GK-12 Nuggets

INTRODUCTION

These nuggets represent the outcomes of the current GK-12 projects. They are arranged alphabetically by the name of the institution within cohorts (year of proposal submission). They were supplied by the sites in the fall of 2002 and edited to ensure some consistency as to style and information supplied. The sites were asked to supply short synopsis of the outcomes of their efforts. Reading them and the sites' 2001-2002 Annual Reports leads to some conclusions about the components adapted by most sites as important for their success and some of the general outcomes one might expect from a GK-12 project.

Overview: Perhaps the overwhelming impression one gets from reading these nuggets is that, in the aggregate, these GK-12 projects reflect one theme in many settings; all activities are based on partnerships between schools and universities and feature graduate and undergraduate STEM students working with teacher colleagues to improve STEM education at the K-12 level, however the varied local flavor of each reflects objectives governed by the needs of the schools, the interests of the teachers, the resources available from the university, the discipline expertise of the Fellows and the many partners some sites have drawn into their projects.

The great variety of activities described and the diversity of institutions, schools and disciplines involved reflects the creativity of the PIs, the teachers and the Fellows in adapting a common theme and set of goals to answer local needs. Projects vary from those which visit many sites on a sustained but short term basis (such as the Georgia State University BioBus) to those that concentrate on serving specific needs of a well defined set of schools (such as the math in the classrooms project from the University of Washington and the project at the University of Pennsylvania). There are Fellows in tribal schools (Arizona State University and North Dakota State University), in a school for children with special needs (Oregon State, Rao), and in prestigious private schools, but a significant number of schools served have compelling needs in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) education, either because they are in areas of high poverty or have a high percentage of students not performing well academically.

Common components: Most sites note the need to start each academic year with a summer workshop including both Fellows and teachers and to follow up with monthly seminars during which Fellows share their experiences. Many require the Fellows to write journals which the PI or a coordinator reads on a weekly basis. The workshop is cited as important for establishing comfortable working relationships between the Fellows and their host teachers, defining roles and establishing priorities. It is also used as a time to introduce the Fellows to state math and science standards, useful techniques of classroom management and the theoretical and practical basis for the pedagogies used by their teacher colleagues. The journals and seminars are used as a time for problem solving and sharing of successes. Most sites also noted the need of a coordinator, familiar with both the university and the school system, to help with scheduling, recruiting of Fellows and schools, and design of the summer workshops and monthly seminars.

Outcomes: In general Fellows seem to be gaining increased ability to communicate their ideas to both a professional audience and the general public and a deeper understanding of their own discipline and its relation to other disciplines. Most Fellows (about 80-90%) do not appear to be taking a longer time to degree and most elect to go into research or industrial careers, although a significant number (perhaps about 10-20%) are electing to enter K-12 teaching because of their experiences during their Fellowships. The teachers appear to be gaining increased confidence in their abilities to teach science and their interest in doing so. Many lessons, modules, and learning games (Columbia University, San Francisco, San Diego and Pennsylvania State Universities, and the University of Oklahoma, Knox) are now available from the site or on the web (University of Colorado, Boulder) to help schools adapt professionally prepared kits and curricula such as FOSS or Everyday Math using examples with local interest to fulfill the criteria set by state or national standards in science and mathematics. In some school districts the partnerships were strong enough that test scores of schools and classes specifically involved in GK-12 could be compared to comparable schools and classes; there is evidence scores improved more markedly after introduction of the project (see University of Washington and Wayne State nuggets). In others there has been an increase in student participation in science fairs (North Carolina and Southwest Missouri State Universities) and an increased interest by K-12 students in attending college and becoming scientists or engineers (University of Arizona). In all K-12 schools served students seem to have benefited by increased classroom time spent on mathematics or the sciences and lessons that directly engage students in hands-on activities. In some places the GK-12 partnerships have inspired increased school district interest in science (North Carolina State). Most sites entering their third year have already started dissemination of their efforts through publications or presentations at national meetings (Cornell, West Virginia and Vanderbilt Universities). Interesting outgrowths of the Fellowships have been work on an international scale with researchers in Asia and Africa (University of Maine, University of Washington, Denton) and with agencies such as Project WILD and GLOBE.

Conclusion: The success of these projects reflects the creativity and hard work of the PIs and the coordinators, the enthusiasm and collective energies of the Fellows and the teachers and the cooperation and interest of the K-12 students involved.

Acknowledgements: These nuggets were edited, summarized and arranged by Betty Calinger of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (the conveners of the meeting) and Linda Ewing, an Einstein Fellow assigned to the GK-12 program within the Division of Graduate Education of the National Science Foundation. Sherri Balke-Smith of the Division of Graduate Education checked all the URLs and entered them into the GK-12 website listing of project websites.

GK-12 NUGGETS FOR ACTIVITIES IN 2002

Projects First Funded in 1999

Clarkson University / Susan Powers/ sep@clarkson.edu
The Clarkson Project Based Learning Partnership Program brings innovative yearlong curricula into local middle schools. These curricula use environmental problem solving to show children the value science, math and technology has for solving problems of local concern. Fellows undergo training during the summer so they are well prepared to write suitable unit and lesson plans, interact with children, and lead effective classroom sessions. Assessment of the program by an external evaluator indicates that the teachers value the preparation by the fellows, their content knowledge, and ability to engage the students in science and technology projects. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the students are having more fun in these subjects and are more aware of college and career options due to their time with the Fellows. More quantitative assessment is on going. The curriculum developed through our GK-12 grant has caught the interest of Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a non-profit group that develops and disseminates pre-engineering curricula for middle and high schools. Additional funding through the GE Fund will enable us to work with PLTW to disseminate the work we developed through NSF. The press release provides more details. Please see it at our web site: http://www.clarkson.edu/k-12.

