Chapter 2. Mutual Goals

Mutual Goals

Goal 1: Guide student development

Student achievement was the partners’ first area of focus and we worked together to motivate students to achieve, provide teacher support toward achievement, and identify and implement systems to empower achievement. This goal was expected to change and adapt over time, but initial strategies for implementation were:

Strategy 1 – Motivate Secondary Students
Work together to motivate each student, especially those who need extra help focusing on academic goals, to aid them in discovering their own potential.

Help each student view himself or herself as part of the greater scheme of the continuum of education, and demonstrate potential models for each student’s future.

Strategy 2 – Mentor Secondary Students
Facilitate interaction among graduate and undergraduate students and secondary school students in mentoring relationships. UM graduate fellows and undergraduate students work directly with secondary students to help them see the value of education and to set specific goals.

UM CoE Teaching Fellows provide introductions to career paths in science and engineering (e.g., academia, industry, government), and expose secondary students to a college/research environment.

Strategy 3 – Provide Classroom Assistance
We created a model structure that places UM CoE graduate students as Teaching Fellows in teachers’ classrooms. Fellows augment teachers’ lesson plans with real-world examples based on concepts taught, and help teachers create classroom activities based on their own research. These activities provide curricular enhancement appropriate to each classroom setting. Program-sponsored campus / laboratory visits feature cutting-edge research to show how engineering and science are relevant to everyday life.

YCS committed to helping the school and surrounding community embrace the idea that all children will be prepared to attend college. With that concept driving the preparation of every K-8 student, a conceptual understanding of the high school experience and beyond began to emerge among students and parents.

The goal was that every student who entered YCS will understand possible career paths following high school graduation from teachers and other professionals at YCS who promote a variety of career options. For example, YCS participated in the web-based academic and career planning system (Education Development Plan or EDP). The Partnership benefits from access to student data, which was used to recruit students to take advantage of summer programs, campus visits, and other opportunities. EDPs were part of a larger, more comprehensive academic and career planning process that all 7th-12th graders must complete and review/revise annually to reflect their experiences and education. Students focused on the following areas as they developed their EDP:

• 
Careers/School of Interest 
Four-Year Education Plan (Courses taken yearly/credits received) 

• Career Pathways 

• Career and Life Goals 
• 
Career Planning Activities 

• Post-Secondary Plans 
Activities and Abilities 
• 
Extracurricular Activities 
Skills and Abilities 

• Awards and Certificates 

• Work Experience 

• Volunteer Experiences 


Using the "Career Cruising" website, students were able to complete a self-inventory and to research post-secondary institutions and their admissions requirements including ACT scores, tuition, and various community colleges and universities that could serve their career needs. They were also able to take a virtual tour of the colleges they were considering attending.

UM CoE Fellows were available to students to discuss future career plans. This work has traditionally been accomplished by counselors, and was continued to be done by counselors, while engagement by the Fellows and tutors enhanced the high school experience.

YCS planned to continue to evolve a system of steps that coordinate curriculum and instruction to help prepare students for coursework leading to specific career choices. For example, YCS created a graphical depiction, the Learning Continuum, of the college preparation process.

Detail: Motivating students
The correlation between motivation and student achievement is clear. UM CoE students worked with students to build on the drive for success – not the fear of failure. Through interactions and personal stories, UM CoE students help YCS students to set reasonable and attainable goals while helping students to overcome weaknesses. This included time management and visioning exercises for future success. Key factors addressed were providing secondary students with feedback on their knowledge gain, with support to make activities engaging, with someone who could conceptualize and work on long-term projects, and provide insight on motivation and how those dynamics affect them.

Detail: Coaching / mentoring programs
For the first year, the partners agreed the highest priority was to establish a coaching / mentoring program for secondary school students at YCS. To minimize duplication of effort, we worked in partnership with UM CoE undergraduate and UM National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Chapter representatives. NSBE runs a volunteer program that sends undergraduate student tutors to YCS on a weekly basis, and conducts lab and campus visits throughout the school year. UM CoE / NSBE Chapter collaboration plans called for building a long-term relationship with YCS that mirrors much of what was currently done on a smaller scale by the NSBE chapter members. Partners planned to pursue a coordinated effort that would help both groups monitor successes and challenges.

