Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP)

Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) is sponsored by Florida Department of Education. The MSP program aims to increase the academic achievement of students in mathematics and science by enhancing the content knowledge and teaching skills of classroom teachers through partnerships between high-need school districts and STEM faculty in institutions of higher educat…

NSF 03-605: Math and Science Partnership Program (MSP) | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation Archived funding opportunity This solicitation is archived. Important information for proposers and award recipients All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in the funding opportunity and in the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) and its supplements .

All NSF grants and cooperative agreements are subject to the applicable set of NSF award terms and conditions . NSF has updated its research security policies for NSF funded projects. NSF 03-605: Math and Science Partnership Program Posted: September 16, 2003 Download the solicitation (PDF, 0.

5mb) This document has been archived.

Math and Science Partnership Program (MSP) Institute Partnerships: Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century Research, Evaluation, and Technical Assistance (RETA) Replaces Document NSF 02-190 and NSF 03-541 National Science Foundation Directorate for Education and Human Resources Letter of Intent Due Date(s) (optional): MSP Project Data Registration (strongly encouraged) Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p. m.

proposer's local time): The new solicitation continues the MSP Targeted Partnerships and adds Institute Partnerships – Teacher Institutes for the 21 st Century . Continuing the MSP focus on its five Key Features, Institute Partnerships are designed especially to meet national needs for teacher leaders/master teachers and school-based intellectual leaders in mathematics and science.

The new solicitation also includes a very focused MSP- Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) component inviting proposals that directly support the work of the Institute Partnerships. The new solicitation has a focus on the secondary grades (middle and high school), although elementary mathematics/science specialists are also included in the Institute Partnerships.

Awards for Partnerships are to be made to institutions of higher education or eligible nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations) that enter into partnerships with one or more local educational agencies.

In this solicitation, Lead Partner eligibility for MSP Targeted Partnerships is limited to institutions of higher education or eligible nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations). Lead Partner eligibility for Institute Partnerships is limited to institutions of higher education only.

For this competition, an institution of higher education may submit only one proposal as LEAD partner in a Targeted or Institute Partnership (but not both). An eligible nonprofit organization, as defined in the solicitation, may submit only one proposal as LEAD partner in a Targeted Partnership. In addition, an institution of higher education or eligible nonprofit organization may submit one or more RETA proposals.

There is, therefore, no limit on the TOTAL number of proposals an institution/organization may submit for this competition. Summary Of Program Requirements Math and Science Partnership Program (MSP) The Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program is a major research and development effort that supports innovative partnerships to improve K-12 student achievement in mathematics and science.

MSP projects are expected to both raise the achievement levels of all students and significantly reduce achievement gaps in the mathematics and science performance of diverse student populations.

Successful projects serve as models that can be widely replicated in educational practice to improve the mathematics and science achievement of all In this solicitation, NSF seeks to support three types of MSP Targeted Partnerships for the secondary (i.e., middle and high school) grade levels; Institute Partnerships – Teacher Institutes for the a focused set of Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) projects that directly support the work of the Institutes.

Cognizant Program Officer(s): Joyce Evans, Program Director, MSP Institute and Targeted Partnerships, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, 885 S, telephone: (703) 292-5098, fax: (703) 292-9044, email: jevans@nsf. gov James E. Hamos, Program Director, MSP Targeted and Institute Partnerships, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, 875 S, telephone: (703) 292-4687, email: jhamos@nsf.

gov Joan T. Prival, Program Director, MSP Targeted and Institute Partnerships, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education, 835 N, telephone: (703) 292-4635, fax: (703) 292-9015, email: jprival@nsf.

gov Elizabeth VanderPutten, Program Director, MSP RETA Projects, Directorate for Education & Human Resources, Division of Research, Evaluation & Communication, 855 S, telephone: (703) 292-5147, fax: (703) 292-9046, email: evanderp@nsf. gov Applicable Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 47.

076 --- Education and Human Resources Detailed guidance regarding Eligibility is provided in Section III In accordance with the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 LEAD Partner eligibility is limited to institutions of higher education or eligible non profit organizations (or consortia of such institutions of organizations).

School districts are eligible to be partners in no more than two MSP-funded Targeted Partnerships or current Targeted proposal submissions. Lead Partner eligibility for Institute Partnerships is limited to institutions of higher education only. Eligibility for Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) projects is open to all categories of proposers identified in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide.