Cornell University / Marianne Krasny / mek2@cornell.edu
CEIRP fellows develop and implement curricula designed to engage high school and middle school youth in environmental sciences research. Middle-grade students raised mustard plants and investigated genetics through selective breeding. High school chemistry students acted as consulting engineers to help a simulated smelting company decide how to clean up lead-contaminated soils. A high school environmental studies class used remote sensing technology and lake zooplankton levels to predict alewife populations in Lake Ontario. Short-term intensive partnerships work well for schools that are too distant for long-term interaction. Several fellows worked full time for 2 weeks at an urban high school helping students carry out open-ended toxicology experiments. A PhD candidate worked for 3 weeks in her alma mater high school in rural Colorado. Her partner teachers reported that she provided an unparalleled opportunity for students to gain new perspectives on their own potential education and career paths. Summer undergraduate fellows helped youth conduct participatory research with community gardeners to document ethnic vegetable and herb growing practices in conjunction with Cornell's NSF-funded Garden Mosaics program. An article by a fellow and PI was accepted for publication in the American Biology Teacher; presentations were made at annual conferences of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching and the Ecological Society of America. Additional information is available from our web site: http://ceirp.cornell.edu

Michigan Technological University /Beverly Baartmans / bjgimmes@mtu.edu
Two activities of the MTU program (1999-present) have been successful enough to receive attention at the state level. Our Family Math and Science Nights program has attracted attendance of over 700 parents and 1,000 students each year, and in 2000 it received the Michigan Association of School Board's Education Excellence Award. One of the objectives of our GK-12 program was to help our local schools improve their mathematics and science MEAP (Michigan Educational Assessment of Progress) scores. During the academic year 2001-02, one of our schools--Houghton High School-- received the most MEAP student awards statewide of all class C schools. In general, all participating schools feel that the GK-12 program has helped them better align their mathematics and science programs with state and national standards.

North Carolina State University / Laura Bottomley / laurab@eos.ncsu.edu
Fifty K-8 teachers worked with the NC State Fellows on a weekly basis. This contributed to a total of 1600 children in grades K-8 that were directly impacted by the Fellows, the PI, or the project managers each week. The project ran a science fair at one school and started a new science fair at a second one; science questions were answered on a morning news broadcast by the PI and/or Fellows. Long-term impacts are being catalogued. Approximately 30 teachers sought additional professional development in science and technology this year as a result of participation in the GK-12 program. Due to the influence of key grant personnel, the school system decided to undertake comprehensive science reform, which will impact over 100,000 students countywide. The PI and grant manager chair a task force to implement inquiry-based science instruction in every school in the county. In addition, changes are underway in our College of Engineering. The freshman-engineering course will use the same kind of inquiry-based instruction that Fellows carry out in K-8 classrooms. The required freshman design project now includes an option to perform an outreach project like the GK-12 model—freshmen engineers in K-8 classrooms teaching a science/math/technology concept with teachers. The same kinds of benefits seen by the Fellows are expected for the freshmen—increased understanding of engineering and science concepts and confidence in themselves as engineers. This outreach project is expected to have a long-term impact on student retention in the College of Engineering, especially for female and underrepresented minority students.

The Pennsylvania State University / Daniel C. Haworth /
Hybrid and electric transportation vehicles (HEV's) provide a unifying technical theme and focus for our program. Highlights of this year's activities include significant improvements in the interactions between the graduate fellows and their respective K-12 teachers and students, completion of several classroom manipulatives by the Undergraduate Fellows, development of an interactive web-based HEV game (“HEVIG”) and other web-based components (e.g., “Question of the Week”) to ensure sustainability beyond the formal project end date (August 31, 2003), and extensive use of feedback and assessment to improve several aspects of the project. The latter was the subject of a paper presented at the June 2002 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition (P. Henning, D. Haworth, E. Kisenwether, R. Tallon & O. Finckh, “Closing the assessment feedback loop: the use of a qualitative formative evaluation process and changes in the second year of a three-year joint GK-12 HEV NSF-Penn State science education project”). Considerable resources have been invested to develop HEVIG. HEVIG is a WWW-based application of science- and technology-based information and knowledge management with a game-like learning interface that targets middle-grade students. The application utilizes the building of an HEV as a theme and structure for knowledge introduction and presentation, interactive learning cycles, tests and games, and examination of knowledge acquired. It is anticipated that HEVIG can serve as a model for the design of other web-based constructivist learning environments that support different learners and encourage different learning styles.

Rhode Island University / John Merrill / Assoc_dean@gso.uri.edu
Our Fellows receive extensive training and work with teacher partners at a summer institute. It has proven valuable for the Fellows to try out their newly acquired skills in conducting inquiry activities with the teachers and receive their feedback in this setting before going into classrooms. The teachers have been pleased with the 12 field exercises lead by fellows to diverse ecosystems such as barrier beaches, virgin forests, and estuaries. The exercises are instructive and enjoyable and give the teachers tools for providing similar experiences for students. Fellows engage the K-12 students in a variety of activities and field exercises. Inner-city students visit coastal environments for the first time and students in a coastal school district are able to engage in yearlong research at nearby field sites. Fellows have incorporated their own thesis research into the K-12 activities. A measure of our program's success is increased use of scientific inquiry in Rhode Island K-12 classrooms. Teachers have more confidence to conduct these activities, the students are more engaged in their science classes, and the Fellows have gained experience in translating complex scientific concepts into classroom activities. Fellows report that they feel more comfortable discussing their own research with non-scientific audiences.

Rice University / Kathleen S. Matthews / ksm@rice.edu, kpat@rice.edu
Rice University's GK-12 Fellows Program engages undergraduate and graduate students and faculty from three university campuses (University of Houston-Downtown, University of Houston-Central, and Rice University) to interact with middle school students and science and mathematics teachers from the Houston Independent School District, a district of over 200,000 students. For two weeks in May, the Fellows learn about current issues in education – urban schools, gender equity, science and mathematics standards, standardized testing, psychosocial issues of adolescents, students with special needs, and more. They shared that this training helped prepare them to enter the classrooms. Fellows participate in an intensive summer professional development program where they gain knowledge of current issues in educational reform, become familiar with a particular area of curriculum, such as middle school force and motion or measurement, and become immersed in teacher culture. The Fellows and teachers interact for two days in August to design a Campus Implementation Plan that focuses their efforts throughout the year. Fellows write weekly reflections about their experiences in the school, and they gather bi-weekly for a seminar. Secondary students attend a field trip to one of the universities, and their remarks regarding this experience have been extremely positive. Teachers attend one dinner and debriefing each semester for the program coordinator to find how to best support the teams' efforts and further improve the program. The Fellows plan and present a symposium for teachers in Houston ISD to show them the connections between their graduate level research and middle school curricula. Teachers have reported great satisfaction with the way the symposium teaches them new things and sparks fresh ideas.

