The
program has been developed and is implemented by Rensselaer's "Center for
Initiatives in Pre-College Education", and the degree is granted by the School
of Science in collaboration with the Departments of Mathematics, Biology,
Chemistry, Physics, and Electrical Engineering.
In
the 1960s and 70s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with support from the
National Science Foundation, offered its MS In Natural Sciences program to K-12
teachers. This program was ongoing for about nineteen years and was discontinued
when NSF severely reduced funding for K-12 initiatives. It appealed to teachers
at all grade levels, though mostly secondary school, and offered courses that
were already part of Rensselaer's regular mathematics and science offerings. In
the late 1980s, as we became more and more involved in pre-college outreach, it
was clear that a university like Rensselaer had a unique contribution to make to
our K-12 colleagues. Not only does it have a world class reputation as a
research institution with a focus on mathematics, science and engineering, but
it had begun to establish a reputation of being in the forefront of integrating
technologies into its educational programs. At about the same time we also began
to think about
establishing a Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education, which it did in
1995, and which was to have as one of its missions the development of graduate
programs for K-12 teachers. At that point we decided to update the previously
offered MS in Natural Sciences program to one that more reflected Renssealer's
current expertise and reputation in interactive, inquiry pedagogy, and its use
of cutting edge technologies.
Students in the program are secondary school teachers of mathematics and/or
science, with occasionally some elementary school teachers with strong
mathematics or science background. Students have come from over
twenty five states and several foreign countries. The program graduated its
first class in the summer of 1997, and has now reached a steady state in that we
anticipate between 27 and 30 students entering each summer. Our graduates
generally return to their school districts to teach, although some, being
discouraged by the lack of support given to them by their supervisors in
integrating computer technology into their curriculum, have changed jobs.
The
program takes place on the campus of Renssealer Polytechnic Institute in upstate
New York, and Teachers spend six weeks at Rensselaer during each of three
successive summers, earning ten credits each summer. All teachers, independent
of discipline, study together in six core courses out of the nine required for
graduation. In this manner
we provide an environment for interdisciplinary work to take place in a natural,
collaborative way, and require some of the final course projects to be
interdisciplinary in nature. Several of these core courses emphasize the nature
and processes of mathematics and science. Finally, the use of modern
instructional technologies, including computer software, web access & design,
and interactive multi-media curriculum design, is a theme in all three summers
and in a curriculum evelopment project. Each teacher is asked to apply these
techniques to their classroom experiences
Rensselaer has reduced its base tuition for this program to a level
substantially below its usual graduate credit cost. Over and above this
Renssealer support, there are several additional fellowships available,
provided by corporate and private sources, to qualified applicants.