Any proposal to the MSP Program should be a single submission that includes support for all partners that are requesting funding Detailed guidance regarding PI Eligibility is provided in Section III of this solicitation.

In all Targeted and Institute Partnerships, one or more of the Principal or co-Principal Investigators must be representative(s) from the higher education core partner organization(s) and one or more of these individuals must be representative(s) from the K-12 core partner organization(s).

The Principal Investigator of each Institute Partnership must be a mathematics, science or engineering faculty member in a higher Limit on Number of Proposals: None Anticipated Type of Award: Standard or Continuing Grant or Cooperative Agreement Estimated Number of Awards: 20 - including up to three RETA awards, pending availability of funds.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $75,000,000 - $100,000,000 in FY 2004, pending availability of funds. Proposal Preparation and Submission Instructions A. Proposal Preparation Instructions Letters of Intent: Submission of Letters of Intent is optional.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Full Proposal Preparation Instructions: This solicitation contains information that supplements the standard Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) proposal preparation guidelines. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Cost Sharing Requirements: Cost Sharing is not required. Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Not Applicable. Other Budgetary Limitations: Other budgetary limitations apply.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Letters of Intent (optional) : MSP Project Data Registration (strongly encouraged) Full Proposal Deadline Date(s) (due by 5 p. m.

proposer's local Proposal Review Information Merit Review Criteria: National Science Board approved criteria. Additional merit review considerations apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information.

Award Administration Information Award Conditions: Additional award conditions apply. Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. Reporting Requirements: Additional reporting requirements apply.

Please see the full text of this solicitation for further information. The Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program is a major research and development effort designed to improve K-12 student achievement in mathematics and science.

In this solicitation, NSF seeks to support three types of MSP projects: Targeted Partnerships for the secondary (i.e., middle and high school) grade levels; Institute Partnerships – Teacher Institutes for the a focused set of Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) projects that directly support the work of the Institute Partnerships.

The components of the overall MSP portfolio include active projects whose initial awards were made in prior MSP competitions, as well as those to be awarded in the current MSP competition: Comprehensive Partnerships that implement change in mathematics and/or science educational practices in both higher education institutions and in schools and school districts, resulting in improved student achievement across the K-12 continuum; Targeted Partnerships that focus on improved K-12 student achievement in a narrower grade range or disciplinary focus within Institute Partnerships: Teacher Institutes for the 21 st Century that focus on the development of mathematics and science teachers as school- and district-based intellectual leaders and master teachers; and Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (RETA) projects that build and enhance large-scale research and evaluation capacity for all MSP awardees and provide them with tools and assistance in the implementation and evaluation of their work.

The MSP program seeks to improve K-12 student achievement through a sharp focus on three inter-related issues: Ensuring that all students have access to, are prepared for and are encouraged to participate and succeed in challenging and advanced mathematics and science courses; Enhancing the quality, quantity and diversity of the K-12 mathematics and science teacher workforce; and Developing evidence-based outcomes that contribute to our understanding of how students effectively learn mathematics and science.

K-20 education organizations (that is, colleges and universities offering graduate and/or undergraduate programs, and K-12 schools and school districts) are critical partners in all Targeted and Institute Partnership projects.

Specifically, disciplinary faculty in departments of mathematics, the sciences and/or engineering with education faculty and administrators in higher education partner organizations join administrators, teachers of mathematics and the sciences and guidance counselors in K-12 partner organizations in efforts to effect deep, lasting improvement in K-12 mathematics and science education.

Furthermore, the partner organizations commit to implementing the K-20 institutional change necessary to sustain Partnerships' successes in the long-term; this includes the continued participation of mathematics, science and engineering faculty in work that clearly results in improved K-12 student and teacher Other partners and partner organizations are also involved in Partnership projects, and may include business and industry, state education agencies, district-level educational support centers, parents and families, science centers and museums, disciplinary and professional societies, research laboratories, private foundations and other public and private organizations with interests in K-12 mathematics and science education.

The participation of mathematicians, scientists and/or engineers from such organizations is encouraged.

Partnerships are expected to collaborate with their state education agency(ies), as appropriate, to ensure that successful Partnership activities may be replicated throughout the Mathematicians, scientists and engineers, particularly those who are faculty in higher education partner organizations, play substantial roles in Partnership projects.

Their substantial intellectual engagement in these projects is one of the attributes that distinguishes the MSP program from other programs seeking to improve K-12 student outcomes in mathematics and science. All Targeted and Institute Partnerships focus on (a) improving K-12 student achievement and other outcomes in mathematics and/or the sciences, and (b) developing an accomplished teacher workforce capable of engaging all students.