Rutgers University, New Brunswick / Kathleen M. Scott / scott@biology.rutgers.edu
This project partners graduate and undergraduate students with middle and junior high school mathematics, life science, physical science or technology teachers in urban and suburban school districts. Fellows and team teachers worked with approximately 1840 students. At a summer institute, teams developed and presented lessons based on the district's curriculum and enhanced through the expertise of the Fellows; this exercise was used to introduce Fellows to the classroom. During the academic year, Fellows collaborated with teachers, contributed to classroom teaching, updated the curriculum, and developed and implemented several innovative units including a proposal writing activity in which middle school students first learned about aquatic habitats and then wrote proposals to support a classroom freshwater aquarium based on their own design. Peers critiqued proposals and developed a set of criteria to determine the merit of each other's plan.

San Diego State University / Walter C. Oechel, Nancy Taylor / ntaylor@sdcoe.k12.ca.us
We have begun a 3-year continuation of the PISCES GK-12 project. Measures to institutionalize and export the highly regarded features of PISCES will be the focus of the continuation phase. K-6 teacher participants and Science Corps members plan and implement a standards-based, inquiry-centered science unit from the PISCES instructional materials matrix (http://www.sdsa.org/pisces). These long-term teaching relationships encourage lasting change in K-6 teachers' attitudes about science, as well as their content knowledge. Exemplary instructional materials and correlated real-time data from the SDSU Global Change Research Group are the focus of science learning in over 100 classrooms each year. Over 110 local teachers from 14 school districts have participated, and the Science Corps has provided over 10,000 K-6 teacher/student contact hours each year. PISCES provided training and in-class experiences to over 35 Science Corps fellows in its first 3 years. Fellows help design web-based lessons, correlated with inquiry-based science kits and California Science Standards and that integrate streaming real-time data from locations along the Pacific Rim. PISCES fellows cite improved communication skills at all levels and an appreciation of the importance of elementary school science education as major benefits of participation.

University of Alabama at Birmingham / Larry K. Krannich / krannich@uab.edu
Graduate and advanced undergraduate science students are teaching apprentices in nine K-12 science outreach programs that deliver science equipment and curriculum to K-12 students and provide professional development for K-12 science teachers. Fellows have provided science content knowledge for teachers, taught science in K-12 classrooms, initiated science clubs and tutorial programs, developed and implemented curricula and hands-on lab modules, and mentored students. The program evaluation reports: enhanced science instruction as a result of close and regular interactions between teachers and fellows and the development of mutual trust and respect; competition among teachers for fellows; increased student test scores in those classes that use fellow-developed modules; fellows spent more than assigned time with classes because of student enthusiasm and questions; outreach programs strengthened and expanded due to fellows' involvement; students have positive attitudes about science and express interest in science careers; more hands-on lab time for all students because of increased teacher interest; science clubs are a new feature in middle and high schools; class attendance is higher on fellows' days; and teachers view fellows as positive role models for students. A comprehensive website documents past and ongoing program activities, and project team members (PIs, fellows, and teachers) have presented at the National Science Teacher Association and American Chemical Society meetings. Web site: http://www,gk12.uab.edu

University of Arizona / Michelle Hall-Wallace / hall@geo.arizona.edu
Our library of “nuggets” tells us we are on the right path to fulfilling our goals. One was to affect change in students' attitudes towards science. An example was a wonderful interaction between a fellow and an elementary-school teacher whose classroom emphasis had been the arts. The fellow and the teacher collaborated in an exciting and respectful manner. This teacher had the same students for 3rd grade and was assigned another fellow. She related that her students loved the experience and each one wanted to be a scientist. Having the fellows in her classroom was the best thing to happen in her 30-year career. Another goal was to increase teachers' comfort level with science. A 5th-grade teacher loved teaching earth science so much after her GK-12 experience that she decided to teach science all day at a middle school. This year, she requested a Fellow to help her in biology because she has not yet reached the comfort level she had teaching earth science. We also wanted to help the next generation of scientists feel more comfortable in the role of science educator. A Cohort 1 fellow now teaches undergraduate biology, environmental studies, and science education at a North Carolina college. She believes that her work with this project helped her get the position. She feels comfortable interacting with schools, teachers, and administrators and understands the realities of classroom teaching. We seek to help teachers implement new science curriculum. Two Fellows worked on a project called Marine Discovery with a master teacher. She said this experience was the highlight of her year. Fellows helped her extend labs and other activities into new areas. One of the Fellows has completed her Ph.D. and now works as a post-doc developing GIS-based oceanography curriculum on an NSF-funded project.

University of Colorado at Boulder / Jacquelyn Sullivan / Jacquelyn.sullivan@colorado.edu
Our focus is on creating and implementing hands-on engineering curricula for K-12 classrooms. Curricular units, written by engineering graduate fellows and reviewed by engineers in academia and industry, are mapped to national and state standards and benchmarks, as well as local science sequences. Fellows work in 133 K-12 Boulder classrooms and in after-school MESA programs, and train other graduate students to teach GK-12 engineering activities at Saturday engineering expos. Fellows express increased confidence in communicating engineering and technology to the general community. K-12 students view them as effective engineering role models and have displayed an increased knowledge of science, engineering, math, and technology content as a result of the program. Teachers' science and engineering content knowledge increased as well as their application of math and technology into instruction. A discussion with engineering outreach programs about sustainability resulted in a workshop hosted by ITL to share K-12 engineering tools, curricula, and ideas. The workshop catalyzed an intensive K-12 engineering curriculum documentation initiative that will make units available through the NSF-funded TeachEngineering, a web-based searchable digital library (http://itill.colorado.edu/teachengineering). Curriculum developed by Fellows will be disseminated via the web to be used by teachers and outreach programs past the duration or scope of this grant. Also, the university's partnership with Colorado public school districts can facilitate increased student awareness of engineering as a possible career path.

