The Florida PROMiSE website: http://flpromise.org
The Florida Partnership to Rejuvenate & Optimize Mathematics and Science Education (PROMiSE) has been competitively awarded a grant by the Florida Department of Education to provide professional development for K-12 teachers of mathematics and science in Florida through 2010. This new 3-year initiative is being supported with federal funding from the Math and Science Partnership program at the U.S. Department of Education. The partnership is expected to receive $8 million per year for each of the next 3 years.
Florida PROMiSE partners include the University of South Florida (primary contractor), University of Florida, and Florida State University (FCR-STEM); Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, and Seminole school districts; and the Heartland, North East Florida, and Panhandle Area Educational Consortia. Westat (external evaluator) and Horizon Research, Inc. will serve as national consultants.
The goals of the PROMiSE are:
• To make teachers, principals, and other stakeholders aware of the new mathematics and science standards
• Give teachers knowledge, teaching strategies, and resources to implement the standards
• Prepare school administrators to support the implementation of the new mathematics and science standards
• Reduce fragmentation and variability in Florida’s professional development system
• Increase the alignment of university teacher education programs with the new mathematics and science standards
The goals of Florida PROMiSE will be implemented through (1) dissemination of information to teachers, administrators, district-level personnel, professional development providers, publishers, parents, and the general community; (2) provision of professional development, technical assistance, and tools to Florida’s teachers; and (3) preparation of stakeholders to support standards-based instruction.
Goal attainment will be based on a 3-tiered approach.
1. Building understanding of the mathematics and science standards
2. Building capacity to implement and support the standards
3. Building capacity for continued renewal through university-based teacher education programs
FCR-STEM's primary role (about $1.8M total in Year 1) will be to participate in the design of professional development, develop a curriculum planning tool to support implementation of the new math and science standards, and deliver professional development to principals on how to support implementation of the new standards at their respective schools.