Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) Project Final Performance Report

The goal of the Rural Math Excel Partnership (RMEP) project, a development project funded by the U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) grant program, was to develop a model of shared responsibility among families, teachers, and communities in rural areas as collective support for student success in and preparation for advanced high school and postsecondary study. Foundational math courses targeted were Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, and Algebra Functions & Data Analysis, as preparation for STEM and health (STEM-H) related technician-level careers. During the five years, the project trained 84 teachers of these courses in the six original partner LEAs and two pilot LEA demonstration sites. More than 8,000 students were provided internet access necessary for completing web-based homework assignments. A repository of resources created during the project includes the Math Advanced Study Guide (MAS Guide), videos of STEM-H technicians explaining how math is used to complete their workplace tasks, Family Math Night protocols, webinars, and project PowerPoints. Also included is the "Math at Work in Our Community" activity that engages students in interviews with persons who live in the rural community and perform math competencies in their respective occupations. Refinements in the model of shared responsibility embraced greater use of videos to help guide teachers, parents/families of students, and community event teams in performing their specific responsibilities. Numerous lessons learned are noted in the report. Though evaluators found considerable evidence in survey results that select features of the shared responsibility model provided positive results for teachers, students and parents, they found no statistically significant impact on students' achievement or attitudes and give several possible reasons. An important legacy of RMEP may be the intentional focus on improving outcomes for students in rural schools and the highlighted importance of success in math as a foundation for future employment in local high-demand STEM and health careers, particularly technical-level occupations important to the regional economy and workforce development.