University of Hawaii / Kenneth Y. Kaneshiro / kykanesh@hawaii.edu
GK-12 Fellows from the Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology (EECB) Graduate Program collaborate with Hawaii Department of Education professionals to create a learning partnership for improving science education. Students incorporate their own research, bringing concepts from ecology, evolution and conservation biology into existing curricula and designing new standards-based inquiry investigations with K-12 teachers. The K-12 projects and activities reflect the fellows' research interests (see ). The Fellow and K-12 Teacher partnerships have been very productive. For example, a teacher partner with very little science education background and training worked closely with her graduate Fellow throughout the academic year. She gained such significant experience and confidence in using the standards and inquiry-based teaching that her principal nominated her for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching; she is a finalist. A great measure of success is that a Graduate Fellow has earned her Ph.D. and has been hired as Assistant Professor in the College of Education at the University of Hawaii.

University of Maine / Susan H. Brawley / brawley@maine.maine.edu
Our graduate and undergraduate GK-12 Fellows worked in 4 districts with 22 teachers and about 1,000 students (14 schools, grades 2-12). Fellows made strong contributions to studies of the hydrological cycle, molecular forensics, wildlife ecology, and marine biology. We have worked with our GK-12 Teachers to provide inquiry-based activities that help students reach the goals of the Maine Learning Results. Three Fellows and 3 GK-12 Teachers (elementary, middle, and high school) participated in global GK-12 activities in Japan and Kenya; we are developing outreach materials based upon their experiences for use in our program. Project successes include: (1) experiments/studies made possible in K-12 because of the program's microscopes, thermal cyclers, use of model systems (e.g., zebrafish), etc.; (2) fellows mediating “buddy” classrooms with older and younger students; (3) the role model aspect of the GK-12 fellow program on aspirations of K-12 students; (4) improved communication skills of Fellows; (5) strong partnerships between K-12 schools and the university's science faculty; (6) “real” data collection by K-12 students, and (7) sending GK-12 teachers with fellows to annual meetings of scientific societies. See our website (http://www.umaine.edu/NSFGK-12) for more information about our program.

University of Mississippi / John O'Haver / nmgk12@olemiss.edu
Fellows work with K-12 teachers in the Oxford and Lafayette County school systems to develop interdisciplinary materials to aid in teaching science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Many of the participating teachers ask for interdisciplinary materials that focus on the Mississippi River ecosystems, but include other STEM related materials. We have received approximately 170 requests for projects and have delivered more than 120. The grant has also helped more than 24 local teachers and Fellows attend national conferences including the National Association of Biology Teachers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Science Teachers Association, and American Association of Physics Teachers. Project funds have been used to purchase materials to enhance laboratory and classroom teaching in these local schools. Two of our key projects have been the development of science laboratories for Lafayette Middle School and Oxford's Central Elementary. These newly equipped labs will impact all students for years to come. Our external evaluators estimate that more than 55% of the students in both school districts have already benefited from materials developed through our project.

University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras / Josefina Arce / J_arce@upr.edu
Thirteen fellows from the Puerto Rico GK-12 program worked in the Puerto Rico Department of Education Math and Science Dissemination Centers during the 2001-02 academic year. Fellows served as professional development resources to the teachers in all of the 297 schools served by the Center. These Fellows offered 193 activities: 80 for K-12 science and mathematics teachers and 113 for K-12 students. The activities focused on diverse curricular disciplines based on the requests of the teachers. The fellows received more than 70 hours of workshops, modeling the most efficient teaching-learning methodologies and incorporating educational technology to prepare them to effectively carry out their duties.

University of Washington / Denice Denton / denton@engr.washington.edu
All 14 PRIME fellows from the 2001-02 academic year reported that they had gained valuable skills and insights from their participation. Twelve indicated that they now understood the day-to-day life of and the challenges faced by a public school teacher. Thirteen stated that they had developed their teaching skills as a result of the time spent in classrooms. These include: (a) developing and implementing effective curriculum (10); (b) understanding how young people learn (9); (c) designing and conducting student assessments and learning about the common preconceptions for given concepts (5); and (d) developing and using inquiry-based learning activities and understanding the associated challenges and possibilities (4). Some fellows specifically mentioned that these skills would benefit them in teaching any age group, including college students. Ten out of 14 fellows wrote that the PRIME experience had influenced their career directions in various ways. For example, 9 had become increasingly or newly committed to future participation in K-12 education, whether in teaching or outreach. Six fellows had become more committed or had renewed their commitment to teaching as a career. Two fellows said that what they had learned about the teaching career through PRIME had dissuaded them from pursuing one in K-12 education. These same fellows, however, said that they would continue to be involved in K-12 education in an alternative school or through outreach. On a related point, 9 indicated that one of the most enjoyable aspects of the program was working with middle school students, and some expressed a newfound enthusiasm for that age group. Seven fellows mentioned that they learned about collaboration through their PRIME partnerships. An appreciation of the potential of partnerships between K-12 and university communities was developed. Other outcomes mentioned by the fellows include: learning about existing educational research and how to conduct it (4); gaining access to the PRIME community of graduate and undergraduate students and education faculty who share a strong interest in science and math education (3); and learning how to write educational proposals.

