Bold Ventures Volume 1

This book, based on detailed studies of eight innovations in mathematics and science education, has many insights to offer on current school reform. Since each innovation studied has taken its own unique approach, the set as a whole spans the spectrum from curriculum development to systemic reform, from con­ centrating on particular school populations to addressing all of K-12 education. Yet these reform projects share a common context, a world view on what mat­ ters in science and mathematics for students of the 1990s and beyond, convic­ tions about what constitutes effective instruction, and some notions about how school change can be brought about. These commonalities are drawn out in the book and illustrated with examples from the individual case studies that are reported in full in Bold Ventures, Volumes 2 and 3. The eight innovations-all of them projects that are well-known, at least by name, to U. S. audiences-are briefly described in chapter 1. Each was the sub­ ject of an in-depth, three-year case study. The research teams analyzed many documents, attended numerous project meetings, visited multiple sites, conduct­ ed dozens of individual interviews. The team leaders, having spent much time with mathematics or science education over long careers, looked at these reform projects through several lenses; the teams sifted through the mountains of data they had collected in order to tell the story of each project in rich detail.

1. Study Background.- The International Project.- The U. S. Studies.- Methodology.- The Research Questions.- The Case Study Research Cycle.- Two Examples of Research Methodology.- Summary Comments on Methodology.- 2. The General Context for Reform.- Why Reform?.- National Policy.- Scientists and Educators.- Strategies for Reform.- Standards.- Systemic Approaches.- Assessment in the Service of Reform.- Roles and Actors.- The Role of States.- The Role of Associations.- The Roles of Private Foundations, Business, and Industry.- The Role of Technology.- Dissemination and Definitions of Success.- Dissemination Strategies.- Criteria for Successful Dissemination and Implementation.- Micro Forces Shaping Individual Projects.- The Role of Teachers.- The Role of Leaders.- Funding Sources.- Problem Formulation.- Project Organization.- 3. The Changing Conceptions of Science, Mathematics, and Instruction.- Changes in the Fields of Science and Mathematics.- Changes in School Science and Mathematics.- An Applications Orientation.- An Integrated Curriculum.- Sources of School Science and Mathematics.- Operationalizing the Views of Science.- Integration: Making Meaningful Connections.- Forward to the Basics.- Applications of Science.- The Processes of Science.- ChemCom: A Special Case.- Operationalizing the Views of Mathematics.- Applications.- Technology.- Mathematical Processes.- Changing Conceptions of Teaching and Learning.- A Socially Relevant Pedagogy.- A Scientifically Authentic Pedagogy.- A Learner-Centered Pedagogy.- Who Owns School Science and Mathematics in the 1990s?.- 4. The Changing Roles of Teachers.- Traditional Roles of Teachers.- Teacher Isolation.- Teacher Status.- Historical Significance of Teachers’ Changing Roles.- The Diverse Teaching Force.- Resisting Forces.- New Roles for Teachers.- Teachers’ Changing Positions Within Innovations.- Teachers as Designers of Change.- Teachers as Objects of Change.- Teachers’ Changing Role in the Classroom.- Teachers’ Changing Role as Colleagues.- Conclusion.- 5. The Changing Conceptions of Reform.- Lessons From Research and Experience.- Models of Educational Change.- Lessons From the 1960s.- Systemic Reform.- California’s Example.- Project 2061.- The Power of Metaphors.- Standards as Goals for Reform.- Why Nationally Developed Standards?.- What Are Standards?.- Roles of Standards Documents.- Partnerships and Collaboration.- Dissemination Strategies.- The NCTM Standards.- Materials Development Projects.- Developer-Publisher Relationships.- Technology Issues.- 6. Underplayed Issues.- Assessment of Student Achievement.- What Kind of Assessment?.- Assessment in the Innovations.- Assessment Approaches in Other Countries— Testing to Help Learning.- Evaluation of the Innovation Itself.- Program Evaluation in the Curriculum Development Projects.- Program Evaluation in the Comprehensive Projects.- Program Evaluation as Part of a Rational Change Strategy.- Issues of Equity and Diversity.- The Curriculum Development Projects.- The Comprehensive Projects.- Equity Issues and Science Education Reform.- Some Examples From Other Countries.- Summary.- 7. Assessing the Implementation of Innovations in Mathematics and Science Education.- The Macro and Micro Innovations.- Tracing Enactments: First Steps.- Comprehensive Projects: The Audacity of Reform.- Curriculum Materials Projects: An Apparent Loss of Audacity.- Reforming in Time Warps.- Adoption of the Innovations.- Strategies and Vehicles: The Comprehensive Projects.- The Adoption Process at Local Levels.- Leadership.- Teacher Background in Mathematics and Science.- The Role of Teachers’ Beliefs.- The Burden of Change.- Changes in Teacher Capacity.- Enactments: A Closer Look.- Mimi Enactments.- The Kids Network.- The Precalculus Project.- The UMC Project.- Assistance.- Student Perceptions.- Stabilization and Continuation.- Concluding Comments.- Coda: New Paths for Bold Ventures.- A Sobering Heritage of Reform.- Studying Bold Ventures in Real Time.- New Roles and Strategic Alliances.- Systems and Particle Clouds.- How Much Reform, Anyway?.- The Future of the Present.- References.