All projects incorporate a depth and quality of creative, strategic actions that extend beyond commonplace approaches to improve K-12 mathematics and science education.

Through the MSP Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance (MSP-RETA) component, the capacity of MSP-funded Partnerships to achieve their goals and contribute to the development and dissemination of the knowledge base necessary to achieve sustained educational reform is enhanced.

All MSP-funded projects contribute to the MSP Learning Network, a network of researchers and practitioners studying, documenting and evaluating promising strategies to improve K-12 student achievement in mathematics and science. MSP projects are therefore designed to make evidence-based contributions to the learning and teaching knowledge base.

The work of the MSP Learning Network fosters greater national collaboration and informs our understanding of how students effectively learn mathematics and science such that successful approaches can be broadly disseminated and emulated in educational practice.

Each MSP Targeted and Institute Partnership must incorporate ALL of the five following Key Features, although the manifestation of these Key Features may differ between Targeted and Institute Partnerships.

Each MSP-RETA project must identify the Key Features to be addressed and describe how its work contributes to the underlying knowledge base Partnership-Driven - Targeted and Institute projects partner disciplinary faculty in mathematics, the sciences and/or engineering, education faculty and administrators in higher education with administrators, teachers and guidance counselors in participating K-12 core partner organizations.

These Partnerships draw upon the disciplinary expertise of faculty in mathematics, the sciences and/or engineering, undergraduate students (including pre-service), graduate students, and postdoctoral candidates in the higher education core partner organizations, and link these individuals with in-service teachers, administrators and guidance counselors in K-12 core partner organizations.

Scientists, mathematicians, engineers and individuals from other core and supporting partner organizations may also play significant roles in project activities.

Core partners are deeply engaged in the effort at both the institutional and individual levels, and share goals, responsibilities and accountability Teacher Quality, Quantity and Diversity - Partnerships enhance and sustain the quality, quantity and diversity of K-12 teachers of mathematics and/or the sciences.

Drawing upon the expertise of scientists, mathematicians and/or engineers in partner organizations, pre-service students and in-service K-12 teachers are engaged in the development of strong mathematics and/or science content knowledge and related pedagogical methods and skills, including the effective use of technology in the teaching of mathematics and/or the sciences.

These activities support the challenging courses and curricula implemented in the K-12 core partner organizations.

Partnerships also develop and apply innovative strategies for: increasing the diversity of the K-12 teacher workforce; recruiting qualified individuals to the teaching profession; influencing the teacher certification process; providing for the effective induction of new teachers; establishing policies and procedures that appropriately impact teacher qualification requirements and placement; and/or increasing teacher retention rates.

Projects ensure that K-20 educators develop the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively match local and state standards with challenging courses and curricula, instructional strategies, learning technologies and assessments.

Challenging Courses and Curricula - Partnerships ensure that K-12 students are prepared for, have access to and are encouraged to participate and succeed in challenging mathematics and/or science courses and curricula. Challenging coursework enables all students to develop a deeper understanding of mathematics and/or the sciences.

Innovative approaches integrate a mastery of fundamentals with the more sophisticated conceptual understandings essential to improve student achievement in mathematics and the sciences, drawing – where appropriate – upon computer-communications technology and contemporary research on the science of learning to enhance student and teacher access and performance.

Challenging courses and curricula are aligned with State mathematics and science student academic achievement standards, resulting in a greater number of students participating and succeeding in advanced courses. Projects ensure that K-12 students develop sufficient depth and breadth of content knowledge, skills and ways of thinking to allow them to apply the mathematics and/or science knowledge and skills acquired throughout life.

Evidence-Based Design and Outcomes - Project design is informed by current research and studies on learning and teaching. Project outcomes make evidence-based contributions to the learning and teaching knowledge base, so that research findings and successful evidence-based strategies can be broadly disseminated to improve educational practice. Projects also link assessment (classroom, local and state) and accountability measures.

Collected data include both student and teacher indicators in mathematics and/or the sciences; and are disaggregated by race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender and disability.

Indicators that measure the effectiveness of the Partnership; the impact of the contributions made by faculty in the sciences, mathematics and/or engineering; the effect of new institutional policies and practices; and other important factors are developed, collected and analyzed to inform the continuous refinement of the project.

