SBIR-STTR Award

A technically literate workforce, capable of math and science problem solving, is essential in order to attract and maintain high-tech industry and manufacturing within rural counties. Math and science intervention in problem solving has been shown to facilitate peak performance and to engage students in math, science and technology for the longer term, however, access to the instructional materials that develop this type of mastery is limited for geographically and financially-isolated high need rural schools. An opportunity exists to offer high need rural students access to this research-based instructional material through a distance learning application that delivers problem solving intervention on-demand to students, and in doing so, to better prepare the next generation rural workforce for the type of technical problem solving that lies at the heart of agricultural innovation in manufacturing and innovation in renewable energy technologies. Today’s rural leaders are well aware that sustainable development at the local level requires a technically proficient workforce and high achieving schools ? especially to attract the agriculturally-related manufacturing and alternative or renewable energy innovation contracts that are drivers in economic development for rural communities. The challenges to provide these key ingredients are complex at baseline, but for rural communities these challenges are magnified. Researchers have demonstrated that students in high need rural areas receive among the least exposure to advanced mathematical understanding and have lower levels of educational aspirations and math achievement than their non-rural counterparts. This situation has a long-lasting effect on an individual’s future because performance and exposure to advanced mathematics have been shown to be strong indicators of the likelihood that students will pursue technical career paths. The lack of exposure and access to good math education from preK-12th grade severely limits a rural students educational aspirations and their ability to compete in the information economy. For rural communities, the additive effect of these constraints is debilitating. Employers today, particularly in manufacturing and alternative energy technologies, are attracted to rural areas that offer well-educated and technically-skilled labor. Counties that produce a low-skill labor force are finding that rapidly-changing production technologies and overseas competition severely limit the prospects for local employment growth and long term economic development. High tech cluster economic development initiatives will be looking for rural areas that have nurtured their math and science labor pool. Therefore, a rural countys ability to provide a high quality math education, specifically in the area of 21st century problem solving, has direct implications for the community’s future economic prosperity, including their ability to limit any outmigration trends and build a sustainable ecosystem. Programs that raise problem solving abilities in math and science are an essential part of any successful strategy to improve the economic well-being of rural America.

This Phase II project will work toward increasing the math and science problem solving capacities of high need rural students and their teachers. Math and science and the ability to solve problems in these disciplines lie at the heart of technical innovation and economic security in today & #39;s global marketplace. Research has demonstrated that early math skills are the strongest predictor of future academic performance across many domains, including reading. Similarly, the acquisition of higher skill levels in math and science can have significant effects on labor market success. Sustainable development at the local level requires a technically proficient workforce capable of complex problem solving and high achieving schools, especially to attract the agriculturally-related manufacturing and alternative or renewable energy innovation contracts that are drivers in economic development for rural communities. Yet despite nearly a decade of research, access to the high quality math and science curricula that will prepare students for this level of competition is severely limited by a complex set of circumstances including outmigration, geographic isolation and the national shortage of trained math educators and math specialists. Learnimation’s distance learning solution will help rural school districts provide access to a high quality math and science problem solving program that is research-based, aligned with the new Common Core Math Standards and integrates internationally-acclaimed problem solving instruction techniques. The research timeline will design, build and validate a web-based Student Problem Solving System that trains students in the full breadth of problem scenarios recommended by the National Math Panel and the Common Core Math Standards. Learnimation will translate current research-based techniques into an engaging learning experience that will be individualized for each student based on his/her unique needs. The team will work with rural teachers and school administrators to tailor the program for their needs, including refining reporting interfaces that enable data-based decision-making. Using these methods, this project will build, refine and deliver a distance learning system that has the potential to increase capacity for problem solving in both students and their teachers. Additionally, the methodology may result in increased understanding in the software development process, in the translation of research to practice and in the structure of research studies that examine the efficacy of intervention tools.