The learning environments and academic performances of many Detroit-area schools have greatly improved as a result of a University educational outreach effort, the program’s leaders say.

The joint effort between the University and Detroit Public Schools, organized by the University School of Education’s Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools, incorporated a small number of schools when it began seven years ago. Now, the project affects more than 30 schools and thousands of urban students, primarily in middle schools and the upper levels of a few elementary schools.

“We work on a number of different fronts that influence school systems,” said Education Prof. Joseph Krajcik, who participated in the project.

He added that the project provides professional development for teachers, helps with infrastructure and deciding policies, and creates a set of standards that the students should meet. Also, teachers learn teaching strategies that engage students more and become more proficient in using and integrating technology into the classroom.

LeTUS Science Resource Teacher Deborah Peek-Brown, who left the classroom to participate in LeTUS, described the impact of the program on Detroit’s teachers.

“There have been great gains in teacher knowledge through working with the program,” Peek-Brown said, adding that the program stresses inquiry-based teaching methods centered on students.

LeTUS works to develop and provide interactive computing technologies and innovative hands-on materials to improve not only learning but also the motivation of children with regard to science education, Krajcik said.

One example of the technology provided for the teachers and students in LeTUS was the purchase of classroom sets of hand-held computers, which were used to help students understand concepts, generate questions and perform investigations. Specifically, the program’s curricula include projects which help students address science concepts such as motion, ecology and astronomy in a real-life context by asking a driving question and conducting various experiments. One lesson involved the driving question of “Can my friends make me sick?” to help students learn about the spread of diseases.

Krajcik and Peek-Brown both expressed that the program has helped overall student achievement.

“We have seen significant gains in student learning, and the students in the LeTUS program have shown higher gains than those with traditional learning,” Peek-Brown said. “The enthusiasm for science the children have is amazing.”

Both Krajcik and Peek-Brown emphasized that collaboration over several years is needed to make a project like LeTUS succeed.

“Difficulties and challenges always exist when trying to bring about large-scale change. It takes a constant effort on all parties and it is a never-ending problem to be engaged in,” Krajcik said. “There were many instrumental key players involved in the partnership … as well as dedicated graduate students, staff and faculty.”

The project, originally funded through grants from the Natural Science Foundation and the Urban Systemic Program, will continue to seek support in light of the grant’s dwindling funds. “We are, however, pursuing other related projects to retain involvement in Detroit Public Schools,” Krajcik added.

The LeTUS program has received the Council of Great City Schools’ 2004 Urban Impact Award, which annually recognizes outstanding projects conducted through collaborations between university faculty and Great City School districts. To be eligible for the award, the project must be currently operating and have been in place for at least two years.

The Council of Great City Schools, founded in 1956, is a coalition of 64 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems and includes cities such as Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta and St. Louis.