Institutional Change and Sustainability - To ensure project sustainability, K-20 core partner organizations redirect resources and design and implement new policies and practices to result in well-documented, inclusive and coordinated institutional change at both the college/university and the local school district level.

Higher education core partners reward faculty in mathematics, the sciences and/or engineering for strengthening their own teaching practices and for their work in K-20 mathematics and science education, including K-12 teacher preparation and professional development.

K-12 core partner organizations create and sustain an environment that values an evidence-based approach and that recognizes and rewards significant contributions to improved mathematics and science learning and teaching. Other core partners commit to engaging mathematicians, scientists and/or engineers and other individuals in activities that strengthen their roles in K-12 mathematics and science education for the long-term.

Targeted Partnerships emphasize student achievement gains at the secondary (i.e., middle and high school) grade levels, either within a more specific grade range and/or with a specific disciplinary focus in mathematics and/or the sciences. Targeted proposals describe action plans for the intended project within the context of other mathematics and/or science efforts of the partners.

For example, if a proposed Partnership project seeks to improve student achievement in grades 6-8, the proposal must articulate how the project is part of a clear comprehensive plan that addresses the overall improvement of K-12 mathematics/science education, detailing student achievement in grades K-5 and student participation rates in advanced courses in grades 9-12 in core partner schools/districts.

Baseline student data relevant to student performance in grades 6-8 place the proposed work in its appropriate context. Furthermore, in addition to the proposed work targeting grades 6-8, the proposal narrative would also describe such other relevant efforts as mathematics/science teacher preparation and professional development focused on grades K-5 and 9-12, and other contributions intended to improve K-12 student outcomes.

Funding requests must correlate directly with the scale and complexity of the proposed project, including the numbers of preservice students and in-service teachers directly engaged in the proposed work and the numbers of K-12 students thus impacted.

INSTITUTE PARTNERSHIPS: TEACHER INSTITUTES Approximately fifty years ago, the National Science Foundation created its Summer Institute Program “in recognition of the important role of teachers in developing our scientific . . .

[workforce] potential” (Krieghbaum & Rawson, 1969, p. 9). The Institutes, which began in 1954 and continued for nearly twenty years, stressed subject-matter competence for science and mathematics teachers.

The significance of the original NSF Institutes cannot be overestimated. Dr. James Bryant Conant, in his 1963 book on The Education of American Teachers (quoted in Krieghbaum & Rawson, 1969, p. 307), wrote: “The use of [NSF] summer institutes for bringing teachers up to date in a subject-matter field has been perhaps the single most important improvement in recent years in the training of secondary school teachers.

” The original NSF Institutes are widely acknowledged as having been integral to the development of much of the Nation’s human infrastructure and leadership capacity in K-12 mathematics and science education in A successful proposal for a new Institute Partnership will reflect the enthusiasm and disciplinary spirit of the original NSF Institutes, while responding to 21 st Century needs for accomplished teachers who are intellectual leaders and master teachers in K-12 mathematics and science.

Graduates of Institutes will be school- and district-based intellectual leaders and accomplished practitioners in their disciplines. They are the mathematics/science specialists in grades K-5 and the curricular leaders of mathematics and the sciences in the secondary grades.

Their expertise lies in the intellectual substance of school mathematics (Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, 2001)and science and in the special knowledge needed for their teaching. Institute participants will be experienced classroom teachers who wish to renew their interest in and enthusiasm for their discipline, deepen their knowledge of the subjects they teach and build leadership skills.

They will return to their classrooms and schools with an expanded disciplinary, pedagogical and leadership repertoire, able to analyze and continually refine their practice of teaching. They will be catalysts for the reform of mathematics and science education programs in their schools and will contribute to the development of challenging or advanced courses.

As instructional leaders, master teachers and mentors, they will become resources for their peers and their profession. Through their involvement in policy and decision-making, they will work with their peers and key administrators on behalf of improved mathematics and science education in their school and districts.

An Institute Partnership is expected to immerse teachers for a multi-year program of rigorous and appropriate courses and experiences that provide coherent study within a particular discipline(s). In the Institute, teachers will focus on the intellectual substance of the subject they teach and the special knowledge needed for its teaching, interacting with other professionals who teach and do research in their field of expertise.

Teachers broaden, deepen and/or update their disciplinary knowledge and, as a result, emerge from the experience with increased confidence, becoming more effective practitioners. They should no longer see themselves as isolated individuals but rather as members of a professional community, linked with others devoted to learning and practice.

