Study Abstract

SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN RURAL AMERICA: EVALUATIVE STUDY OF NSF'S RURAL SYSTEMIC INITIATIVES

In 1994, the Rural Systemic Initiative (RSI) program was initiated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve K-12 science, mathematics, and technology (SMT) education in rural, economically disadvantaged regions of the United States. The overarching goal of the RSI is to significantly improve SMT education by implementing system-wide reform focusing on student achievement and a sustainable educational infrastructure. NSF is now seeking a broad and systematic study of its RSI program both to evaluate the overall impact of the program on student achievement, and to examine relationships among the education reform process drivers and outcome drivers.

Systemic Research, Inc. has received a grant (REC-0129898) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct a 24-month evaluative study from November 2001 to October 2003. During the initial phase, we will conduct comprehensive secondary data collection from various sources, including past Core Data Elements (CDE) reports, Annual Reports submitted to NSF, other key indicators obtainable from RSI web sites and relevant rural project reports. Systemic Research will develop a Rural Key Indicator Database (RKID) to organize both the quantitative and qualitative longitudinal achievement databases over the project period of each individual RSI site. The study team will conduct two site visits each year to confirm reform implementation and to write relevant case stories based on observation. Based on completed RKID, we will analyze both quantitative and qualitative data to explore an inferential causal model. Study results will be disseminated in three publications: a two volume Rural Key Indicators of Science and Mathematics Education (Volume I for individual RSI progress, and Volume II for overall RSI progress); a rural education report in booklet format; and a RSI Evaluative Study Report including case stories of the four sites that were visited. All publications will be available in three different formats- printed copy, CD-ROM, and web-based publications.

The principal investigator for this proposal is Jason J. Kim, Ph.D., President of Systemic Research. Inc. Mr. John Haas, Oglala Lakota College, SD, will join as a Co-PI to provide his expertise and experience in addition to his cultural perspective as a Native American.