University of Wisconsin-Madison / Terrence Millar /
KTI-P takes a team-directed, experimental approach to projects designed to improve student learning of science and mathematics. Teams are engaged in a broad spectrum of projects, such as creating curricular materials for students (e.g., nanotechnology for middle school students, evolution case studies for high school students) and professional development courses for teachers ( e.g., School Yard Science-PAC, Astronomy in the Ice). KTI teams have developed web sites, and several fellows and teachers have presented their team's activities at state and national meetings. The KTI-P evaluation plan has included providing formative feedback to project administrators, gathering process and outcome data from fellows, teachers, and fellows' faculty advisors, and helping teams plan assessment activities. Data collected from 2000-2001 participants show that almost all participating teachers reported learning more about science content and were using new teaching approaches; 85% of the fellows reported high-level gains in 4-6 areas (i.e., issues of teaching and learning, issues in K-12 science education, experiences of K-12 teachers, university-school outreach, curriculum design, assessment and evaluation); and that 95% of fellows' advisors perceive KTI-P to be valuable or very valuable as professional development for their advisees. In June 2002, 10 graduate students joined the university's new GK-12 program, KTI-Systemic Initiative to address the science- and math-education needs of complex educational organizations in a more systemic way. Web site:

Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College / Virginia Shepherd /
Our GK-12 program completed a comprehensive External Review as well as a Site Visit. Although pleased with the positive responses, we continue to monitor and evaluate the progress and to modify the program to meet the needs of our fellows and teachers. A science education methods class has been designed for fellows and is taught by Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education. The summer experience for fellows has evolved from a 100-hour service experience in the first summer to a three-week intensive workshop with partner teachers. In summer 2002, fellows took partner teachers to their labs to meet the research directors. Feedback from teachers helped us make meaningful changes in the program administration. For example, each fellow has to write a letter of introduction and fellows and partner teachers meet with their principals before school begins. This strategy brought the smoothest transition into teaching for any cohort of fellows yet. Teachers requested more time in the fellows' laboratories, so future plans include a 2-week experience in research laboratories prior to the summer orientation. Evaluations confirm the impact of teaching fellows on K-12 students. Not only do test scores increase, principals report an apparent connection between the presence of the fellows and reduced absenteeism and discipline referrals in partner teachers' classes. Anecdotal comments by fellows often reflect special connections that have been formed with students. Two articles about our program and the evaluation of its impacts are in publication. The Vanderbilt-Meharry alliance continues to work with the school district to improve and develop sustainability for scientist-teacher partnerships in Nashville.

Wayne State University / D. Carl Freeman / Cfreeman@sun.science.wayne.edu
Our GK-12 program has made a positive impact. Students in the experimental schools exceeded their previous mean score in math on the Detroit Public Schools' (DPS) Essential Skills Attainment Test (ESAT) by 15%. In addition, the experimental schools had a mean score 20% higher than the control schools in math. The ESAT is a criterion reference test that provides diagnostic information about a student's learning of the fundamental standards and benchmarks of DPS Core Curriculum and the Michigan Curriculum Frameworks. Not only do test scores reflect the positive effect of the program on the students, but teacher comments do as well. “One of the students that my fellow has been working with is now starting to talk about college. This student will ask me, what kind of degree does the fellow have,…how do you get into all of this? …it has been really positive.” The program has influenced the content knowledge of the participating math and science teachers. A teacher comments, “After attending the workshops, I now have an 80% success rate with fractions, whereas last year, it might have been 5%.” Another says, “I can use the materials from today's session not only with geology, but to integrate chemistry and other disciplines we have covered.” The GK-12 Fellows at Wayne State have also been touched by the program. One Fellow said, “I have more incentive to want to become a teacher than to be an engineer. The kids have shown me that it's worth it.”

West Virginia University / Eric Pyle / Eric.pyle@mail.wvu.edu Our goals are to prepare the future STEM professorate; provide professional development for middle Grades mathematics and science teachers; and offer sustained contact between middle grades students and STEM role models. Here are some examples of how these goals are being met: (1) Community Atlas - 2 Fellows designed and implemented a series of online discussions between Fellows, teachers, and students at 2 schools in which students analyzed the physical and cultural geography of the areas around their schools and communities, using GIS data and ArcView software. The model was a thematic organizer for the West Virginia Governor's School for Mathematics & Science. (2) Geometry, Physics, and Architecture - A team of graduate students worked in 3 schools to design and plan a miniature golf course. At 2 schools, the team organized fundraisers and solicited outside grant funds to build 2 golf courses and plan a third, on the school grounds. (3) Structures - This team designed a series of classroom competitions centered on the economical construction of bridges. WVU hosted top teams and teachers from 5 schools to test the best designs. Fellows and teachers have presented their work at state and national meetings. Fellows will continue to work with existing teachers and schools, as well as new ones including McDowell County, one of the most remote and impoverished districts in the country. Two teachers participating in TIGERS have gone on to receive Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics & Science Teaching, including TIGERS materials as a part of their portfolios. More information is available at our website: http://www.hre.wvu.edu/tigers

Projects First funded in 2001

Arizona State University / BL Ramakrishna / bramakrishna@asu.edu
Project goals are to improve communication and teaching-related skills for graduate and undergraduate fellows, strengthen partnerships between ASU and the K-12 community, and provide new opportunities for K-12 students and teachers to work with practicing scientists and engineers. Lessons developed by the fellows can be viewed at http://gk12.asu.edu. Fellows work in classrooms and science clubs in school districts with large minority populations. They are answering questions on the “Ask-A-Fellow” portion of our website. Mentors help fellows develop inquiry-based lessons through a 3-credit course, “Inquiry-based Science—Integration of Research with Education.” Fellows engage in action research by monitoring children in their classrooms using a Critical Thinking Rubric for Learning Science developed from the NRC manual on Inquiry and the National Science Standards.