Detail: CoE students as teaching fellows
The partners paired engineering graduate students (Teaching Fellows) with teachers. The volunteers contributed time, knowledge, and energy to the classroom to increase student understanding, appreciation, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each teacher was paired with one Fellow, who agreed to assist in the teacher’s classroom each week for at least six to ten hours per week (usually included at least two, two-hour periods, along with an additional hour of preparation time outside the classroom). Each team determined the exact role that the Fellow would have in the classroom. Fellows assisted with labs, group work, and class discussions, as well as developed projects, labs, lectures, and demonstrations. Fellows also presented their own research, set up and led tours of their own and other UM CoE labs, and served as local science fair judges.

Goal 2: Foster a community of educators, beginning with parents

The conceptual understanding of bringing in the larger community, especially the parents, to help each student to learn and see themselves as successful college students was at the heart of this goal. Communication about school and learning were considered paramount to helping students gain a greater conceptualization of their future. To reach the goal, we sought to:

1. Increase parents’ interest in students’ learning and the importance of science and engineering education to their children’s future
2. Encourage everyone to invest in every student’s advancement
3. Involve all members of the community as educators
4. Facilitate communication between university engineers and scientists and the community via News Media, Informational videos, The Internet, and Venues of informal education (libraries, museums, science centers, etc.)

Strategy 1 – Parent Involvement Program
We realized that a key opportunity is to engage parents in the education of their children. UM CoE utilized its resources for communication and influence to ask parents to attend meetings, and work with UM CoE students and others. Special efforts were made to engage parents who were not normally involved with their child’s education.

Strategy 2 – Parent Learning Community (PLC)
Learning is a life-long process. CoE and YCS, with a parent focus group, launched a joint venture based on the Professional Learning Communities format. This included but was not limited to programs, projects, technology, and student motivation.

We helped the YCS community envision the future. The PLC provided opportunities for parents and the community to work with career counselors and visionary speakers from UM CoE and others as appropriate.

Detail: Parent Learning Community
The YPSD strategic planning committee continuously sought ways to work with parents to communicate why it is possible for their children successfully complete high school and attend college. The committee envisioned a variety of programs for parents who receive encouragement, tools and learn new skills to support their students in the home environment. This included: supervision, homework help, communication about school, parenting expectations, parenting style and behavior management. In the fall term 2007, partners met with a focus group of parents to determine the feasibility of such a program.

Goal 3: Promote teacher professional development and inquiry-based learning

Research shows that individual teachers in the classroom have more impact on student learning than any other factor. Three key factors to enhance learning for teachers are: 1) Content Knowledge and Curricular Design; 2) Instructional Strategies; and 3) Classroom Management.

Strategy 1 – Provide professional development for YPSD teachers

Strategy 2 – Provide opportunities for UM CoE gradate students to learn about teaching

Strategy 3 – Work together in a “case study” format focused on student learning preparation for engineering

Strategy 4 – Faculty affiliate program and teacher research experiences
A peer-to-peer program for developing depth and scope for science and mathematics

Strategy 5 – New learning opportunities and classroom experiences
A program of instruction about engineering to add to knowledge of applications of science and mathematics

UM CoE relied on the expertise of YCS professionals to work on instruction and classroom management. UM CoE and School of Education (SoE) worked with YCS on development of greater content knowledge, especially in mathematics and science, as well as support for curriculum mapping for all YHS courses.

Detail: Professional development for YPSD teachers
YCS staff worked with UM CoE faculty on content knowledge and applications. UM CoE identified  research groups who had financial resources and the capacity to host teachers in their labs during the summers. For example, the NSF-funded Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program supports the active involvement of K-12 teachers and community college faculty in engineering research in order to bring knowledge of engineering and technological innovation into their classrooms. There are two mechanisms for support of in-service and pre-service K-12 teachers and/or community college faculty research: RET Supplements and RET Sites. RET Supplements may be included in proposals for new or renewal NSF Directorate for Engineering (ENG) grants or as supplements to ongoing NSF/ENG funded projects. RET Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct research participation projects for a number of K-12 teachers and/or community college faculty.