Through the Partnerships, professional communities grow among K-12 teachers and college/university faculty and researchers in mathematics, the sciences, engineering and education; and understanding, communications and rapport are significantly Although proposals will describe varying models of Institute Partnerships, each Institute is expected to have its own compelling sense of identity and purpose and be informed by research on how to develop in teachers a deep understanding of mathematics and/or the sciences that allows them to grow individually as intellectual leaders and become masters in their profession.

Each Institute Partnership should recognize that, to develop as intellectual leaders, teachers need multiple, coordinated experiences of sufficient duration to help them build the critical capital needed. A proposal must articulate the process for recruitment and selection of participants and delineate a vision of the attributes to be developed in those who are selected, together with a clear plan for doing so.

The curriculum for teacher participants must be coherent and multi-year in duration. Within this requirement, Institute Partnerships may differ in their intensity (e.g., numbers of weeks) and venues (e.g., residential, commuter, distance-learning or blends thereof; national or regional/local geographic reach).

A local, commuter institute might, for example, be designed with a content focus on the physical sciences for emerging middle school teacher leaders, while a national geometry leadership institute for high school teachers of mathematics might be residential in nature.

Each Institute is expected to have a content focus that, in addition to building depth within one or more disciplines or sub-disciplines in mathematics or the sciences, also includes opportunities for participants to (a) explore newer or cross-disciplinary themes at the research frontiers of mathematics, the sciences and/or engineering; and (b) reflect on strategies by which these themes may revitalize their classes, contribute to the development of more challenging curricula, and cultivate student enthusiasm and interest in science broadly writ.

Each Institute curriculum is also expected to include leadership development, as well as a component that assists participants in the implementation of contemporary research findings on effective classroom practice and the science of learning.

While decisions about the selection of participants and about program and curricular design may vary, all such decisions will be based on relevant evidence or research findings or on conceptual rationales, and these are to be detailed in the proposal.

A proposal for an Institute Partnership will define goals for preparing the school- and district-based intellectual leaders and accomplished practitioners envisioned, and will describe a project design with a focus on the five MSP key features.

The proposal will describe a Partnership led by an institution of higher education that includes a department(s) in mathematics, the sciences or engineering, in collaboration with other university/college departments (e.g., education faculty), administrative units or other institutions that contribute needed expertise; K-12 districts or schools; and other stakeholders, as enumerated in the section on Eligibility Information.

Instructors in the Institutes will include college/university faculty members drawn from mathematics, the sciences, engineering and education who model A project’s core K-12 partners will be the districts from which teacher participants are to be selected, and these core organizations will be expected to show evidence of their Partnership through commitments and agreements that define (a) an alignment of the teacher leadership effort with ongoing educational improvements and reform in mathematics and science, (b) increased responsibilities for the emerging teacher leaders in their home organizations, as a result of successful completion of the Institute, and (c) administrative support, time, resources and recognition/rewards commensurate with this increased responsibility.

K-12 core partners are required to grant sufficient nonclassroom time to Institute participants to carry out their responsibilities as master teachers and intellectual leaders, and to provide assurance of this commitment.

To enhance the supportive culture in schools/districts, provide greater opportunity for ongoing professional communities, and contribute to institutional change and potential sustainability, schools and districts are encouraged to support small teams of Institute participants.

A proposal will describe the intended institutional change in all core partner organizations, detailing the change from current practice/policy and its importance for project sustainability. Institutions of higher education are encouraged to rethink their policies for faculty rewards to recognize an appropriate and fundamental commitment to teaching and learning.

K-12 partner organizations recognize that the presence and full utilization of teacher leaders requires adjustment.

They therefore implement the policy changes, restructuring, reorganization or other innovations needed to fully support and encourage teacher Project evaluation is a major component of an Institute and must include (a) an assessment of teachers’ growth as intellectual leaders and accomplished classroom practitioners and of their effects on their school environment, (b) data on mathematics/science achievement or other outcomes for the students of participating teachers, and (c) impacts on the instructional practice of higher education faculty who are instructional leaders in the Institutes.

All Institutes contribute to the broad MSP knowledge base through evaluation and/or research and through their participation in the MSP Learning Network. RESEARCH, EVALUATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE A RETA proposal will be expected to directly support or inform the work of the Institute Partnerships .

