Looking Inside the Black Box: Classroom Practice that Supports High Achievement in Both Science and Reading: A Planning Grant

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This project will focus on identifying, quantifying, and describing teaching strategies that result in high elementary student performance in reading and high elementary student performance in science. In today's environment of high stakes tests and increased accountability, elementary teachers are under pressure to devote increasing amounts of classroom time to reading and mathematics. Research on the relationship between reading and inquiry science may provide teachers with strategies for improving both the teaching of science and reading and for including science as a core subject. The long-term project will critically analyze teachers who are currently demonstrating success or failure in both reading and science (by measures such as standardized tests accepted by the state) and carefully document classroom practice and pedagogical strategies. Successful instructional approaches and common themes and patterns will be tied to a general theory of effective instruction. The project will have as partners two or three states that administer state-wide standardized tests in both language arts and science and have other supporting elements of systemic reform in place (e.g., standards and supporting policies).