Baylor College of Medicine / Nancy Moreno / Nmoreno@bcm.tmc.edu
This project is creating guided, goal-oriented partnerships between Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) graduate students and Houston ISD (HISD) teachers; providing new professional development in biosciences to 32 HISD teachers per year; and promoting career awareness among HISD secondary students. Activities reach more than 400 biology students per year. In Year 1, four GK-12 fellows teamed with life science teachers to create and teach new biology units that included inquiry labs, pre and post-assessments and homework materials. A five-day professional development series on life science topics was held for teachers from 13 schools also was held for the first time. Topics covered were microbiology and immunology, human genetics, evolution, cancer biology and ecosystems. Participants rated the series very highly stating that it significantly increased their content knowledge in four of five areas measured. In Year 2, three GK-12 Fellows representing programs in Human and Molecular Genetics, and Molecular and Cellular Biology are partnered with four teachers from three HISD schools with high percentages of Hispanic and/or African American enrollments. The workshop series will be repeated in spring, 2003. Project outcomes to date include: increased insight into the dynamics of scientist/teacher collaborations; establishment of a 600 sq ft laboratory for graduate student/teacher activities; creation by BCM and Texas A&M; University of a new alternative teaching certification program for science professionals; and additional education contributions by Year 1 Fellows (one has created and patented a neuroscience teaching model; three are preparing education-related papers for publication; and one is currently teaching a life science course at the University of Houston-Downtown to pre-service education majors).

Clemson University / John Leudeman / lued@clemson.edu
Our GK-12 fellows have been positively influenced by their experiences. For example, a Year 1 fellow who graduated has changed his emphasis in computer science to educational technology. He had developed an inquiry-based computer program to assist students in 8th grade science. Another computer science fellow is leaning towards an educational dissertation. A mathematical sciences fellow is applying mathematics and statistics to analyze data collected by the local statewide systemic initiative hub to measure the effect of STC science kits on student learning. Other groups are interested in the models we have developed. Visiting education faculty from Thailand invited the PI to present on inquiry-based learning and teaching to Thai teachers, graduate students, and undergraduates. We may be able to bring some of the cooperating teachers to Thailand to model inquiry-based teaching.

Columbia University / Jack McGourty / Jm723@columbia.edu
Engineering graduate fellows and graduate pedagogy advisors from Teachers College work with engineering undergraduates and public school teachers to upgrade their technology skills and develop technology-enhanced content modules in math or science. We have developed Probe-Mobiles and Robo-Mobiles, transportable programs that provide lessons, designed by fellows and teachers, on how to use probes and robotics to teach math and science to middle and high school students. Other products include interactive online resources that include curriculum modules based on standard-driven topics, teacher tutorials, and interactive support tools for teachers. Outcome assessment instruments have been developed as part of our project evaluation efforts. We are developing the web infrastructure to hold all project outcomes, including products for teachers and others, presentations and papers, resources and resource links, tutorials, and other information related to learning standards. See http://satchmo.cs.columbia.edu/tip/.

Georgia Institute of Technology / Donna Llewellyn / Donna.llewellyn@cetl.gatech.edu
The Student and Teacher Enhancement Partnership (STEP) uses Georgia Tech graduate students to strengthen partnerships between Georgia Tech and metro-Atlanta area high schools. STEP has provided invaluable models for highly successful partnerships and useful lessons in less successful situations. Where partnerships are flourishing, the relationship between the teachers and the Fellows is based upon mutual respect and the Fellows are willing and able to define how they can help. Most of the Year 1 Fellows found the experience more difficult than they had anticipated but all reported gaining valuable skills and experiences. None regretted the time spent though 4 of the 12 reported delays in their education and/or plans for graduation. The experience was viewed as being worth the delay and the faculty advisors appear to concur. Schools were uniformly enthusiastic about the program with several teachers reporting a renewed enthusiasm for their profession. All Fellows drew upon the resources of their laboratories to help teach science. High school students were enthusiastic about their interactions with Fellows. As a teacher explained, “This partnership makes students feel like they have someone who cares about what they are doing.” An unexpected benefit is that STEP provided minority graduate fellows with a sanctioned vehicle to give something back to the community. In Years 1 and 2, 14 out of 24 fellows were African American—many belonged to the Black Graduate Student Association and the student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. A fellow said, “Somebody stepped into my life and helped me turn it around and make the kinds of decisions I needed to make so I could be here at Tech. Now it is my turn to do the same.”

Harvard University / John Hutchinson / hutchinson@husm.harvard.edu
Harvard University's fellows are paired with teachers in Cambridge Rindge and Latin (the local public high school) and, with their partner teachers, are working on curriculum development, laboratory developments, and teacher and student support and enrichment. The fellows work with students of all ages and grade levels in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology and meet weekly with the PI and GK-12 Teacher Coordinator (from the high school) to share ideas and experiences with the entire group. Currently, we have 3 of our 7 fellows paired with physics teachers at the high school. This larger team of students and teachers has had great success in utilizing the fellows' skills to the benefit of the teachers and the students. The fellows are involved in a wide array of activities including developing and running support and enrichment (S&E;) sessions for students. They provide the curriculum for and lead these S&E; sessions. The fellows have been asked to improve/upgrade the laboratory experience for the students. They will assemble and distribute a collection of experiments that can be used in all physics classes going forward. The physics fellows meet regularly with one another to ensure that their individual work complements their colleagues' work in the classroom, S&E; sessions, and in the lab.

Illinois State University / Cynthia J. Moore / cjmoor1@ilstu.edu
PRISM graduate Fellows provide resources for middle and high school students and teachers in several local school districts. Fellows and teachers have established 3 interdisciplinary school-based teams at Bloomington High School, Gridley Middle / High Schools, and Normal Community High School. The teams have developed prioritized action plans for short- and long-term objectives. We are also working with teachers in 3 additional school districts in central Illinois. A series of teacher professional development workshops were held on biotechnology, fractals, nutrition, and strategies for teaching atomic theory and evolution. On-going projects include: compilation of inquiry-based units on forensic techniques and habitat fragmentation, development of loaner kits for biotechnology, tutoring in homeroom classes set up for struggling math students, organization of a student-led debate on scientific and ethical issues associated with stem cell research, and development of extended applications for TI-73 calculators in math and science classes.

