Sponsored Projects and Initiatives
Listing of Initiatives & Projects
- Coastal Roots Project
- Curriculum Theory Project
- Delta Express Project
- Early Childhood Educators' Responses to Katrina and Child Outcomes
- French Education Project
- GEAR UP
- Golf: For Business & Life
- Gordon A. Cain Center for Scientific, Technological, Engineering, and Mathematical Literacy
- The Holmes Program
- International Curriculum Conference (Curriculum "Camp")
- Louisiana Positive Behavior Support Center
- Louisiana State Improvement Grant 2 (LaSIG2)
- LSU’s Secondary Teacher Education Preparation Thru
Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (S.T.E.P. thru S.T.E.M.) - LSU Writing Project
- LSYOU
- Old South Baton Rouge Oral History Project
- Pathways to Inquiry
- Peripheral Neuropathy Exercise Intervention Project
- Teacher Preparation Program
- Teaching American History in Louisiana
- The 15° Laboratory
Brief Summaries of Projects
Coastal Roots Project
http://coastalroots.lsu.edu
The Coastal Roots Program began in 2001 as an education outreach project for the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program. In 2006, the Coastal Roots Program was transitioned into the LSU Department of Educational Theory, Policy, & Practice and the LSU Center for Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences.
Educational technology students have created curriculum webs to enhance the Coastal Roots Project. They can be viewed at the following Web sites:
http://www.dixonhosting.com/coastalroots/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
http://users.nsula.edu/anzaldual/CoastalRootsHigh/index.htm
The Curriculum Theory Project
http://asterix.ednet.lsu.edu/~lsuctp/
The Curriculum Theory Project studies the historical, political, social aspects of curriculum. Involved locally, regionally, and nationally, it has special emphasis on the international. The Curriculum Theory Project has been active in the formation of the American Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies (AAACS) and the International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies (IAACS).
The Delta Express Project
www.lsu.edu/coe/initiatives/deltaexpress
The College of Education is engaged in a collaborative venture called the Delta Express Project---a program which addresses both educational and social needs of underserved children displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Partners in the program include the University of California-Berkeley, Tulane University, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and other volunteer organizations, as well as various business entities. The Delta Express Project--an adaptation of a longstanding Cal-Berkley project called UC Links--offers formal and informal learning activities that the children consider to be “fun.” Currently, LSU students, along with faculty from the LSU College of Education and from Berkeley, work with children nightly at the Groom Road FEMA trailer park in Baker, Louisiana.
Early Childhood Educators' Responses to Katrina and Child Outcomes
LSU College of Education faculty, in collaboration with School of Human Ecology faculty, guided PK-3 students who worked in Katrina shelters across the area by providing developmental and reading experiences for young children there.
Additionally, College of Education, Human Ecology, and School of Social Work faculty were awarded an $88,000 National Science Foundation grant, "Early Childhood Educators' Responses to Katrina and Child Outcomes," an exploratory study investigating teachers' immediate responses to and children's learning about hurricanes. Supplemental studies have also been funded by Louisiana EPSCoR and the National Institutes of Health.
The French Education Project
http://asterix.ednet.lsu.edu/~dekuehne/fep.html
The College’s French Education Project (FEP) is one of the three poles which, with the Center for French and Francophone Studies and the Department of French Studies, constitute LSU’s Pluridisciplinary Center, which the French government has identified as a Center of Excellence. The primary goal of the FEP is the improvement of the teaching of French and francophone cultures, with special emphasis on Louisiana's francophone heritage through teacher education, material development, and research. The FEP conducts research projects on teacher education, schools, students, and foreign language education, in particular on French immersion programs in Louisiana. Louisiana foreign language immersion programs are unique, as many are housed in public P-12 schools with underserved English-speaking student populations—minorities and children from lower socio-economic status. Twenty-five percent of all immersion programs in the United States are located in Louisiana, as are thirty percent of the schools, 22% of the students, and 21% of the teachers of French. Louisiana immersion programs are recognized as among the best in the United States.
