FANS is a parent outreach project. Its goals are:

• to inform parents about New Jersey's standards in mathematics, science, and technology.

• to involve parents in helping their children reach the standards; and

• to encourage parents to support the local implementation of the standards.

FANS stands for "Families Achieving the New Standards" in Math, Science and Technology Education.

WHY FANS?

All parents want their children to be successful, but they need to know that they can play a vital role in ensuring that their children will be successful. Key FANS messages are:

• to succeed in today's world, students need to achieve high standards in math and science;

• New Jersey's standards set high expectations for all children; and

• parents can help their children achieve these standards.

HOW DOES FANS WORK?

Parents attend an hour-and-a-half workshop on the standards - The FANS Workshop.

WHAT IS THE FANS WORKSHOP?

At The FANS Workshop, parents view a 35-minute videotape, shown in three segments, which conveys the key FANS messages. Between segments of the videotape, parents do hands-on activities similar to those that their children will be doing in their classrooms. These activities reinforce the video's messages, and provide parents with direct experiences of the kinds of activities that will be taking place in schools as the standards are implemented. Parents also receive The FANS Family Kit - which provides additional information about the standards and includes math, science, and technology activities that they can do at home with their children. The FANS Workshop is fun, is important, is exciting.

WHERE CAN FANS WORKSHOPS BE GIVEN?

Everywhere!

FANS Workshops are available at schools, libraries, museums, community centers, churches, work sites and other places. The FANS Workshop is also available in Spanish.

Since 1997, the FANS Workshop has been given over 1,500 times with a total attendance of over 30,000 New Jersey parents.

You can arrange for a FANS Workshop at your site by calling 732-445-2894. The cost to have a FANS Workshop is $150 per workshop, to cover the cost of the trained workshop leader that will be provided, and also materials. The cost is reduced for trained workshop leaders who plan to lead the workshop in their own schools and simply require a shipment of FANS Workshop materials. We have available a free three-minute promotional videotape that you can use to inform parents about the FANS Workshop, for example, at back-to-school night.

You can find out where workshops are offered by checking the online calendar.

WHO SPONSORS FANS?

The FANS Project is sponsored by the New Jersey Mathematics Coalition.

The FANS Project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, with additional major funding from the AT&T foundation. Additional Funders include the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the New Jersey Statewide Systemic Initiative for Excellence in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education, the Mid-Atlantic Eisenhower Consortium for Mathematics and Science Education, the Merck Institute for Science Education, Casio, Inc., and the American Chemical Society.