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Chicago Public Schools Purchases Carnegie Learning Math Curricula With Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Funds

Posted on: Thursday, 18 May 2006, 09:10 CDT

The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has purchased Carnegie Learning's Cognitive Tutor(R) Bridge to Algebra and Algebra I curricula for seven Chicago High Schools as part of the District's high school transformation plan. The $770,000 purchase of Carnegie Learning curricula will be made with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has dedicated $21 million to implementing major improvements in CPS curriculum and instruction.

Chicago's new high school transformation plan was first unveiled in September by CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan, and is designed to strengthen schools with new, rigorous college preparatory curricula in English, math, and science; more instructional support for teachers; and recruitment of and professional support for high-quality principals. The new transformation initiative builds on Chicago's recent work to improve its high schools. Through Mayor Richard Daley's Renaissance 2010 plan and the foundation-supported Chicago High School Redesign Initiative, CPS has already launched 22 new small high schools that stress rigorous coursework, more personalized support, and accountability, with plans to open 30 more new schools in the next four years.

Chicago Public Schools is the nation's third-largest school system and includes more than 600 schools serving 425,900 students. CPS will first implement new curricula in 14 schools, starting with the ninth grade, and will expand to other grades and to 36 additional high schools over the next three years. The high school transformation plan addresses five significant challenges in its high schools--strengthening the curricula, increasing the rigor and relevance of courses, adding depth to course content, improving professional development, and providing better school-based support.

"A recent national study on drop-out rates reveals that many students drop out of school because they are bored with their classes," said Dr. Donald R. Pittman, Chief Officer, High School Programs, Chicago Public Schools. "Carnegie Learning's curriculum has proven successful nationwide in engaging at-risk, English language learners and special needs students as well as high performers with a blend of collaborative class time, interactive textbooks, and software sessions in a lab environment. This curriculum is representative of the fresh approach we are taking with the high school transformation program to get our students excited and inspired to succeed and stay in school."

Carnegie Learning math programs will first be implemented at School of the Arts, South Shore Campus; Mose Vines Preparatory Academy at Orr Campus; and George Washington, Clark Academic Prep, Dyett, John Hope College Preparatory, and Wendell Phillips High Schools.

"We are very excited to be associated with the great educators, thought-leaders, and organizations driving Chicago's high school transformation program," said Dennis Ciccone, CEO of Carnegie Learning. "Chicago's initiative is bold and exemplary and we look forward to working with these groups to make Chicago a model for success for the entire country."

Carnegie Learning's curricula are based on more than two decades of cognitive science research at Carnegie Mellon University studying how students think, learn, and apply new knowledge in mathematics. The instructional format prescribes three days a week of classroom instruction and two days a week in a teacher-supervised software lab environment. The Cognitive Tutor software was developed around an artificial intelligence model that identifies weaknesses in each individual student's mastery of mathematical concepts, customizes prompts to focus on areas where the student is struggling, and sends the student to new problems addressing those specific concepts. The instructor receives an assessment of each student's progress on an ongoing basis, allowing students to receive more individualized teaching and learning.

About Carnegie Learning (www.carnegielearning.com)

Carnegie Learning is a leading provider 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) is helping more than 340,000 students in over 845 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 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.

About The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (www.gatesfoundation.org)

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to promote greater equity in four areas: global health, education, public libraries, and support for at-risk families in Washington state and greater Portland, Oregon. The Seattle-based foundation joins local, national, and international partners to ensure that advances in these areas reach those who need them most. The foundation is led by Bill Gates's father, William H. Gates Sr., and Patty Stonesifer.

Source: Business Wire

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