K-12 Educational Outreach Efforts Recognized

K-12 Educational Outreach Efforts Recognized

BY DANA DURBIN
Rice News Staff

The efforts of members of the Rice community involved in educational outreach
programs were recognized at a reception held in their honor on May 5 at Baker
Hall.

Faculty, staff and students at Rice are involved in about 40 educational outreach
programs that impact K-12 students and teachers in the greater Houston area,
Associate Provost Roland Smith Jr. said.

Smith expressed appreciation to all those involved in outreach programs and
recounted the university’s efforts to identify the various Rice departments
and research centers involved in educational outreach and set guidelines for
the work they do.

A survey was conducted through Smith’s office to identify Rice outreach programs,
which were listed in a special insert of the April 30 Rice News. In addition,
an outreach council was established to serve as a guide for those involved in
community service, Smith said.

Rice President Malcolm Gillis expressed the importance of the work being done
through Rice community service programs, which he said have been an integral
part of Rice’s mission since the opening of the university.

Through educational outreach, the university is working to resolve crises being
faced by the public school system, including teachers leaving the field shortly
after entering, a result of an emphasis on the learning process over substance;
a crisis in school leadership and management; and public school infrastructures
that are too old and facilities that are not large enough to handle enrollment
increases.

"We have confronted some of the most vexing challenges head-on with programs
designed to improve both teachers’ competencies and students’ abilities,"
Gillis said. "Through such programs as the School Literacy and Culture
Project, the School Math Project, the School Science Project and the School
Writing Project, Rice faculty and staff work directly with teachers to enhance
their knowledge of the subject matter they teach."

He added that Rice students have been involved in community service programs
as well, serving as tutors, mentors and role models to public school children.

Educational outreach programs are also an important component of Rice’s strategic
plan for the next century, which includes the goal to be the best private university
between the two coasts, Gillis said.

"By extending the reach of the university to elementary and high school
students, we help to ensure that the fruits of a Rice education will be within
reach of greater numbers of young men and women throughout our area. Given the
arsenal of tools potentially available to K-12 students today … we have an
abiding responsibility to ensure that Rice students in the next century arrive
on campus even better prepared than their predecessors," Gillis said.

For related information visit the following Web site:
Rice University Educational Outreach: http://www.rice.edu/projects/reno/rn/19980430/outreach/outreach.html