http://www.uscb.edu/uploads/PR_Dr_Lynn_Mulkey_Lands_NIH_Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 26, 2008 MEDIA CONTACT:

Deborah Reynolds USCB Public Information Director 843-208-8030 or reynoldh@gwm.sc.edu

USCB Sociologist Receives Major NIH Grant BEAUFORT, S.C. – University of South Carolina Beaufort sociologist Lynn Mulkey and her colleague Sophia Catsambis of the City University of New York were recently awarded a major grant totaling nearly $600,000 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue cutting-edge research on ability grouping in America’s schools.

“I am so pleased to have the opportunity to continue this research,” said Dr. Lynn Mulkey, the chair of the Social Sciences department and the coordinator of the Human Services program at USCB. “We have learned so much about education through prior research, and this grant will give us the opportunity to complete our goals.”

The grant serves as a follow-up to a similar grant of almost $500,000 which was awarded to USCB three years ago by the NIH. The original grant was awarded to develop a study entitled “Mapping” Tracking in the Elementary Grades: A Nationwide Investigation,” which was the first comprehensive longitudinal examination of within-class ability grouping in the early elementary grades in the United States.

The sequel study, “‘Tracking’ Tracking and Achievement Growth in the Elementary Grades: A Nationwide Investigation,” will examine how and to what degree the practice of instructional grouping impacts the cognitive growth of our country’s children who enter school with varied social backgrounds and achievement levels.

“This grant serves as a major step forward for our research efforts at the university,” said USCB Chancellor Dr. Jane T. Upshaw. “The NIH grant will provide funds for important, groundbreaking research which will directly impact the future of education in the United States.” (more) USCB Grant

Page 2 Dr. Mulkey’s research will inform her teaching. She teaches courses in sociology for USCB’s Human Services program, which prepares graduates for a wide range of professional fields, all of which offer the opportunity to do meaningful work which makes a difference in the lives of others. This interdisciplinary degree, which emphasizes the social and behavioral sciences, prepares its students to fill an employment gap in an increasingly sophisticated global economy.

USCB offers the only baccalaureate program in Human Services in South Carolina’s public colleges and universities. A field dedicated to serving others, Human Services is a fast-growing educational program. To earn a B.S. in Human Services at USCB, students must complete rigorous coursework, as well as three internships with a minimum of 120 hours each.

ABOUT USCB: The University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) is a senior institution of the University of South Carolina system serving the southeast coast of Georgia and South Carolina. The university’s two campuses, located on the waterfront in historic Beaufort, S.C. and at the gateway to Hilton Head Island in Bluffton, S.C., serve a diverse student body of nearly 1,400. USCB offers students an exceptional place to learn and live in an environment focused on growth, preservation and opportunity. For more information about The University of South Carolina Beaufort, please visit www.uscb.edu online or call the university’s Office of Public Information at 843.208.8030.

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