The Charles A. Dana Center is a research unit of the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. Established in 1991, the Dana Center's organizing mission is to develop a next generation of mathematicians, scientists, and knowledgeable citizens who reflect the full diversity of American society. Its first projects focused on nurturing minority student achievement in mathematics and science. These projects, including the Mathematics Workshop Program (also known as the Emerging Scholars Program), grew in various formats to serve dozens of school districts and over 200 colleges and universities.

The Center works to ensure that every student leaves school prepared for postsecondary education and the contemporary workplace. Over the past decade, the Dana Center has worked with Agile Mind, the Texas Education Agency, school districts, national organizations, and others to:

• Provide education leaders with new knowledge about teaching and learning
• Develop resources to help local school districts respond to new accountability standards
• Implement high academic standards for all students by supporting K-12 teachers and leaders
• Improve student achievement through increased school capacity

Today, in Texas and around the nation, the Dana Center provides educational support-directly or through intermediaries-to more than 30,000 K-12 mathematics and science teachers and more than 10,000 school administrators. More than 100 faculty from Texas institutions of higher education and several thousand Texas educators and community leaders have participated in the Center's initiatives.

Issues

The Center has conducted research on vital educational issues including: successful schools and districts, Algebra 1 achievement, effective professional development, teacher induction support, and mechanisms for school finance.