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Three Stellar Programs Showcased

Three directors of projects that have distinguished themselves in their longevity, their multi-faceted contributions to CSU, Chico, and the acclaim they've garnered regionally, nationally, and internationally, were honored at the Sponsored Programs annual dinner on January 19. The directors are Bill Fisher, director of the Center for Math and Science; Victoria Bernhardt, director of Education for the Future Initiative; and Diana Parks, director of International Training Programs. -- KM

Center for Mathematics and Science Education

Bill Fisher, Department of Math, is co-director with Cindy Phelps, Chemistry, of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education. Fisher, a math educator, wrote the first grant for the California Math Project in 1986. In 1994, Fisher worked with UC, Davis to develop a UC outreach center to K-14 teachers at CSU, Chico.

The Center for Mathematics and Science received $40,000 seed money for each of two years and is now self-supporting. The center's goals are:

• to strengthen K-14 teachers' science and math understanding
• to enhance the pedagogy of science and math teachers
• to promote collaboration among teachers, teacher educators, and scientists
• to coordinate with other science and math education initiatives
• to involve students from underrepresented groups in math and science

For the past six years, the Math and Science center has reached thousands of teachers and students with its programs. The center publishes an annual newsletter "Reaching Teachers" that is mailed to K-14 teachers and administrators in Northern California. Three math events bring hundreds of students to Chico's campus each year: Expanding Your Horizons, a conference for middle-school girls; a Math Field Day; and a College Math Day.

The Center has received numerous grants, including the recent Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education grant to work with university students who plan to be math teachers.

Other services include hands-on science workshops for teachers throughout the Northstate; science labs/field trips for K-12 students to the CSU, Chico campus; and support for the Mt. Lassen Mathematics Council and the Northern California Science teachers Association.

Bill Fisher received his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 1974 and has been at CSU, Chico since that time. He received Professional Achievement Awards in 1983, 1989, and 1995. His most recent publications are "Getting to Know Chico," Intersection: Mathematics Educators Sharing Common Ground, Sept. 1998 and "Towards Solving the Developmental Dilemma: Undergraduate Teacher Preparation," The Journal of Mathematics and Science Collaborative Explorations, Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring 1999.

Education for the Future

Education for the Future has created a framework for school-wide change that has been disseminated throughout the United States and in numerous countries. Under Victoria Bernhardt's direction, Education for the Future has received $8.4 million in grant and contract support and maintained partnerships with several major corporations since its arrival at CSU, Chico in August 1991.

The original work of Education for the Future, which utilizes quality business management techniques, had staff working with specific schools to achieve increases in student achievement. The work expanded to other programs and has been in demand across the country. In the past three years alone, Education for the Future staff have conducted over 300 workshops, consulted with fifteen state departments of education, published twelve major pieces of work, and presented at seventy-five major educational conferences. The program has received attention from the media, including PBS in Ohio. Five books have resulted from this work:

• The School Portfolio: A Comprehensive Framework for School Improvement
• Data Analysis for Comprehensive Schoolwide Improvement
• The Example School Portfolio: A Companion to the School Portfolio, A Comprehensive Framework for School Improvement
• Designing and Using Databases for School Improvement
• Technology Tools for Young Learners

Victoria Bernhardt received her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 1981 in Educational Psychology Research and Measurement. She came to CSU, Chico in 1986 to develop and direct the activities of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Education. Since 1991 she has directed the activities of the Education for the Future Initiative sponsored by the SBC/Pacific Bell Foundations.

International Training

International Training Programs, School of Graduate, International, and Sponsored Programs, has completed over twenty programs since its beginning in 1991. Diana Parks has managed the program since 1992 and is involved in all phases of design and implementation: proposals; curriculum and training materials; logistical arrangements; training teams; public and private support; international partnerships; and budget oversight.

Most recently, International Training provided a program to assist Russian educators in developing civics education curricula. The educators were linked with mentor teachers in the Chico Unified School District and participated in internships, workshops, and site visits. The program will conclude with two CUSD teachers visiting Russian schools in the Spring of 2000.

During 1999-2000, International Training sponsored several USAID-funded programs for Russian TV news directors, Central Asian irrigation managers, and Georgian economic journalists. Parks recently visited the Republic of Georgia and Russia and came back with insight into the challenges newly independent countries face.

Park's mission is to bring together people from throughout the world to find solutions to complex problems. Diplomacy is essential. Prior to a recent program in irrigation management designed to address the Aral Sea Basin water crisis, twenty-three leaders from five countries in Central Asia were either refusing to talk with one another or were having shouting matches instead of discussions. Under Park's leadership, the group ultimately realized that cooperation among the five nations was not only possible, but essential. At the conclusion of the program, a genuine multinational dialogue was underway.

Diana Parks has a B.A. in Geography from CSU, Los Angeles, and an M.S. in Multicultural Education from University of Miami, Florida. Parks spent two years each in India in the Peace Corps, in Chile, and in Honduras teaching first and third grades to Honduran children.