The Illinois State Board of Education partnered with two outside groups, the National Computational Science Alliance (NCSA) and the North Central Regional Technology in Education Center (NCRTEC), to provide staff development, along with technological software, hardware, and support, to improve 6th graders' performance in the areas of mathematics, science, and reading. The project involved teachers, administrators, and support staff from diverse public and private schools that contained students of low socioeconomic status, had high transfer rates, and large percentages of students receiving special education. Participants received 5 days of training in the engaged model of learning and in the use of specific modeling software. Participant communication was enhanced through e-mail and other web-based technologies. Teachers planned, implemented, and evaluated action research projects at their schools that involved students in collecting data and highlighted a real problem. Performance assessment measures were utilized to gauge project merit. Feedback from participants was used to improve future efforts at local school sites in achieving state and local standards related to data collection, representation, and interpretation. Evaluation activities produced confirming evidence for each of the three major goals (helping students achieve high academic standards, providing staff development opportunities for teachers, and establishing community collaboration among participating 6th graders). An executive summary is appended. (Contains 13 references.) (SM)