Title: The NIH Life Science Roadmap: Roadwork at the K12 Level
1The NIH Life Science Roadmap Roadwork at the
K-12 Level
- Lorraine Mulfinger, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor of Chemistry
- Director, Juniata College Science In Motion
- Member, PA Basic Ed / Higher Ed Science
Technology Partnerships
2OVERVIEW
- K-12 Science Education Roadmap
- What is Good K-12 Science Education?
- Why do Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships make a
difference? - How should K-12/undergraduate interchanges be
built? - Where should the money come from?
3Good Science Education
- National Science Education Standards
- National Research Council, 1995 (NAS, NAE, NSF,
NASA, USDoEd, NIH) - Student achievement in science and in other
school subjects such as social studies, language
arts, and technology is enhanced by coordination
between and among the science program and other
programsThe science programs should be
coordinated with the mathematics program
4Good Science Education
- National Science Education Standards
- National Research Council, 1995 (NAS, NAE, NSF,
NASA, USDoEd, NIH) - Founding principles are
- Science is for all students.
- Learning is an active process.
- School science reflects the intellectual and
cultural traditions that characterize the
practice of contemporary science. - Improving science education is part of systemic
education reform.
5Good Science Education
- National Science Education Standards
- National Research Council, 1995
- Principals and Definitions
- Science is for all students (EQUITY).
- All students are capable of full participation
- and of making meaningful
- contributions in science classes.
-
6Good Science Education
- National Science Education Standards
- National Research Council, 1995
- Principals and Definitions
- Learning is an active process. (HANDS-ON)
- Emphasizing active science learning means
shifting emphasis away from teachers presenting
information and covering science topics.
Kids learn science by doing science
7Good Science Education
- National Science Education Standards
- National Research Council, 1995
- Principals and Definitions
- School science reflects the intellectual
- and cultural traditions that characterize
- the practice of the contemporary science.
- 70s Nuclear Science
- 80s/90s Molecular Biology DNA
- 00s Nanotechnology
Nanosurf? Products from nanoScience Instruments
8Good Science Education
- National Science Education Standards
- National Research Council, 1995
- Principals and Definitions (REFORM)
- Improving science education is part of systemic
education reform. - The components include students and teachers
schools with principals, superintendents, and
school boards teacher education programs in
colleges and universities, textbook publishers,
communities of parents and of students, scientist
and engineers science museums businesses and
industry and legislators.
9PA Academic Standards for Science and Technology
- 3.6 3.7 Technology Education Devices
- Students develop the ability to select and
correctly use materials, tools, techniques, and
processes to answer questions - These standards require students to design,
create, use, evaluate and modify systems of
Biotechnologies, Information Technologies, and
Physical Technologies - Equipment (not just computers) access is
essential to meeting these standards (The
Nations Report Card, 2003)
10How does inquiry take place in this classroom?
Where is the technology?
Where is the equity in meeting the standards?
Who is making the decisions?
11U.S. and State Government K-12 Education Systems
School Boards
- Public education is a STATE mandate
- Responsibility is delegated to local authorities
- School boards are elected officials with no
specified education or training
First God created morons that was for practice.
Then he created school boards. Mark Twain
12Basic Education/Higher Education Science
Technology Partnerships Catalysts for Systemic
Reform
13- PA Basic Ed/Higher Ed
- Science Technology Partnerships
- A consortium of 11 higher eds and 200 school
districts - Funded by the Commonwealth of PA since 1997
- Began as NSF-funded (1987-1997)Science In
Motion pilot project at Juniata College - Mission Remove the Obstacles to Good Science
Education
14RECONGNIZED SUCCESS
- Featured by
- ABC News with Peter Jennings
- American Business Review feature with Morley Safer
- Winner of the 2003 Innovations Award from the
national Council of State Governments
15Obstacles to Good Science Ed
- Lack of resources
- Equipment supplies are expensive
- (GC, Electrophoresis, Spectroscopy, Microscopy)
- Isolation
- Lack of professional development opportunities
involving contemporary science (62 lt 3 hrs/yr) - Inability to collaborate with other teachers in
the same content area - Lack of time
- Full teaching schedules fail to allow time to
develop or even to set up labs
16Solution Basic Ed/Higher Ed Sci Tech
Partnerships
- Higher Education Institutions Provide
- Teacher Training with HE Partners
- Continuing Professional Development
- Resources for the Classroom
- Mobile Educator Support IN the Classroom
- Cost Efficacy
- Sharing of Expensive Resources
- Infrastructure (facilities and personnel) already
in place
17(No Transcript)
18Partnerships for Good Science Ed
Science In Motion 1999 Assessment 4 Labs / Month
Statewide assessments underway
19What IS Good Science Ed?
- Science In Motion Assessment Results
- Students in project schools answered twice as
many test questions correctly - SIM Students demonstrated higher-order thinking
skills - SIM students are capable of using the techniques
that modern scientists use.
2011 Pennsylvania Sites
21Programs in U.S.
- Model Programs in 10 States
Statewide Programs
22Funding Sources for Basic Ed / Higher Ed
Partnerships
23Funding for Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships
The Ideal Pennsylvania Program...
- 60 High Ed Partnerships should serve
- 30,000 students, K-12
- 8-12 Rural School Districts
OR
- Part of a Single Urban School District
24Funding for Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships
- Each Partnership would have
- Biology Van
- Chemistry Van
- Physics Van
- Elementary Van
Interdisciplinary activities are a challenge to
incorporate in high schools where subjects are
taught compartmentally.
25Funding for Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships
The funding for these projects would be an
average of 55 per year per child. 30,000
Students x 55 Per Child 1,650,000 Per Year
26US EDUCATIONAL SPENDING Per Pupil Spending
55 lt1 of total student spending
27SUSTANING FUNDINGFederal or State/Local Support?
NSF Mission To promote the progress of science
to advance the national health, prosperity, and
welfare and to secure the national defense.
PA State Constitution shall provide for the
maintenance and support of a thorough and
efficient system of public education PA
School Code (School Boards) review and approve
curriculum text books
28HOW IS SCIENCE FUNDED?The future of (MSPs)
120 M may move to USDoEd
29...and SCIENCE?Its all about THE TEST PA
will not test science until 2008.
READING, RITING RITHMATIC
30CONCLUSION Short Term
- In the current climate, sustained funding will
most likely be at the state level - Equity
- Cost Efficacy (shared resources)
- Constitutional Mandate States can enact
legislation to raise necessary revenues - Science has a key role in workforce economic
development state priorities
31CONCLUSION Long Term
- Funding COULD occur at the federal level if
science were made a national priority and was
seen as important as reading and math - THERE IS A P.R. JOB TO BE DONE.
32CRISIS SOLVED BY SCIENCE
- Unemployment
- Infrastructure Support
- Medicine
- Electrical Grid
- Computer Networks
- Anti-terrorism
33Space Exploration
Biomechanics
Higher Ed Outreach Paving the way for K-12
Education
Electronmicroscopy
Computational Biology Chemistry
34PA Basic Ed/Higher Ed Science and Technology
Partnerships
- Statewide Project Coordinators
- Dr. Lorraine Mulfinger
- Dr. Don Mitchell
- Juniata College
- Huntingdon, PA 16652
- 814-641-3566 or mulfinger_at_juniata.edu
- www.scienceinmotion.org
- internet links to other higher ed program