Examining the Effects of Highly Rated Science Curricula on Diverse Student Populations

George Washington University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This planning grant is a collaboration between George Washington University, Montgomery County Pubic Schools, AAAS Project 2061, and the Center for Applied Linguistics. The project's goal is to study how science curriculum materials and their implementation can be improved. The project will conduct a pilot study of student achievement, motivation, and engagement for a highly rated 8th grade curriculum unit (Chemistry that Applies-CTA). This unit was one of the few that rated highly in the evaluation procedure developed by AAAS' Project 2061. The study's purpose is to determine if there are different effects of highly rated curriculum materials and to identify the modifications that can be made for the highly rated materials to be more effective for subgroups of diverse learners.