CANTON -- Beth Clark-Thomas, associate professor of education at Malone College and Nancy Varian, director, of the Center for Professional Development, received nearly $90,000 in federal grant money administered through the Ohio Board of Regents for the "Improving Teacher Quality Program."

The program, Project SUNBEAMS (Students Understanding the Natural-world by Broadening the Education and Application of Math and Science), will focus on partnering with local urban pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers by providing training, materials, resources and ongoing support in the areas of math and science instruction at the early childhood level.

Teachers are currently participating in two weeks of training workshops for graduate credit. The new school year will provide the testing ground as teachers implement ideas sand strategies - as well as train peers in the models and methods learned this summer.

The primary goals of the SUNBEAMS (Students Understanding the Natural-world by Broadening the Education and Application in Math and Science) project are:

1. To develop the capacity of teachers to understand and utilize integrated math and science methods and standards-based content in Pre K and K classrooms;

2. To improve student achievement and learning outcomes as measured by teachers' reports of students' acquisition of science and math content/skills and technology skills;

3. To build professional learning communities within the schools through discussion and action research;

4. To equip special educators, teachers of students whose primary language is not English, and early education teachers within high needs LEAs with a greater understanding of and specific strategies for differentiating instruction with cultural diversity, poverty, and special needs in mind.

A one-day spring workshop introduced teacher participants and administrator guests to the research-based, inquiry-based, and standards-based curriculum, models and methods with strong literacy connections. An intensive two-week summer workshop is currently engaging teachers in scientific inquiry and mathematical problem solving activities which align with developmentally appropriate practice, Early Learning Content Standards and Ohio's Content Standards in math and science. Diversity training, imbedded in the summer workshop, will assist teachers in differentiating their instruction for economically disadvantaged students, students with specific disabilities, and those students for whom English is their second language.

Two follow-up symposiums, one-day each in fall and spring, will bring participants together for the purpose of sharing their action-research results. The symposiums will include the awarding of additional resources (via "mini resource grants") to participants who have successfully begun to build professional learning communities within their schools demonstrated by a colleague, non project participant, presenting their own action research at the symposium following the SUNBEAMS project model. SUNBEAMS participants will receive a stipend for their involvement in addition to receiving GEMS and PEACHES curriculum materials with aligned samples of literature for their building. Participants will also have the opportunity to earn three graduate credit at a specially reduced tuition rate.

The curriculum is research based, NSF funded, Lawrence Hall of Science integrated math and science programs: PEACHES (Primary Explorations for Children and Educators in Science), Teaching team members receive training in the use of the Lawrence Hall of Science materials to ensure adherence to the aims and purpose of the proven research-based methods, models, and assessments prior to the project's commencement. Evaluation methods will include pre and post surveys of teachers, classroom observations, interviews with teachers and students, and exit tickets for professional development workshops.