Friday, March 29, 2024

AdvertiseDonateSubmit
NewsSportsArtsOpinionThe QuadPhotoVideoIllustrationsCartoonsGraphicsThe StackPRIMEEnterpriseInteractivesPodcastsBruinwalkClassifieds

UC funds assist K-12 education

By Daily Bruin Staff

Feb. 28, 1996 9:00 p.m.

UC funds assist K-12 education

Programs get more than $100 million in funds, report says

By Rachanee Srisavasdi

Daily Bruin Staff

The University of California plays an important role in
pre-collegiate education and teacher development, according to a
recent report.

The university report – titled the Schools and University of
California: A Commitment to the Future of California – found that
the University of California provides more than $100 million to
about 800 kindergarten-to-12th-grade university programs.

In recent years, university involvement in K-12 education has
shifted from traditional outreach to a broader range of programs
including curriculum changes and teacher/administrator assessment
and training.

"We believe in the inherent power and capability of the state’s
teaching force to improve educational quality," said Robert
Polkinghorn, executive director of the UC’s Academic Collaboratives
in Education. "The principal goal is improvement in student
learning."

One of the main reasons for university efforts is to prepare
students for college, including admission to the UC system.

"The university has the responsibility in reaching out to
schools to help secure a larger pool of candidates to attend the
UC," said education professor Eugene Tucker.

The university significantly increased its number of programs in
the last decade because of the reported benefits of K-12 and
college collaboration. Research shows that students benefit from
university involvement with K-12 education, Tucker added.

Some analysts said that the university efforts are also due to
its lack of participation in the past.

"The UC has been criticized in the past for not being involved
in public education," said Joni Finney, associate director of the
California Higher Education Policy Center, an education think tank
in San Jose. "In part, their efforts are in response to this
criticism."

One program that works with K-12 education is Center X at the
UCLA Department of Education, which develops university-school
partnerships to assist teachers and administrators. The center,
directed by Tucker, helps teachers mentor novice teachers and works
with administrators to improve curriculum.

"We try to improve the quality of teaching by working with
teachers," Tucker said. "An elementary teacher may not know about
science or mathematics, so we use specific teaching strategies.

The university is also involved in collaborative efforts, which
include the California State University, the Department of
Education and California Community Colleges.

The California Subject Matter Projects – one of the partnership
projects – was designed to provide ongoing education for teachers.
The program’s strategies include developing teacher leadership,
suggesting teaching strategies and familiarizing teachers with
curriculum content.

"There is a mutual benefit for collaborations between the
university and teachers," said Leann Parker, assistant director of
UC Academic Collaboratives in Education. "We’re learning so much
about students and K-12 education from working with teachers."

Another university program is the Community Teaching Fellowship,
which at UCLA involves the Los Angeles Unified School District.
With UCLA’s mathematics and education departments, the program
offers fellowships to mathematics students to teach K-12th
graders.

"The university needs to be involved," Tucker said. "Research
universities can’t do just research. It should provide access and
support to K-12 education."Comments to
[email protected]

Share this story:FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
COMMENTS
Featured Classifieds
More classifieds »
Related Posts