GK-12: The Syracuse University/Onondaga County Schools Partnership for Improvement of Science Education Proposal

Syracuse University, Syracuse NY

Investigators

Abstract

The project is: establishing a mutually beneficial parallel educational partnership between school districts and Syracuse University; leveraging Syracuse University research- and practice-generated expertise in STEM pedagogy, educational technology integration, and assessment through Graduate Teaching Fellows daily participation in the school system; developing innovative, process-oriented, standards-based, hands-on STEM curriculum units and resources that use local environmental issues to connect teaching basic STEM concepts in biology, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, and technology; enhancing K-12 teachers' content knowledge through dissemination of new STEM teaching resources through print materials and the Web and through professional development workshops for science teachers; and establishing content-rich, inquiry-based benchmark programs in schools through mutually beneficial collaborations between STEM graduate students and science teachers as a forerunner for a permanent collaboration model and replicable national model. The broader impact grows from the partnership and collaboration between Syracuse University and 18 Onondaga County school districts. Two of these school districts, Syracuse City and LaFayette, are classroom sites for the project and serve as project centers that share and disseminate initiatives and local environmental experiments integrating science with technology. Fellows receive extensive training in STEM pedagogy and K-12 science education. Materials and resources are being developed for appropriate grade levels. STEM activity-based units emphasize science process, inquiry and critical thinking skills. In addition, STEM Fellows are providing content-rich training sessions for area science teachers. Project title: The Syracuse University Onandaga County Schools Partnership for Improvement of Science Education Institution: Syracuse University PI/Co-PI: Marvin Druger, Samuel Clemence, Tiffany Koszalka, Peter Plumley Partner School Districts: Syracuse City, LaFayette Funding: $ 1,486,402 Number of fellows/year: 10 graduate Setting: Urban Rural Target audience: 8-12 NSF supported disciplines involved: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Engineering