Detail: CoE grad student learning
YCS leaders worked with UM CoE graduate students on research-based education strategies, focusing on concepts and ideas that work well for classroom teachers. Some Teaching Fellows participate in Professional Learning Community work and discussions in their own group, as well as groups from YCS and the middle schools. This activity provided graduate students with confidence for working with classroom teachers, and increases empathy in the context of challenges in a time when education is increasingly politicized.

To help support this effort, UM CoE sought funding from a variety of sources, including the Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) Program. Managed by NSF's Division of Graduate Education (DGE), GK-12 provides funding to graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to acquire additional skills that will broadly prepare them for professional and scientific careers in the 21st century. Although the program resides in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), GK-12 is an NSF-wide activity supported by EHR as well as the Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Engineering (ENG), Geosciences (GEO), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), Social Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and the Office of Polar Programs (OPP). 

NSF developed the GK-12 program recognizing that, in addition to being competent researchers, STEM graduate students must be able to communicate science and research to a variety of audiences. As the graduate students bring their cutting-edge research and practice into the K-12 classroom, they gain these skills, which enable them to explain science to people of all ages, ranging from students to teachers. The graduate students also inspire transformation in the K-12 formal and informal learning environments and stimulate interest in science and engineering among students and teachers. NSF understands that STEM graduate students can contribute to the national effort to advance scientific knowledge through partnerships with K-12 communities.
 Through the GK-12 program, institutions of higher education have had an opportunity to make a significant change in STEM graduate and K-12 education programs by creating strong and enduring partnerships.

Detail: Build a case study format for teaching and learning
UM CoE took an inquiry-based approach when working with teachers to:

• Encourage both teachers and students to ask questions and participate actively in the learning process
• Adhere to either statewide or national standards, but surpass minimum requirements
• Include educators and students in the process
• Show students how to interpret data, not just collect it
• Encourage exploration and mind-expanding ideas

Detail: Faculty affiliates program and teacher research experiences
YCS / UM CoE partners launched a Faculty Affiliates program that offered teachers a range of opportunities to enhance and enrich the teaching experience. Programs planned included peer mentoring programs, industry partnership / internship opportunities to address relevance, professional development opportunities, campus and lab visits, and development of summer science opportunities such as NSF’s Research Experience for Teachers.

Detail: New learning opportunities and classroom experiences
YCS / UM CoE partners provided opportunities for teachers to visit college laboratories and attend events hosted by UM CoE professors and graduate students who presented the scope of work available in STEM fields. Partners emphasized concepts of how science and math are used in the workforce. Teachers with experiential knowledge and understanding of application brought a greater wealth of contextual knowledge to the classroom.

Goal 4: Provide hands-on science opportunities

Activities to support this goal included fostering self-motivated learning by mentoring and motivating students to conduct independent research, seek advice from others, and ask questions. Participating teachers and Fellows taught the engineering-based analytical approach to solving problems, and engaged students in science and engineering research processes. Students have the opportunity to conduct fieldwork to highlight current research and provide background information in the classroom. Students transferred what they learned on field trips to the classroom environment and participated in follow-up activities. Teachers and TFs also publicized local programs that support science and engineering.

Strategy 1 – involvement in clubs and other programs
UM Students have many opportunities to participate in co-curricular activities such as student organizations that foster a sense of community and provide opportunities for students to take initiative for their own learning and development.

We provided opportunities for UM students to interact with YCS teachers and students. For example, we envisioned participants working with YCS in the hands-on engineering project activities such as Concrete Canoe, 
Field Emission, Get Away Special Investigation
, Formula Car, 
Future Car
, Human-Powered Helicopter, 
Human-Powered Submarine, 
Michigan Mars Rover
, Mini-Baja
, Solar Car, 
and Steel Bridge.

Detail: Involvement in clubs and other programs
Partners envisioned enrichment opportunities provided to YCS students through the programs described above. Students were made aware of opportunities such as the Summer Engineering Academy, which engaged students between 8th and 12th grades in hands-on learning at the UM CoE campus. A survey was conducted and the programs were brought to the attention of the YCS educators, parents and students. We also explored development of after school programs to enhance hands-on, exhibit-based learning experiences. An example of a program with these elements is a team that meets after school to compete in the First Lego League challenge. Ideally, these teams would be led by a combination of educators from YCS and faculty, staff or students from UM CoE.