Teachers + Occidental = Partnership in Science (TOPS)

这项为期四年的教师提升计划由西方学院赞助，每年暑期为15名化学教师和15名生物教师提供两个为期两周的暑期工作坊。讲习班将提供关于学科概念以及使用和发展使用现代仪器的实验室的培训。暑期项目之后将有一个学年项目，其中包括一名训练有素的首席教师，每月访问每所学校一次。老师带来了一辆面包车，车上装有老师上个夏天使用的乐器。其他后续活动包括在参与者之间建立一个网络、一个系列研讨会、一个研究助理方案(将挑选教师与大学教职员工一起开展研究)、一个科学信息交流中心和一个“最佳实验竞赛”。目标学校招收大量少数民族学生。项目评估将考察以技术为重点的实验室项目是否会增加对科学感兴趣的学生数量。西方学院的配套资金相当于美国国家科学基金会拨款的32%左右。

This four year teacher enhancement program, sponsored by Occidental College, provides two two-week summer workshops for 15 teachers in chemistry and 15 teachers in biology each summer. The workshops will provide training in discipline concepts and the use and development of laboratories employing modern instruments. The summer program will be followed up by an academic year program which includes a highly trained lead teacher who visits each school once a month. The teacher brings with him/her a van equipped with the instruments used by the teachers the previous summer. Other follow up activities include development of a network among the participants, a seminar series, a research associates program (teachers will be selected to carryout research with college faculty), a science information clearing house and a "best experiment competition". The target schools enroll a large number of minority students. The project evaluation will look at whether a technology focussed laboratory program increases the number of students interested in pursuing science. Matching funds from Occidental College are equivalent to about 32% of the NSF grant.