A $12.5 million National Science Foundation grant, one of roughly a dozen awarded across the country, will support a new partnership among Northeastern, the University of Massachusetts–Boston, and the Boston Public Schools aimed at elevating student achievement in science in the Boston school system.

The grant is led by College of Engineering research professor Christos Zahopoulos, who has directed several successful Northeastern-initiated science education programs both locally and nationally. He says the new effort should improve low student achievement and lack of teacher quality in science classes for grades 6 through 12.

Although Boston students’ math scores have improved substantially over the past few years, only 9 percent of eighth-graders scored at the “proficient” level or higher on the most recent statewide science exam, says Zahopoulos. Furthermore, because many Boston science teachers are asked to teach courses out of their field of expertise, and because students are not rigorously prepared, particularly in the physical sciences, only 22 percent of students are rated “highly qualified” under the new federal No Child Left Behind Act.

To change such alarming statistics, the partnership will offer professional development courses and workshops for public school teachers, and will create mechanisms for teachers to learn from one another. In addition, university professors and Boston science teachers will work hand in hand to develop graduate courses in both science and engineering geared specifically toward training teachers in these crucial areas.

The partnership hopes to reach nearly 450 Boston public school teachers and more than 33,000 students.

The partners hope one day to disseminate the programs nationwide. Says Zahopoulos, “We hope that ideas proven to be effective in the Boston area can help public schools prepare students in urban areas across the nation to succeed in science, engineering, and other technical fields.”

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