students to pursue careers 
in teaching at the K-12 level, and to enhance the learning experiences 
of elementary and secondary students as they study mathematics and 
science. The St. Lawrence students are working with area public school 
teachers in the Heuvelton, Potsdam and Canton school systems, bringing 
new inquiry-based pedagogies in the classrooms.
	St. Lawrence is contributing over $50,000 of its own funds to 
the project, which is coordinated on campus by Assistant Professor of 
Education Esther R. Oey.
	The Independent Colleges Office (the Washington, D.C.-based 
representative of a group of select liberal arts colleges across the 
nation) has joined with the American Association of Community Colleges 
and the Council for Independent Colleges in this pilot project. In 
addition to developing interest in K-12 mathematics and science teaching 
careers among undergraduate students, the project also seeks to focus 
greater national attention on the critical need for collaborative 
partnerships to ensure the vitality of local schools.
	At St. Lawrence, the program gives science and mathematics majors 
personal experience teaching in K-12 classrooms; provides classroom 
assistance and active-learning content support (i.e., curricular 
materials) for math and science teachers in area schools; and facilitates 
the communication and exchange of ideas between local K-12 math and 
science teachers and their counterparts at St. Lawrence, to support 
the professional development of both.
	M. Patricia Morse, project director for the ICO's Teaching 
Scholars Partners program, stated, "St. Lawrence University has an 
established track record with an impressive number of undergraduates 
that go on into teaching. We hope this program will enhance the attraction 
of the best and brightest students majoring in the sciences and 
mathematics to pursue teaching as a career."
	St. Lawrence University President Daniel F. Sullivan commented, 
"I am grateful to the Independent Colleges Office for this grant, which 
will enable us to build upon our growing and demonstrated interest 
among students and faculty to build more bridges with our area school 
districts. I believe that not only will the University benefit from 
participating in this exciting project, but also that we will make 
significant contributions to the broader national goal of increasing the 
number of mathematics and science students choosing teaching as a 
career."
	The project is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, 
Directorate for Education and Human Resources-Division of Undergraduate 
Education, which was awarded to the American Association of Community 
Colleges, the Council for Independent Colleges and the Independent 
Colleges Office.

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