Columbus Urban Systemic Program (CUSP)

Columbus Public Schools, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

COLUMBUS URBAN SYSTEMIC PROGRAM The Columbus Public Schools (CPS) serving 64,339 students, in 144 schools, of which 62% are minority, 57% are poor, and 3% are Limited-English-Proficient, through the Columbus Urban Systemic Program (CUSP), proposes to build upon the results realized under the Columbus Urban Systemic Initiative (USI). During the USI, CPS developed a building-based, professional-development delivery infrastructure promoting standards-based curriculum, instruction, and assessment strategies in support of all students attaining high levels of academic achievement in mathematics and science. Through the CUSP, the District states commitments to achieving the four driving goals of the USP Solicitation, NSF 01-15, related to improved student achievement, enhanced implementation of standards-based-inquiry-centered science and mathematics, increased competency and diversity of the instructional workforce, and intensified substantive collaborations with institutions of higher education towards improved teacher education. The USP implementation process embraces three major components and attendant enabling strategies. Therein, the CUSP will: - Focus Efforts and Resources Identify and target schools that have not fully implemented the standards-based curriculum for on-site professional development, monitoring of instruction, and increased parent involvement at those sites; -Fund long-term professional development with interim follow-up, reflecting the success of past models and current technology standards; -Focus on reaching full implementation of the standards-based curriculum in the District's lowest-implementation schools each year; Sustain support for students through summer bridge activities, internships and summer camps in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology; and -Advocate and ensure that resources and facilities are sufficient to support the standards-based learning environment. -Nurture Building-Level Leadership Support existing K-12 instructional leadership teams and other in-service participants through on-going professional development and follow-up consistent with the National Staff Development Council standards; -Assure that Instructional Leadership Teams (ILT) provide professional development to their staffs, serve as resources for other teachers, and coordinate school-wide mathematics and science events; -Provide training for district-level curriculum specialists and Peer Assistance Review (PAR) consultants to ensure cohesive delivery of instruction; -Coordinate in-depth training in the principal walk-through process; -Expand incentives for the district's Performance Advancement System by encouraging university collaboration, action research, and dissemination of research related to improved student achievement in mathematics and science. -Collaborate with Universities to Improve Teacher Education Continue strengthening university alliances to impact the effectiveness of pre-service education, the diversity of the CPS workforce, the technological skill of CPS graduates, and classroom research on teaching and learning; -Support CPS classified personnel in the pursuit of degrees in mathematics and science education; -Provide a forum for cooperating and pre-service teachers in area universities to apply their knowledge of K-12 mathematics and science standards and technology utility; and -Contribute as a consequential partner in university initiatives, i.e., The Ohio State University Teacher Quality Institute, Project Discovery, the P-12 Initiative of the Ohio State University, and the Urban Academy, designed to increase student achievement by improving the quality of mathematics and science teacher education.