GEAR UP LSU
http://gearup.lsu.edu
The LSU College of Education’s existing GEAR UP grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Education for $2 million and spanning six years, supports faculty’s work with EBR schools to provide postsecondary opportunities for underprivileged youth. In this final year, GEAR UP has served over 1500 students and their families by providing parent workshops, career workshops, extended day instruction, academic counseling, summer enrichment programs, college visits, etc. A new $5.5 million funding request for another six year project is pending.
The Golf: For Business & Life program is an initiative of The Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) designed to teach and improve the golf skills of college juniors, seniors, and graduate students through instruction provided by PGA Professionals. The program also suggests ways in which students can use golf as a business tool as they enter the professional world.
Gordon A. Cain Center for Scientific, Technological, Engineering, and Mathematical Literacy
http://cain.lsu.edu
The Cain Center is a joint venture of the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Basic Sciences, Engineering, and Education at LSU. The center is dedicated to strengthening science and mathematics education in Louisiana through activities which support teachers. The Cain Center serves as a resource center to aid teachers in instituting best pedagogic practices to meet the high standards of literacy established by national educational and scientific organizations. The center promotes those goals through: teacher preparation, particularly in science and math courses at the college level; K-12 outreach with a major component of in-service teacher training; and research into effective teaching strategies, particularly teacher-oriented activities. LSU’s Gordon A. Cain Center for Scientific, Technological, Engineering, & Mathematical Literacy, supported by a $2.5 million endowment, provides leadership in interdisciplinary educational research and practice that supports and enhances literacy in all four disciplines. The Cain Center creates opportunities for collaborativ PK-20 faculty research in the investigation and development of strategies that enhance student learning.
The Holmes Program
http://http://coe.ednet.lsu.edu/coe/ETPP/programs.html
Holmes programs leading to master’s degrees and K-12 certification are rigorous, highly selective, and heavily field-based---supporting the immediate and direct integration of theory with best practice. Candidates participate in a full year of student teaching experiences. Employers of graduates consistently comment that these program completers enter the classroom as 2nd or 3rd year teachers, rather than as beginners.
International Curriculum Conference
(Curriculum "Camp")
Annually, the College of Education hosted an international curriculum conference at the Solomon Conference Center in Loranger, Louisiana. Previously held in Alberta and Ontario, Canada, the Complexity Science and Education Research Conference attracted 65+ participants from Africa, China, and across North America.
Louisiana Positive Behavior Support Center
http://lapositivebehavior.com
Louisiana Positive Behavioral Support (LPBS), a long-standing College of Education program of over $300,000 per year, is funded by LA Dept of Education. This program provides support to the Statewide Positive Behavioral Support Team, related professional development, and evaluation of school-wide PBS.
Louisiana State Improvement Grant 2 (LaSIG 2)
www.lasig2.org
The Louisiana Department of Education Division of Educational Improvement and Assistance received funding for a five year State Personnel Development Grant from the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. This grant is an extension and expansion of the previously funded Louisiana State Improvement Grant (LaSIG), which had many successes in participating districts and schools over the five-year period of the project. LaSIG 2 plans to build upon the success of increased and improved systemic change, school and district improvement, and family engagement evidenced during the first project.
LSU’s Secondary Teacher Education Preparation Thru
Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (S.T.E.P. thru S.T.E.M.)
LSU’s Secondary Teacher Education Preparation Thru Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (S.T.E.P. thru S.T.E.M.) program, supported by $1.5 million in NSF STEM-TP and Noyce grants, has enjoyed an increase in mathematics and science education enrollment. Faculty have been able to attract outstanding mathematics and science majors to LSU’s undergraduate and master’s level teacher education programs through scholarships ranging from $1000-$15,000. University faculty in education, mathematics, and the sciences collaborate with area secondary faculty in creating enriching field experiences integrally tied to coursework.
