Faculty and Researchers
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Overview
Rice's Vision for the Second Century was completed in 2006. Although Rice is a private institution with no formal school of education, the plan includes a mandate to "recognize our responsibility as an educational institution to create opportunity and equality by opening our doors to our community." Rice’s contribution to K-12 public education is especially important. Educational outreach at Rice has evolved as a natural outgrowth of the research, teaching, and service of our faculty. The Office of the Associate Provost, created in 1996 at the urging of several members of the Rice faculty, is driven by outstanding K-12 collaboration, which dates as far back as 20 years. These faculty and staff colleagues understand the mutual benefits of sharing and testing the latest knowledge in their fields, both with educators who must prepare K-12 students for the rigors of college and with private sector managers who will be hiring graduates of our K-12 system. They also understand the benefits that such relationships have for Rice students, undergraduate and graduate, by affording them opportunities to convey their knowledge and, in the process, gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned at Rice. The university's K-12 outreach also is viewed as part of Rice's responsibility as a contributing member of the greater Houston community and the state of Texas.
The K-12 initiatives at Rice range from well-funded centers to special projects mounted by individual faculty working with small groups of teachers or students. While a few initiatives are highly visible, many operate almost unnoticed by the local community. Currently, the university sponsors or hosts a total of 88 initiatives generally defined as educational outreach. And although some of the Rice initiatives resemble those at other outward-looking universities, the Rice programs are more strongly focused on science and engineering students and teachers than is typical elsewhere. Seventy-three programs focus specifically on K-12 education. Of this number, 42 serve elementary, middle, or high school students. Thirty-one of Rice’s K-12 initiatives are outreach programs focused on professional development of classroom teachers and administrators. Through teacher professional development, Rice is able to magnify the impact on students. Programs The programs are organized into five categories:
It is estimated that Rice University outreach efforts directly or indirectly touch approximately 7,000 K-12 teachers and 100,000 students annually, stretching from the greater Houston area to the entire state of Texas. Most efforts, however, involve the Houston Independent School District. |
