In Focus
Successful Equation

A civil rights activist gives students a leg up in the Information Age.

Bob Moses thinks an education in algebra is a matter of civil rights. And he knows more than a little about both subjects. A math teacher since the 1950s, Moses was also a civil rights leader in the 1960s and fought hard in the the battle to end literacy tests for Black voters in the south.

In 1982, Moses founded The Algebra Project, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the goal of finding ways to expose more kids to advanced mathematics before high school.

"In the 1960s, literacy was put on the table as a prerequisite for the full rights of citizenship," says Moses. Today, he says, there's a new face on the same old problem. "The information age of computers and networks has put advanced mathematics--math with the symbolic, abstract representations of algebra--on the table as an educational necessity for anyone who strives to enjoy the full rights of citizenship," he says. Yet millions of kids, especially minorities, aren't getting that education and are destined to lose out, he adds. "They won't be able to access the economy at the level necessary to support families."

Through The Algebra Project, Moses has worked with middle schools to develop creative, game-centered mathematics curricula that expose students to abstract mathematics and prepare them for high school algebra. Moses himself introduced such a curriculum in Jackson, Mississippi, where he experimented with a variety of teaching techniques at Brinkley Middle School, then followed his students on to Lanier High School, where Moses still teaches.

"I was extremely pleased with the results," he says. Research studies that have tracked Algebra Project students confirm the benefits: Most go on to take advanced math classes in high school, and at a higher rate than their peers. To further this work, the National Science Foundation has awarded The Algebra Project a grant to create two new programs for high school freshmen.

"We need to keep expanding," says Moses. "It's not sufficient that a few students in each school will always excel in math. We need to build a floor, not a ceiling."

For more:
E-mail Ben Moynihan at The Algebra Project at ben@algebra.org.

Power to the People

Mock election teaches the value of the vote.

How do you get students excited about the electoral process when most can't even vote? It's not easy--which is why signing up for the National Student/Parent Mock Election on November 1 may not be a bad idea.

For 22 years this exercise in civic activism has thrilled American kids and their parents--and for good reason. With a simple click of a button, they get a chance to "vote" for their local governors, senators, representatives, and whichever issues are important to their communities. The nonprofit, nonpartisan Mock Election program provides grade-based curriculum materials on current issues and candidate profiles, so teachers and parents have talking points for lively discussions before and after the vote.

This year the Mock Election is partnering with America Online (AOL) to expand the online educational services offered through the program. Now votes can be cast through special links from AOL@SCHOOL, a free educational resource website for kids and teachers, and votes will be tallied online. Participants will also get free materials through the AOL Government Guide website.

"We're hoping to turn around the sense of powerlessness that keeps people from the polls," says Gloria Kirshner, Mock Election president.

--Leah Lakins

For more:
Register online before or on November 1 at http://school.aol.com, www.governmentguide.com, and www.nationalmockelection.com.

A Flair for Physics

What happens when science gets crazy?

When Valdine McLean first joined the science faculty at Pershing County High School in Lovelock, Nevada, only 10 percent of the seniors took physics. That was in 1993. Since then, thanks to McLean's unique methods of instruction, enrollment in senior physics has climbed to 50 percent.

What's her secret?

"Fun," says McLean. "When I was a student, that was my own learning style: If there wasn't something fun about it, I wasn't interested."

McLean has made physics fun by encouraging students to put scientific concepts into practice in innovative, colorful, and sometimes comical ways. For example, students build Rube Goldberg devices, with the goal of connecting 10 complicated machines together to accomplish an extremely simple task. They also construct and race toy cars that must be powered by a mouse trap.

By far the most original and popular part of McLean's physics curriculum is the annual Halloween pumpkin catapult contest. Each year, students pair up with adults from participating charity organizations to see who can build a catapult that will hurl a pumpkin the farthest.

"The pumpkin contest is more than fun--it's competitive," says McLean, "So students have an extra incentive to master the physical principles they have learned."

McLean started the contest to help raise money for the annual senior physics trip to museums and other sites of scientific interest. "The teams building the catapults get friends to pledge money," says McLean. "It's now become so popular that it pays for the entire trip, including room and board." Last year, two teams tied by launching pumpkins 105 yards on the school football field.

Aside from the fun, McLean is producing impressive academic results. The average ACT science scores of students who have taken her class have risen every year she has been at Pershing. And a broader range of students are signing up for physics. "I have gender diversity, cultural diversity, diversity of economic backgrounds, and even diversity of grade point average," says McLean. "Some C and D students take physics. They're curious about it."

For her work in pumpkin propulsion and other innovative efforts in physics teaching, McLean won The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence in 2001.

For more:
E-mail McLean at vmclean@fox.lovelock.nv.us. Apply for a grant today from The NEA Foundation by visiting www.nfie.org.

High School Virtual-Osity

A new guide helps sort through the electronic course heap.

Not too long ago an online high school course was about as rare as a second grader who didn't want recess. Now the virtual class is everywhere, and the number of high schoolers signing up is in the thousands--and multiplying.

A good thing? It depends. Turns out that buying into the world of electronic education can be as tricky for high schoolers as it is for collegians and other adults.

That's why NEA teamed up with several partners, including the Virtual High School Project and the National Association of State Boards of Education, to publish The Guide to Online High School Courses. It's an easy-to-follow handbook designed to help students, parents, teachers, and school administrators understand what makes a high-quality virtual classroom experience.

The idea behind the guide is simple: Standards and methods crafted for the regular classroom can't simply be "double-clicked" into an online environment.

"We need to be realistic about what the expectations are for these courses," says Barbara Stein, an NEA senior policy analyst who worked on the guide. Yes, the benefits can be great, she notes. The subject offerings are vast. The classes provide unique access for students with special needs. They're convenient and save time. And they give teachers seeking personal and professional development an opportunity to learn an alternative method of instruction.

But, Stein warns, the classes aren't for everyone. Students who sign up, for example, must be self-motivated, disciplined, organized, and proficient in writing and communicating. And so parents need to be poised to provide that "reality check." Teachers of online classes, meanwhile, must be ready to commit to continual interactions with their students. Administrators must make sure the courses are sound. And policymakers must grapple intelligently with issues of funding, state and local goals, and instructor licenses. The guide, says Stein, pays attention to all these issues.

--Lauren Fischer

For more:
Get the guide online at www.nea.org/technology/distanceed/highschool/.