The UMass Lowell Office of School Partnerships administers and supports a number of programs in the community.
Superintendents’ Forum
The Superintendents’ Forum, begun in 1997, is a program of meetings hosted by the Office of School Partnerships for area superintendents to meet to share ideas and concerns on topics of interest to school leaders. Convened by a sitting school superintendent, the Forum offers district leaders a chance to tap into UML resources, as well as receive briefings on matters of importance to them. The Superintendents’ Forum meets at 8:30 a.m. in the OSP Conference Room. Contact: Nancy_Pitkin@uml.edu
Funded by a U.S. Department of Education, Teaching American History grant, “Imagination, Invention, and Innovation: The Making of American History” is a three-year professional development program for elementary and secondary school teachers from eight Massachusetts school districts. This includes, Billerica Public Schools, which is serving as the lead district, along with Amesbury, Chelmsford, Hamilton-Wenham, Littleton, Tewksbury, Triton Regional, and Westford. “Imagination, Invention, and Innovation” explores a number of key themes in American History and spans from the period of 16th century Native American and European encounters to the present day. It seeks to enhance teachers’ knowledge of U.S. history, deepen historical thinking skills, and offer new approaches for classroom instruction of traditional American history.
History Connected draws connections across time and place to the enduring themes and issues of American history. Global connections between the United States and the world are an important feature of the program. So too are connections between ideas, individuals, documents and events as they developed on the local, national, and international levels. Over the course of three years, program participants will explore the connections that have shaped American history through three themes. As part of the History Connected project, the Reading Public Schools will work in partnership with the Department of History at Boston College, the University of Massachusetts - Lowell Graduate School of Education, the Tsongas Center for Industrial History, and Primary Source, a nonprofit history professional development organization based in Watertown.
The Northeast Network STEM Pipeline Project is one of seven partnerships in Massachusetts that addresses the need to increase the number of qualified young people choosing careers in science, math, engineering and technology, or STEM, fields.
Vibes and Waves is a program designed to build a research and learning network between UMass Lowell graduate students in engineering, sciences and education and students and teachers at Lawrence and Lowell high schools is among 92 programs around the nation that recently received a Motorola Foundation Innovation Generation Grant.
Encounters and Exchanges in U.S. History is a content-based professional development program open to teachers of American history of grades 3 – 5 and 8 – 11 in the Danvers, Lowell, North Reading and Reading public schools.
Leadership in America: Dilemmas and Opportunities is a content-based Teaching American History professional development grant that is open to instructors of American history grades 5-12. The districts involved in the first year of the grant are Andover, Greater Lowell Technical High School, Hamilton-Wenham, Lawrence, Methuen, and Tyngsborough. These districts will be joined by Greater Lawrence Technical School, Innovation Academy Charter School and Whittier Vocational Technical High School for years two and three.
Project IMPACT
Project IMPACT (Increasing Math Proficiency in Algebra with College Tutors) is program to offer math and science tutoring by UML students for 9th grade students at the Freshman Academy at Lowell High School to increase the passing rate in Algebra One and prepare students for success on the MCAS test required for graduation. The Project IMPACT grant is part of an initiative of Gov. Deval Patrick’s Commonwealth Corp of Volunteers. Contact Nancy_Pitkin@uml.edu
RAMP UP
RAMP UP is a math tutoring pilot project that brings University of Massachusetts Lowell students to the Kathryn P. Stoklosa Middle School in Lowell on a weekly schedule to provide academic support to students at risk of not passing mathematics classes in grades 5 to 8.The program is funded by the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. Contact Nancy_Pitkin@uml.edu
New Horizons
Since 1987, New Horizons has been an academic support program conducted by University of Massachusetts Lowell at Lowell High School to assist economically disadvantaged first-generation-college-bound minority students as they prepare for regular and alternative admissions to 4-year colleges. New Horizons’ academic support services include: academic tutoring for math, science and college admissions standardized test; course selection advising; career/college exploration; and assistance with application for colleges, FAFSA and scholarships. Students work on strengthening their math, reading, writing and study skills needed for success in college. They are also required to participate in various extracurricular enrichment activities i.e. after-school workshops, community service projects, cultural enrichment events, and college campus visits. Contact Robin_Hall@uml.edu
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