North Dakota State University / Dogan Comez / dogan.comez@ndsu.nodak.edu
Fellows, teachers, and faculty teams developed together inquiry-based hands-on projects that had potential to enhance math and science learning in the classroom. Fellows visit their assigned schools to observe and/or implement these projects, and participating faculty visit these sites to observe and to interact with the teams. The number of teacher applications has exceeded our expectations. Projects developed and implemented in Year 1 are on the project website. Project activities have had a positive impact on the teacher development. Some Year 1 participants are now able to develop their own enhancement projects or implement the ones developed by other teams without the help of fellows. Teachers from the participating schools as well as those from schools not participating use the projects on the web site in their classrooms. An undergraduate fellow from our first cohort chose to earn a teaching certificate in chemistry and has been hired at a local high school. Teachers have found the monthly seminars valuable because they can learn from others' experiences, interact with teachers in the same discipline in a stimulating environment, and update themselves on content, pedagogy, and local and national standards.

San Francisco State University / John Stubbs / stujod@sfsu.edu
Graduate fellows work with Partner Teachers in high schools and middle schools in the San Francisco Unified School District to develop and implement science standards-based inquiry activities. These interactive activities for 6th-11th graders are posted on http://www.sfsu.edu/~gk12sf/interactiveactivites.htm. Interesting projects created by fellows include: An 11th grade chemistry project to survey lead levels in soil around the school involved students in the design and implementation of an EPA-like project, conducting atomic absorption spectrometric analyses at SFSU and presenting a public poster session. The development of a 2-semester Marine Science curriculum for 10th-11th graders initiated by a Marine Biology Fellow and her Partner Teacher now includes faculty at SFSU's Romberg Tiburon Marine Center. Another project is a 2-year biotechnology curriculum. This work will be presented at the American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting. Year 1 Fellows presented their research to partner teachers and students. Fellows report that this exercise was very valuable because it increased their understanding of how to make effective teaching communication and students showed great interest in the research projects.

Southwest Missouri State University / Tamera Jahnke /
Fellows, SMSU faculty, and middle school teachers work together to improve student-teacher contact and student learning in selected middle schools within the Springfield Public Schools system. The project has also improved university/middle school science collaboration. Fellows have earned the trust and respect of the middle school teachers and are helping us identify their needs more accurately. Fellows increase the teacher's science knowledge through daily interactions, discussions of current events in science, and science activity research and preparation. Some have been very successful in modeling science as an investigative process in the classrooms. The Fellows serve as resource personnel for science and technology, role models for students, science tutors and laboratory teachers. A project goal is to increase the number of students involved in extra-curricular science activities. To this end, GK-12 Fellows organized teams to compete in a Science Olympiad competition. With their guidance, 175 middle school students completed individual science fair experiments; 7 student projects received awards at the regional science fair. The dedication and creativity of the GK-12 Fellows has significantly impacted the opportunities for at-risk students to become involved with science outside of the classroom.

SUNY Binghamton / Nancy Stamp / nstamp@binghamton.edu
The teaching fellows and teachers in grades 4, 5, and 6 completed a summer institute that emphasized use of the 5E teaching cycle (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate) to develop conceptually linked lessons and also match the district and state curriculum maps. The partners are now implementing science lessons based on the 5E approach. It is anticipated that the next cohort of teaching fellows and teachers will develop more lessons. This GK-12 program has made a solid impact: the school district, the teachers, the teaching fellows and the elementary school students are enthusiastic about the program; the district is committed to the 5E approach; the teachers are getting the assistance they need in curriculum development; the teaching fellows are learning how to teach for learning; and the students are enjoying science.

University of Akron / Peter Newiarowski / phn@uakron.edu
Our project goal is to have our K-12 teacher-Fellow partnerships design, develop, and assess curricular supplements. In spring 2002 Fellows participated in K-12 classroom orientations and training sessions and kept journals about their classroom experiences. We are holding 2 teacher-fellow workshops, one on aligning the biological research projects of Fellows with The State of Ohio K-12 proficiency standards, and the second on developing draft designs of curricular supplements, as well as activities/opportunities for K-12 teachers to assist Fellows with their biological research (in the lab and field). By summer 2003 Fellows and teachers should be well prepared to begin developing the content of supplementary curricular materials for K-12 classrooms.

University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign / Eric Jakobsson / jake@ncsa.uiuc.edu
Teams of graduate students in science and mathematics, university faculty mentors, and high school teachers have achieved a number of successes. One team at an alternative school designed a Mathematics-based calculus course that could be a terminal course or prepare weak students for 1st year college calculus. Its organizing concept was on defining functions and exploring their properties instead of being algebraic or geometrical. Preliminary analysis of assessment data indicates that the initial hurdle in the course was students' lack of computer literacy. Their later performance appears to have been comparable to U. of Illinois students taking the same course who are either weak or phobic in mathematics but otherwise academically strong. Another GK-12 team worked with chemistry teachers to help them find inexpensive materials to perform experiments that were on hold because teachers believed that expensive equipment was needed. Teachers, students, and the school system benefited when the Fellow s knowledge was a substitute for money. A Fellow and high school teacher have posted authoritative-yet-clear biology web sites and used these to augment traditional materials. Students are now doing web-based bioinformatics work related to the Fellow s doctoral research, thus becoming part of an ongoing research project. A team focusing on biology will make a presentation at the AERA meeting in April.

University of Maryland / Ellen D. Williams / edw@physics.umd.edu
The second year of the University of Maryland GK-12 Program teams 12 graduate and 4 undergraduate Fellows from the departments of chemistry, materials, engineering, mathematics, and physics with 5 returning and 8 new K-12 teachers. The program involves 7 schools within 3 local counties. The teams develop curriculum and materials to aid in teaching science, math, and technology in the classroom and during after school workshops and clubs. In addition, the program has developed new partnerships with programs on and off campus and has three new summer programs in order to utilize as many resources as possible. Anticipated outcomes are enhanced learning opportunities for minority and underrepresented students, improved communication and teaching skills for the Fellows, the prospect of professional development for teachers, and strengthened partnerships between the University of Maryland and local school districts. Details of the program can be found at http://mrsec.umd.edu.

