Nevin C. Brown, Guest Columnist National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges Since 1984, the University of Mis- souri-Kansas City has developed the Metropolitan Area Schools Project (MASP) to provide a focus for the university's collaborative programs with the metropolitan region's public schools. Initially, the purpose of MASP was the improvement of math- ematics and science education in the greater Kansas City area: to identify and prioritize math and science needs; to identify and use local re- sources to assist teachers and area school districts to address the needs; to identify and secure external funding for science and math educational im- provement; and to develop a strong, cooperative network of educational, community, and business interests. The resulting Mathematics and Phys- ics Institute, established by UMKC and four area school districts with local foundation and institutional fund- ing, provides instruction to advanced high school students in university- level physics and calculus on UM KC regional campuses. A second pur- pose of MASP was the development of a superintendent's round table for fifteen metropolitan-area school dis- tricts (both central city and suburban). The round table enables superinten- dents to identify common problems and pursue cooperative projects in math, science, and related fields. In addition, the round table served as the inspiration for the Kansas City Con- sensus lnterdistrict Cooperative Task Force, which has proposed the devel- opment of a comprehensive Educa- tional Alliance to coordinate a wide range of collaborative programs in the two-state metropolitan region. For fur- ther information, contact: Dr. Deanna C. Martin, Director, Center for Aca- demic Development, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5100 Rockhill Road, SASS Building, Kansas City, MO 64110-2499. • The Middle College High School is a unique collaborative program be- tween LaGuardia Community Col- lege, a unit of the City University of New York, and the Board of Education of New York City. The high school, located on the college campus, has tested the 197 4 hypothesis that a sup- portive collaborative relationship be- tween a college and high school can significantly reduce the attrition rate of students considered to be potential dropouts. The Middle College High School utilizes high school and col- lege resources to reconnect youth with educational achievement. Middle College students take all their high school courses on the college cam- pus, are provided opportunities to take college courses, and are treated in all other ways as full members of the campus community. Middle Col- lege faculty and staff are also consid- ered an integral part of the host col- lege. Student self-image is improved, college is made a realistic goal, and motivation is therefore provided for students to complete high school. A career education program connects each student to the working world, en- abling the Middle College to use stu- dent work experiences to improve attitudes and skills. A strong counsel- ing program connects students with peers and adults in the school com- 102 Metropolitan Universities/Summer 1991 munity, providing an effective means for supporting students with educa- tional and personal problems. The re- sults of the program at LaGuardia have been dramatic: high rates of at- tendance by Middle College students, low dropout rates (less than 7 per- cent), and high rates of transition to two- and four-year institutions of higher education (approximately 80 percent). With support from the Ford Foun- dation, the Middle College High School model is being replicated at community colleges in a number of metropolitan settings, such as Mem- phis, Peoria, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay area. There is in- terest, as well, in testing the model in a four-year campus setting. For further information, contact: Dr. James E. Lieberman, Special As- sistant to the President for Educa- tional Collaboratives, LaGuardia Community College/City University of New York, 31-10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101-9950. • One of the most wide-ranging in- teractive metropolitan programs is the University of Rhode Island/Provi- dence School Department's Partner- ship Program. The Partnership Pro- gram was formed in 1978 under the auspices of the university's Urban Field Center, an outreach agency of the Cooperative Extension Service, the Graduate Curriculum in Commu- nity Planning and Area Development, and the Providence School Depart- ment. One early project of the Partner- ship Program was the development of elementary and secondary magnet programs in math and science, law and government, and international studies. A special program, Project Discovery, identifies fifth- and sixth- grade students who are potential dropouts and provides them with summer programs in marine and environmental studies to build skills in math and science. In addition, there are special outreach and mentoring programs for the large number of Southeast Asian students in the metropolitan area and a guaranteed Admissions Program for early identifi- cation and support of minority inner- city high school students seeking to enter the University of Rhode Island. The Partnership Program also in- cludes a comprehensive Dropout Prevention Collaborative that en- gages school, university, community, and business leadership to develop and coordinate social service delivery, parent education, and data collection to identify and serve potential dropouts at all points in the Providence K-12 education system. The Partnership Program receives significant funding from local and national foundations. The program has been recognized by awards from the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Institute for Educational Re- search. For further information on the part- nership, contact: Dr. Marcia Marker Feld, Director, Urban Field Center, University of Rhode Island, 22 Hayes Street, Providence, RI 02908. MU1991-Summer-102_page101 MU1991-Summer-103_page102