Penn-Merck Middle Grades Science Partnership

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9819636StreimThe Penn-Merck partnership will establish a 5-year project in the School District of Philadelphia to promote effective inquiry-based teaching in grades 5-8. The project will work in close collaboration with the Philadelphia Urban Systemic Initiative. Teacher participants will increase and deepen their knowledge of science content and develop the ability to use inquiry-based approaches to science instruction. The project will use a two-tiered approach to:1. Build the capacity of a "critical mass" of middle grades science teachers (Tier 1) in West Philadelphia. All Tier 1 teachers will participate in a 13-month professional development program. 2. Prepare a smaller group of Leader Teachers (Tier 2) to drive the process of long-term change in the district. These teachers will participate in a 25-month program, which includes extensive leadership activities. By serving as peer mentors and resource specialists in their schools and at the cluster and district levels the Leader Teachers will establish a solid foundation for the reform of science education in the middle grades. Five cohorts, of 48 teachers each, will participate in the Tier 1 program and one cohort of 30 teachers will participate in the Tier 2 program. The project will prepare a total of 270 middle school teachers who will have a direct impact on approximately 10,000 students per year.