University of Nebraska / Diandra Leslie-Pelecky / diandra2@unl.edu
Project Fulcrum works with local elementary and middle schools and teachers to enhance science education in grades 3-8. One Resident Scientist is assigned to each school and paired with a Lead Teacher at that school. The most significant contributions of Resident Scientists to the classroom have been as models of the scientific process: asking questions, observing, planning and executing experiments and drawing conclusions. The research focus of this project is the perception of scientists and how gender (of the Resident Scientists as well as of the students) colors that perspective. One highlight of the current year was a kickoff talk by Nobel Prize Laureate Carl Wieman, who delivered a basic talk on Bose-Einstein condensation, then spent 2 hours talking with teachers and fellows from the project.

University of Oklahoma / Mark A. Nanny / nanny@ou.edu
GK-12 Fellows have had life changing experiences as a result of participation in The Authentic Teaching Alliance (ATA) and have had the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of inner-city high school students. One Fellow worked in a 9th grade algebra I classroom in Santa Fe South High School, an inner-city charter school. Her experience convinced her to pursue a double major in industrial engineering and math education. The principal asked her to apply to teach in a 9th grade algebra 1 class. She was hired and is enjoying a new career in the classroom while continuing to work on her master's degrees. A structural engineering undergraduate Fellow was working in an Algebra II class on the day after the World Trade Center attack. She recognized that students were having difficulty focusing on their lesson so decided to discuss with them how the Twin Towers collapsed and what physical parameters, like temperature and the structural design, contributed to the collapse. She was able to transfer knowledge learned in her structural engineering class to the students in Algebra II. A College of Education graduate fellow worked in a science classroom at Emerson Secondary School which houses the Outreach Program for parenting and pregnant students. These teenagers pursue their studies at their own pace. The Fellow introduced the students to engineering and ethnobotany through the engineering of frozen pizza. She and her teammate developed a project that asked students to investigate the different types of engineers required to get a pizza from the soil to the assembly line to their house. The Fellow will describe this activity in a paper presented at a regional American Society for Engineering Education meeting and will expand upon it for use in her dissertation topic.

University of Oklahoma / Richard Knox/ rknox@ou.edu
The Adventure Engineering team includes engineering fellows and middle grade (5-9) teachers from urban schools in Oklahoma City, suburban schools in Norman and Moore, and rural schools in Newcastle and Lindsay. The Adventure Engineering fellows and teachers developed 9, 1-3 week standards-based, adventure-driven curriculum units to replace existing math and/or science curriculum. The fellows assisted the teachers during implementation of the curriculum activities. Qualitative and quantitative assessment indicates that student' attitudes towards science, math and engineering improved as a result of the curriculum activities, as did their knowledge of the pertinent science and math concepts. Enthusiasm among the participating teachers remains high. Due to word of mouth and presentations at various conferences, we have received numerous requests for the Adventure Engineering curriculum units and are working hard to accommodate them.

University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus / Juan Lopez Garriga / sonw@caribe.net
The University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus GUEST K-12 program reinforces the partnership and professional experiences of both university fellows and K-12 teachers through science and technology based activities. From January to May 2002, 10 pairs of fellows made 79 classroom visits and conducted 7 follow-up Saturday academies to engage teachers in calculator-based laboratory (CBL) and GLOBE related science and technology activities. These interactions complement the 150 visits made to schools since 2001. Fellows have trained more than 3,000 K-12 students and over 200 teachers.

University of South Carolina / Jed S. Lyons / lyons@sc.edu
This program has improved the teaching and communication skills of 11 engineering graduate students, enhanced the ability of 51 elementary school teachers to use engineering applications to teach science, and inspired hundreds of elementary children. Teacher-partners are from schools that are part of USC's PDS network and from schools that have not traditionally benefited from a relationship with the university. In addition, 29 elementary teachers from across the state participated in our GK-12 Summer Institute at which the Fellows presented the best activities that they had implemented during the school year; this was their first opportunity to teach adults in a formal setting. In a post-institute survey, all participants strongly agreed or agreed that the Fellows were good teachers. Comprehensive assessment data indicates that our program is meeting its objectives. From our first cohort of Fellows, 2 have received their graduate degrees and are employed in research laboratories, 1 graduated and is setting up an engineering magnet high school for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district, and 5 have reapplied for GK-12 Fellowships.

University of Southern Maine / S. Monroe Duboise / duboise@usm.maine.edu
Students in rural Maine have inadequate access to laboratory facilities and little contact with the scientific world. The Maine ScienceCorps is a collaborative effort of the University of Southern Maine (USM) and the Foundation for Blood Research (FBR) that seeks to address these problems. Teams of fellows work with cooperating teachers in rural high school classrooms to present laboratory and inquiry-based activities that are well-tested and aligned with the National Science Education Standards and the closely related Maine Learning Results. Each team works with teachers and students in 2 or 3 high schools. In addition to the well-tested lab activities, we are developing new microbiology, immunology, and molecular biology laboratory activities. Creative collaboration of ScienceCorps fellows, project staff, and cooperating teachers is focused on coordinating the laboratory activities with the teachers' curriculum plans, further developing appropriate pre-lab and post-lab support materials, and better adapting some activities to fit well within class scheduling constraints.

University of Washington / Loyce Adams / adams@amath.washington.edu
Positive things happened during the 2001-2002 school year. Fellows regularly partnered with teachers at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in the Seattle School District during their math hour. A result was that the 4th graders' scores on the Washington State Assignment of Student Learning scores for the 2001-2002 school year rose from 9.8% to 45.5%, meeting standard in math. With help from the Fellows and faculty in our University Child Development School (UCDS), teachers began to implement an exemplary math curriculum school-wide, K-5. In the Northshore School District, Fellows partnered with elementary and junior-high school teachers in the Kenmore Learning Cluster. At a workshop on proportionality organized and implemented by the Fellows, junior high and elementary school teachers discussed mathematics together for the first time. These teachers visited each other's classrooms; substitute teachers were provided by the GK-12 grant. This type of activity is enabling the necessary conversations about the transitions students must make between the different math curricula and teaching approaches in elementary and junior high school. Our community building in this cluster has begun and will continue in this academic year.

Projects First Funded in 2002