COE
to study
mathematics programs
Hewlett-Packard
awards grant, partnership
The
Hewlett-Packard Company recently named the College of Education
(COE) its partner in a new $1.3 million nationwide grant program
designed to reward and study secondary schools in low-income
areas that excel in the teaching of mathematics.
Bess Stephens,
global director of Hewlett-Packards Philanthropy and Education
division, awarded the COEs portion of the High-Achieving
Schools grant, $375,000, at a recent event held at Bernalillo
High School.
The celebration
was held in honor of the companys more than $1.8 million
in contributions to six New Mexico educational institutions
during the past twelve months. Of this total, more than $700,000
was awarded to UNM, $550,000 to the College of Education and
$155,000 to the School of Engineering.
The principal
investigators for the new COE grant are Viola E. Florez, dean,
and Richard Kitchen, associate professor in department of Educational
Specialties.
Were
delighted with the news of this important research project,
which holds great potential for assisting teachers across the
country with improving mathematics education, Florez said.
UNM is
also one of three recipients of the $180,000 Hewlett-Packard
Engineering and Computer Science Retention Grant, newly created
in 2002. The grant includes equipment and funding to support
professors in the UNM Colleges of Engineering and Education
who will create a link between a computer-programming course
and introductory physics.
Both grant
packages include a Hewlett-Packard Wireless Mobile Classroom,
which will be used for a seminar course, study sessions and
academic excellence workshops with minority students. The unit
includes 30 HP Omnibook notebook PCs, a digital camera, Officejet
all-in-one printer/copies/scanner/fax, MobiLAN One wireless
motorized cart from Wireless Information Networks and Mindsurf
Discourse instructional software.
The grant
process is highly selective and UNMs success is a credit
to the strength of its programs, Stephens said, noting that
the Hewlett-Packard/COE partnership is a rare honor. Typically,
this type of award goes to an engineering school, she
said during the ceremony attended by Gov. Gary Johnson and state
leaders.
With the
High Achieving Schools grant, Kitchen and colleagues Sylvia
Celedon-Pattichis, Jonathan Brinkerhoff and Julie DePree will
identify seven high achieving, but economically challenged schools
nationwide for grant funding. The researchers will work with
the schools to integrate the Wireless Mobile Classroom into
teaching, especially in mathematics, study the results, and
form a new network to share best practices.
The High
Achieving Schools grant to the COE is the largest in the history
of the UNM-Hewlett Packard relationship.
Secondary
schools that qualify for the High Achieving Grant project may
get information and apply at http://webcenter.hp.com/grants/achieve.