Carnegie Learning, Inc. Partners with Southern University for Louisiana-Based Environmental Science Project.

National Science Foundation Grants $1.5 Million for Middle School Study of Louisiana Coastal Zone

PITTSBURGH -- Carnegie Learning, Inc., the leading publisher of research-based math curricula for middle school and high school students, announced today that the company has been named as a partner in a three-year, $1.5 million National Science Foundation grant to Southern University in Louisiana, to help teachers and students integrate advanced technology into the teaching and learning of middle school environmental science.

The Science Mission to Planet Earth (SMPE) project focuses on issues related to wetlands, marshes and urban sprawl, and takes advantage of the Louisiana Coastal Zone features to integrate science and math for students and teachers in grades 6-8. The SMPE project promotes the use of information technology to gather and transmit data images via GIS Remote Sensing and to set up situations or displays via visualizations or simulations. The use of technology in this project introduces earth science concepts through "real world" discussion of issues associated with the Louisiana coast, and stresses the use of information technology and potential careers associated with technology.

Carnegie Learning's role is to conduct workshops at Southern University, a historically black institution, to help teachers understand how to apply advanced technology in the classroom. In addition to the workshops, Carnegie Learning will also develop tools based on Carnegie Learning's Cognitive Tutor[R] software technology that will help teachers author their own highly effective and engaging computer-based activities.

"We are very excited to be a part of the Science Mission to Planet Earth project at Southern University because it touches several of Carnegie Learning's key education initiatives," said Dr. Steve Ritter, Chief Product Architect and co-founder of Carnegie Learning, Inc. "A major benefit of this project is that it provides a compelling, applicable opportunity for teachers and students to use technology in support of learning. And the location at Southern University allows us to introduce the benefits of technology to minority students and to help prepare them for competitive, better paying careers that rely on technology."

This SMPE project involves 200 middle school students and 20 teachers per year from urban and rural settings for a total of 600 middle school students and 60 teachers over the length of the three-year grant. The training plan includes an initial, intensive three-day mathematics/science workshop to support the implementation of the project along with classroom visits from project managers, and additional support is provided through teacher conferences, in-service hours via satellite linkages and summer institutes. Students will participate in two four-week institutes.

About Carnegie Learning (www.carnegielearning.com)

Carnegie Learning is a leading publisher of core, full-year mathematics programs as well as supplemental intervention applications for middle school and high school students. The company's Cognitive Tutor[R] programs are helping more than 375,000 students in over 1000 school districts across the United States succeed in math by integrating interactive software sessions, text, and student-centered classroom lessons into a unique learning platform for algebra readiness, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, high-stakes test preparation, and Integrated Math programs. The U.S. Department of Education recognizes Carnegie Learning's Cognitive Tutor Algebra I program as one of only two math curricula scientifically proven to have significant, positive effects on student learning. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Learning was founded by cognitive science researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in conjunction with veteran mathematics teachers.