$25,435 GRANT TO HELP DEVELOP EDUCATION PROGRAM

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education has awarded Southeast Missouri State University a $25,435 grant for a project to aid teachers in providing science and math instruction to exceptional students.

The federally-funded grant, part of the Eisenhower Mathematics and Science Education Grant Program, will be used to develop "Project S'Math: Science, Math and the Handicapped." The grant runs through June 30, 1992.

Scheduled to be implemented next fall, the program is designed to enhance the abilities of teachers in the Cape Girardeau and Jackson school districts in teaching science and math to exceptional students.

"We're developing a model that will be one that utilizes in-service programs for teachers," said Dr. Clifford Russell, associate professor of elementary and special education at Southeast and co-director of the project.

Russell said the project will involve the training of 16 teachers with master degrees, half of them regular classroom teachers and the other half special-education teachers.

Russell said the two school districts will select the elementary school teachers who will participate in the fall training course.

"It's primarily a K-through-sixth program, although there is a possibility that some seventh-grade teachers might be in it," he said.

The idea, said Russell, is to train these public school teachers, who, in turn, will help instruct their fellow teachers next spring.

"Our idea was to train the 16 teachers, and then they would provide a cadre of teachers and mentors in the schools to be consultants to their own peers and districts about math and science education for exceptional children," explained Russell.

The emphasis will be on "hands-on" learning, he said.

Russell said the grant will fund development of the math and science program and provide some staff assistance in implementing it.

The university will contribute office space and classrooms and the school districts will also provide some classroom space.

"This is helping the elementary and special education teachers, to train them in better assisting exceptional children in the classroom," said Russell. "They need some assistance on how to deliver science and math in the classroom."

Russell said he was pleased that the project was funded. "It was a real plus for the university because there are not too many of these that are given and they are very competitive (grants)."

The project was conceived by Russell and three other education department faculty members: Dr. Larry Lowrance, project co-director and professor of elementary and special education; and Dr. Beverly Petch and Dr. Jo Anne Dunham-Trautwein, assistant professors of elementary and special education.

Russell said he hopes that the project can be expanded in the future.

"The idea is that if we get this going, hopefully there would be future training and future money, but that is not a guarantee," said Russell.