This solicitation invites proposals that: research the characteristics that define teacher intellectual leadership in K-12 mathematics and the sciences, and the factors that contribute to its development; develop assessments of teacher growth in (a) content knowledge, especially for teachers of grades 9-12; (b) leadership in mathematics or the sciences; and/or (c) reflective practice in mathematics and science, K-12; research for teachers and/or for K-12 students the attributes of challenging mathematics/science content.

A proposal should address the current state of knowledge relevant to the proposed work, including a brief review of relevant literature, and indicate the gap(s) in the current knowledge base to be addressed by the proposed work. Methodologies must be well defined, rigorous and appropriate and should result in valid, reliable findings with the potential to inform MSP work.

The logic among research question, method, evidence, analysis and inference should The development of assessments or other tools is to be accompanied by sufficient piloting, revision and field testing – with appropriate methodologies -- to ensure confidence in subsequent use by Institute Partnerships and others.

The quality of research and scholarship expected in all MSP-funded RETA projects should be commensurate with results that are potentially publishable in appropriate and respected peer-reviewed journals.

All MSP-funded projects participate in the MSP Learning Network through which they are linked with other researchers and practitioners in the study and evaluation of educational innovations designed to improve student achievement in mathematics and science. The MSP Learning Network fosters greater national collaboration and contributes to the Nation's capacity to engage in and understand large-scale education innovation.

Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (2001). The mathematical education of teachers . Providence, R.

I. : American Krieghbaum, H. , & Rawson, H.

(1969). An investment in knowledge: The first dozen years of the National Science Foundation's Summer Institutes programs to improve secondary school science and mathematics teaching, 1954-1965 . New York: New III.

Eligibility Information MSP Targeted and Institute proposals are developed by Partnerships that must include CORE Partners and may also include Proposals to the MSP Program should be a single submission that includes support for all partners that are requesting funding from NSF.

Collaborative proposals that are multiple submissions, as defined in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide Special Conditions, are not appropriate and will be returned without review. Core partner organizations share responsibility and accountability for the MSP project.

Core partner organizations ARE REQUIRED to provide evidence of their commitment to undergo the institutional change necessary to sustain the partnership effort beyond the funding period.

This is what distinguishes core partner organizations from other supporting Core partner organizations in each partnership At least one institution of higher education (including 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities) AND At least one K-12 local school district. Within core partnering institution(s) of higher education, the Partnership must include mathematics, science and/or engineering departments.

Community colleges and minority-serving institutions are encouraged to participate as core partner organizations in MSP projects because of the strong role they play in the preparation and professional development of a diverse K-12 mathematics and science Core partner organizations may also include other stakeholder organizations in K-12 mathematics and science education, such as business and industry, state education agencies, district-level educational support centers, science centers and museums, disciplinary and professional societies, research laboratories, private foundations and other public and private organizations with interests in K-12 mathematics and science education.

The participation of mathematicians, scientists and/or engineers from these core partner organizations is encouraged. Faculty from mathematics, science and/or engineering departments in higher education core partner organizations ARE REQUIRED to actively contribute to the attainment of MSP project goals.

Supporting partners include important stakeholders and stakeholder organizations in K-12 mathematics and science education, including parents and families and the types of partner organizations described above.

The main distinction between core and supporting partners is that, while supporting partners clearly add value to the proposed project, they are not required to commit to the institutional change necessary to sustain project activities beyond the funding period. For all Targeted and Institute Partnerships, one of the core partner organizations serves as the LEAD partner and submits the MSP proposal on behalf of the Partnership.

The lead partner accepts management and fiduciary responsibility for The lead partner organization for Targeted Partnerships MUST an institution of higher education (including 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities); or a non-profit research institute or non-profit professional association, with demonstrated experience and effectiveness in K-12 mathematics and/or science education.

The lead partner organization for Institute Partnerships MUST be an institution of higher education. The Partnership Leadership Team MUST include those individuals identified in the proposal as Principal Investigator and co-Principal Investigators.

One or more of the Principal or co-Principal Investigators MUST be representative(s) from the higher education core partner organization(s) and one or more of these individuals MUST be representative(s) from the K-12 core partner organization(s). Furthermore, the Principal Investigator of each Institute Partnership MUST be a mathematics, science or engineering faculty member in a higher education core partner.

For Targeted Partnerships, at least one of the Principal or co-Principal Investigators MUST be a mathematics, science or engineering faculty member in a higher The Partnership Leadership Team should also include a