Building Learning Communities for Mathematics and Science Literacy

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Detroit Area Pre College Engineering Program (DAPCEP) - Saturday enrichment classes were held for 5,211 students in mathematics, science and engineering. Summer programs for 1,044 students were conducted at area colleges including University of Michigan at Dearborn, University of Detroit Mercy, Oakland University, Lawrence Technological Institute, University of Michigan and Wayne County Community College. The in-school program served 1,814 students in middle and high schools.

Academic Games - DPS students received top honors in the Michigan League of Academic Games Super Tournament held in Southfield on March 12-21, 2001. Over 1,280 students in grades 3-12 from eighty schools won twenty-two (22) state championships and sixty-nine (69) divisional championships. Many students received individual awards at the elementary, middle, junior and high school levels. A contingent of one hundred thirty (130) students from sixteen (16) schools and accompanied by twenty-one (21) teachers/coaches, participated in the National Academic Games Olympics (NAGO) in Eatonton, Georgia during April 23-26, 2001. Awards included forty-six (46) team championships and fifty-two (52) individual championships. Over 3,400 students in grades K-12 participated in academic games at their local DPS schools.

WSU Math CORPS Summer Camp - This program enabled 122 middle and high school students to participate in the Wayne State University Math CORPS Summer Program. Sixteen WSU students in the Emerging Scholars program also participated. College and high school students mentor and provide support to DPS students during the morning mathematics classes. In the afternoon the high school students take advanced mathematics courses.

Future City - Seventh and eight-grade students use SimCity 2000TM software to create a computer blueprint for a city of the future. Teams build a 3-D model to scale of one section of their city illustrating futuristic ideas and components. Students write a 100-200 word abstract describing their city and some of its services and a 300-500 word essay about how their city provides a communications system. Teams are judged on their oral presentation of the city, computer design and map, model, essay, and abstract. The five members, all girl team for Vetal Elementary School won "Best Residential Zone Award".

Science Olympiad - One hundred-twenty (120) students participated in an Olympics of scientific tasks that qualified students for state competitions.

Wayne RESA Network Program - A summer program experience was provided for eighty (80) students through the Wayne RESA Mathematics and Science Network program. The program provides computer-based instruction in science and mathematics as it applies to ecology. This year's focus included environmental water quality and building bat houses. The program is offered at nine sites in Wayne County including DPS's Beaubien and Farwell Middle Schools.

Rouge River as a Science Lab - A cadre of 140 students from Whitney Young, Hally, Barbour, Bates Academy and Drew Middle Schools and Chadsey, Crockett Technical and Denby High Schools participated in this program. Students conducted a variety of water quality tests on the Rouge River.

Science In The City - Two thousand (2,000) students in grades six through eight from seventeen schools participated in the exploration of three specific areas: Atmosphere and Weather, Geosphere and Hydrosphere. Twenty professional development activities, including a teleconference, provided more than sixty teachers in-depth training in the three targeted areas. A video of the teleconference and a CD-ROM containing twenty-five (25) lessons written by the participating teachers, and a newsletter were produced.

Science Connection - This school-year program is designed to increase participation and achievement of 7th grade students in earth, life, and physical science by providing innovative and enriching activities that connect content with real world applications. During the 2000-2001 school year, 5,355 students from eleven (11) middle schools participated. Three (3) resource sites were involved.

Michigan State University Summer Mathematics and Science Program for Michigan Minority Youth - An intensive six-week science, mathematics, computer science and communications program was conducted for forty-one (41) students in grades 8 through 10. Students were enrolled in three (3) classes per day and participated in related on-campus weekend activities. Field trips, lecture/discussion series and recreational events were integral to the program plan.

Summer Research Apprenticeship Program - These competitive summer apprenticeship programs provide opportunities for high school students to conduct laboratory research under the tutelage of a professor or research scientist for nine weeks. Students receive a wage for their work and gather the materials to use for science fair and symposium competitions.

• Ten (10) students completed the DAPCEP sponsored Minority High School Science Education Program at Wayne State University School of Medicine. The students presented research findings in symposium presentations.
  
  
• Ten (10) students completed the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute Research Apprentice Program and presented research findings.
  
  
• Fourteen (14) students completed the Wayne State University Research Apprentice Program and presented research findings.
  
  
• Twenty (20) students completed the OHEP Scholars Program which is a collaborative program between Oakland County Hospitals, the Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University Medical School and Detroit Public Schools.
  
  

Space Camp - This program provided an opportunity for twelve (12) 6th and 7th grade students to participate in a weeklong space program. The program is a collaborative effort between the school district, Wayne County RESA and the Loctite Corporation. Students spend a week experiencing the basics of astronaut training at Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florids.

Project SEED - Project SEED provided Socratic, group-discovery instruction in advanced mathematics to 2,912 students for a total of 5,293 instructional hours. Each class met for 45 minutes per day, four days per week, for a minimum of fourteen weeks. With the addition of short-term classes and summer school classes, the total number of classes taught was over 100. As part of the year's scheduled "Family Weeks," more than 225 parents observed, and participated in Project SEED classes. Project SEED also delivered presentations to parent groups at five different Project SEED schools with a total of over 250 parents participating.

CityCamp2001 - Nearly 900 first and second graders, who had already failed once and were in jeopardy of a second grade failure, spent one wek out of their six-week summer school in one of 12 camps on Detroit's island park. The triple themes of science, nature and Belle Isle guided the highly structured activities. Children, for example, dissected a fish, read books about fish, made up a chant about fish as they "swam" to the aquarium and took notes about the live fish just as practicing scientists do.

MEAP/MAT Results - In 2000-2001, student performance results showed declines in performance after a steadily improving rate of achievement as measured by the state required criterion - reference test, the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) and the district required norm - referenced test, the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT)'s in both mathematics and science at all grade levels.

Accelerated Program - Accelerated programs for students in the Detroit Public Schools are offered at Cass Technical High School, Detroit High School of the Fine and Performing Arts, Martin Luther King High School, and Renaissance High School. All comprehensive high schools offered a variety of courses for mathematics and science. Students normally took two mathematics and science courses at a time, and many courses continued across two semesters. The decrease in the 4-year dropout rate is another indicator of program impact.

• Cass Technical High School offered the following courses to accelerated students: Biology; Chemistry; Microbiology; Organic Chemistry; Physiology and Anatomy; Pre-College Engineering; Physics; Qualitative Analysis; Quantitative Analysis; Research and Development; and Scientific Research in the sciences. In mathematics, Algebra; Geometry; Pre-Calculus and Calculus were offered. Academic Games were also offered to grades 9, 11 and 12.
  
  
• Southwestern High School offered the following courses to accelerated students: Accelerated Chemistry, Qualitative Analysis, Quantitative Analysis, Biology AP, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus AP.
  
  

• Martin Luther King HS offered the following science courses to accelerated students: Biology; Physics; Chemistry; Microbiology; Physiology and Anatomy; Pre-College Engineering; Physics; and Qualitative Analysis. In the mathematics curriculum, Algebra; Geometry; Pre-Calculus; Calculus; Probability and Statistics; and Discrete Mathematics are offered. Academic Games were offered to grades 9 and 11.

• Renaissance High School offered the following courses to accelerated students: Biology; Physiology and Anatomy; and Advanced Chemistry in the sciences, and Algebra, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus in mathematics. Academic Games were offered to all grade levels.
  

Advanced Placement - Other neighborhood high schools offer advanced placement courses in addition to the examination high schools. These include: Cody High School, Calculus; Detroit High School for the Arts, Physics; Kettering High School, Biology; Northwestern High School, Calculus; Redford High School, Calculus and Physics.

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