The Writing Project
http://www.lsuwritingproject.org
LSU’s National Writing Project, established in 1984 and housed in the College of Education, is one of 189 nationally funded sites supportive of university / P-12 partnerships dedicated to improving the quality of P-12 student writing. Serving ten parishes in the southern part of the state, the LSU project hosts invitational summer writing institutes for successful teachers of writing to prepare them to lead workshops for other teachers. Other programs of this 300-member network include rural open institutes, administrators’ writing retreats, youth writing activities, quarterly meetings, and an annual convocation.
LSYOU
http://www.lsu.edu/lsyou
LSYOU (Louisiana State Youth Opportunities Unlimited) is a College of Education program in existence for 18 years and jointly funded by the Tangipahoa Parish School System WIA (Workforce Investment Act), the EBR Parish WIA, and the Pennington Foundation. This program seeks to assist Louisiana adolescent youth in overcoming obstacles to their success by offering a research-based, four year model. The two major components of LSYOU---summer and school-year---offer a six-week residential program for Middle School/Junior High students at a high risk for dropping out and intense intervention into all aspects of the student's life, followed by individual support (tutoring, mentoring, weekend retreats, etc) until the student graduates from high school.
Old South Baton Rouge Oral History Project
Old South Baton Rouge Oral History
effort was the transferal from LSU to the Carver Branch Library in EBR Parish of 200+ copies of taped interviews documenting the history of Old South Baton Rouge. A product of the McKinley High School Oral History Project, the tapes represent work stemming from a ten year collaborative relationship among the College of Education, T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History, School of Social Work, Service Learning Center and the Old South Baton Rouge Community. With impact nationally and locally, these oral histories highlight the important role the Old South Baton Rouge community played in the civil rights movement. The tapes include narratives on the 1953 Baton Rouge bus boycott, the pioneering strides in education for African Americans, and some of the earliest documented organizing for voting rights---capturing the history of the churches, businesses, social clubs, and organizations in the Old South Baton Rouge area.
http://pti.lsu.edu
LSU College of Education faculty were recently awarded a National Science Foundation grant of $300,000 over three years to assist P-12 teachers in analyzing their own science inquiry skills, as well as those of their students, via the development of an inquiry skill analyzer. COE faculty will also assist teachers in selecting, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating technology-supported learning activities to develop science inquiry skills.
Peripheral Neuropathy Exercise Intervention Project
http://pn.lsu.edu
LSU Kinesiology Professor Li Li and colleagues have been conducting an intervention study since the summer of 2004. The project objectives are to identify interventions that can help in managing the disease, to investigate what interventions are more beneficial, and to help peripheral neuropathy patients manage their symptoms through continuous participation. We welcome anyone with peripheral neuropathy who can walk around (even with assistance device, walking stick or walker) to participate the study. Normally our participants need to come to LSU three times a week for one hour at a time. Currently we have an intervention program that compares the effects of certain external applied pain reliever on the intensity of Tai Chi exercise. We will monitor your progress through sensory, balance, mobility and vascular function tests.Pilot data shown that the intervention employed in the studies can recover balance, improve mobility, reduce pain, and a small percentage of our participants have regained sensation at the bottom of their feet.
Teacher Preparation Program
Through the LSU College of Education Teacher Preparation Program and programs with secondary education concentrations through the LSU Geaux Teach initiative, candidates engage in extensive P-12 experiences working with diverse student populations. Field-based sites reflect student populations of over 20% labeled at-risk and averages of 66% minority and 63% students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. School Partnership arrangements connect the entire university community with East Baton Rouge schools, highlighted by Highland Elementary, McKinley Middle, and Sherwood Middle School Partnerships. University faculty collaborate with pre- and
in-service teachers to deliver onsite coursework and professional development focused on student performance-based school needs. Education and Human Ecology faculty collaborate to provide an innovative PK-3 certification program in which candidates engage in intensive instruction integrated with extensive field-based experiences focused on best practices in early childhood and lower primary grades instruction. Candidates engage in a full year of student teaching experiences---one semester at the PK-K level and one semester in grades 1st through 3rd. Unique five-/fifth year Holmes programs leading to master’s degrees and K-12 certification are rigorous, highly selective, and heavily field-based---supporting the immediate and direct integration of theory with best practice. Candidates participate in a full year of student teaching experiences. Employers of graduates consistently comment that these program completers enter the classroom as 2nd or 3rd year teachers, rather than as beginners. Approximately one-fourth of all National Board Certified teachers in Louisiana have connections to LSU. The LSU Laboratory School has more than any other school in the state. Additionally, LSU continues to produce more graduates in teacher education programs than any other institution in the state.
