GK-12: An Interactive Program Linking Graduate Fellow in Environmental Science with K-12 Students and Teachers

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The goal of the program is to provide K-12 teachers and students with recent knowledge and innovative learning activities in the areas of biology, environmental science, aquatic science, geology, meteorology, and oceanography and to relate these topics to the impacts of environmental change on Texas habitats and residents. The school districts involved range from 1 to 17% limited English proficiency, from 23 to 47% economically disadvantaged, and from 12 to 65% minority. This project emphasizes field research for students and teachers and builds on three existing programs between The University of Texas at Austin and local school systems from the Texas coast to the State's interior: The Marine Science Institute's Study of Arctic Change, The Institute for Geophysics' Adopt a School, Teachers in the Field, and the Environmental Science Institute's Outreach Lecture Series. Special features of the program include numerous field activities for K-12 students and teachers led by Graduate Fellows, summer workshops for teachers focused on developing content knowledge in targeted interdisciplinary subjects aligned with State educational standards and goals, joint participation by teachers and Graduate Fellows at local and regional science conferences, and building partnerships between undergraduate science and mathematics students seeking teaching certification with Graduate Fellows and K-12 teachers. This project receives partial support from the Geoscience Directorate.