AAAS
DC ACTS Readies Teachers for Back to School

In 2002, Guy Brandenburg's class at Alice Deal Junior High School had a mathematics lesson on the Washington, DC, Mall. Amidst the tourists and downtown workers, Brandenburg introduced the students to the geometric patterns known as tessellations on Pennsylvania Avenue's sidewalks and to the astronomical observations of the free African-American farmer, Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806).

Brandenburg's inspiration grew from his experiences with DC ACTS, a program to improve science and mathematics education in Washington, DC, public schools. As the 2003 school year begins, more than 80 math and science teachers in the District's public schools are prepared to teach with new lessons inspired by DC ACTS.

Launched in 1999, DC ACTS is designed to raise the caliber of mathematics, science and technology education, leading to increased student participation and achievement. The program is a partnership between the Washington, DC, public school system, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and AAAS.

Funded by a National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement, the Carnegie Institution's Carnegie Academy for Science Education has focused its efforts on working with teachers from 15 elementary schools, while AAAS works with four middle and junior high schools and two senior high schools on a year-round basis. DC ACTS also held summer courses for teachers during 2002 and 2003.

According to Florence Fasanelli, associate mathematics program director of DC ACTS in AAAS's Directorate for Education and Human Resources, the courses were very popular and highly attended. Some teachers attended without pay.

"The teachers who participated said they hadn't thought so deeply since graduate school," Fasanelli said. "The philosophy of these programs was to encourage teachers to think deeply about simple ideas, exploring them in depth so that they had a real grip on the information."

Middle and junior high school teachers participated in up to four 1-week courses on enzymes, crystals, harmonics, and microorganisms. A program for high school teachers consisted of 3-week math or science sessions on pre-calculus and calculus, chemistry, biology, and physics.

Toby Horn, a DC ACTS secondary science education coordinator from the Carnegie Institution of Washington who works with some of the DC ACTS teachers, added that the programs gave teachers the opportunities to delve into the substance of science and experimentation.

"It meant really doing science and working at the bench. Teachers in DC public schools really are working under adverse conditions where they don't have what would be considered in other school districts the recommended materials. So the issue becomes how to do science with the limited materials they have," Horn said.

While the NSF funds for secondary education will continue until 2004, the funding for the elementary education segment has just ended. Joan Abdallah, DC ACTS Program Director, continues to meet with program organizers and DC public school officials, including Superintendent Paul L. Vance, to discuss how to keep the program going and explore funding mechanisms.

"District leadership has been very receptive to DC ACTS, and a collaborative relationship within the school system exists," Abdallah said. "Dr. Vance is a seasoned superintendent whose knowledge and skills have facilitated change in a troubled school system. With his leadership, there is hope."

"This program emphasizes the mission of AAAS. What better way to advance science and serve society than to actually change what is happening in the schools?" Abdallah added.

-JENNIFER BURRIS OLSON

AAAS
New Executive Director of National Postdoctoral Association Takes the Helm

The hiring of its first Executive Director, Alyson Reed, adds to a year of firsts for the nascent National Postdoctoral Association (NPA).

Established in January 2003, the NPA is a professional organization that works to produce reform in postdoctoral policies, both at the national level and at research institutions nationwide. It is supported through the voluntary work of the NPA Executive Board, the NPA membership, and a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The NPA is hosted at AAAS.

Reed brings to the NPA more than 16 years of experience working for nonprofit organizations, including the Maryland Commission for Women and the National Committee on Pay Equity.

"I've had a real diversity of professional experience working with different associations and nonprofit organizations, and I think this is a real opportunity for me to apply that experience to a new set of issues and a different community of members," Reed said. "I am very attracted to the idea of working with people who are making such an important contribution to scientific advancement."

Some of the first challenges Reed will face on the job include managing and developing membership, and creating a development portfolio and database of fundraising opportunities, as well as assisting in planning the second annual NPA meeting, to be held in April 2004 in Washington, DC, according to Arti Patel, an NPA Executive Board member and National Cancer Institute Prevention Fellow.

"It seems like a lot for one person to do, but it is all in good time," Patel added. "We are really excited to have Alyson Reed on board and working with us and feel that she will successfully direct and help to lay a foundation for the organization."