Teaching American History in Louisiana
http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/TAH/Pages/home.html
Teaching American History in Louisiana (TAHIL) brings together thirty American History Teachers and Librarians each year from the parishes of East and West Baton Rouge, East and West Feliciana, Ascention and Orleans. Participants in the grant take part in an intensive Summer Institute on Teaching American History taught by History Professors and Master teachers. Each year a different period in American History will be focused on and as a result the Teacher Consultants (TCs) trained will have a deeper knowledge of key periods in American History as well as a wealth of digitized documents chosen to enhance their teaching. TC's will write additional unit plans using a variety of documents, all of which will then be scanned and become part of the TAHIL database of resources.
The 15° Laboratory
http://www.15degreelab.com
The 15° Laboratory research group was established in 1996, and it is currently the largest focused biology education research group in the US. The laboratory itself has housed the editorial office of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and the North American editorial office of the International Journal of Science Education. The group’s research articles, books, textbooks, posters, awards, and professional presentations are known around the globe. Its principal knowledge base lies at the intersection of visual cognition, knowledge representation, and biology (especially botanical) education. It does R & D work on innovative visual approaches for the improvement of science learning at schools and colleges, as well as at museums and botanic gardens. Its annual Giverny Award (established in 1998) for best children’s science picture book is internationally recognized by publishers and children’s librarians. It also produces LSU Science Talk, a poster-sized newsletter covering
campus science seminars and science education news, published twice each semester (1989-present).
The LSU College of Education engages the global, research, and educational community through a variety of sponsored projects and initiatives. The 2006-07 year was truly remarkable. Building upon the momentum of the faculty and staff who have been eager to explore new funding opportunities, the College of Education Office of Sponsored Programs facilitates all administrative aspects of the pre and post-award process, including proposal preparation, budgetary needs, human resources, sub-awards, contracts, procurement requisitions, projecting expenditures, and performing accounting and reporting functions. In the 2006-07 Fiscal Year, the College of Education submitted a total of 43 proposals for $7.9 million. The College of Education was awarded $3.9 million in funding, having 23 successfully awarded proposals. What is important to note is that the quality of grants has risen significantly. For instance, many new grant submissions include indirect cost recovery, which assists in covering expenses which are incurred for common objectives and cannot specifically be identified to one particular sponsored project. Utilities, facilities maintenance, library support, use of departmental equipment, departmental and University administration, and other institutional support are examples of indirect costs. The university has established a policy concerning the return of a portion of the indirect costs to the academic unit generated by external funding. With each year, the college’s faculty members have increasingly applied for grants allowing indirect costs to be recovered to not only the university but the college as well. Since 2003, the college’s increased indirect cost recovery has more than tripled. By improving the quality of submitted grants, the college’s overall proposal to award efficiency has also improved. The efficiency rating of proposals is the percentage of the amount of awarded proposals versus the amount of submitted proposals. The university began tracking the efficiency rate of proposals in 2005. The quality of submitted proposals is illustrated best by the increased efficiency rate of 24 percent in 2005 to nearly 50 percent in 2007, a highly competitive number nation-wide. Including indirect costs and increasing proposal to award efficiency have resulted in a significant increase in overall funding trends since 2005. While some projects are funded for one year, many of the college’s grants are multi-year programs. These multi-year grants provide funding on an annual basis with funding amounts being spread throughout the lifetime of the project which maybe up to six years or more. The Office of Sponsored Programs recognizes faculty who have pursued external funding, vowing to work diligently with faculty and staff to make certain the college continues to achieve distinction within the university in research, teaching, and service grants.
|
|
 |
|
