Track 1, GK-12: Greater Orlando GK-12 Partnership

大奥兰多GK-12项目是中佛罗里达大学（UCF）、奥兰多科学中心（OSC）和奥兰治县公立学校（OCPS）之间的合作项目，旨在加强九年级科学教育的课程内容和教师知识。该项目团队包括来自中佛罗里达大学STEM项目的9名研究生和3名本科生，以及来自奥兰治县公立学校的12名教师。GO-GK-12伙伴关系建立在各合作伙伴之间许多独立存在的关系的基础上，并解决了学校系统中科学教育的战略需求。该项目的重点是帮助奥兰治县的教师完成他们九年级的综合科学课程。OCPS是全国第14大学区，为151所学校的154,485名学生提供服务。这些学生中有52%是科学界代表性不足的少数群体的成员。最终目标是开发维持GO-GK-12伙伴关系的财务模式，使GK-12奖学金成为UCF STEM研究生项目的一个组成部分。该计划的智力优点是：非常强调GK-12研究员在进入课堂之前的教学培训；策划了研究员和教师的配对，以及全面的互动培训和规划讲习班；利用GK-12研究员向教师介绍奥兰多科学中心的科学手提箱设备借用项目；全面和独立的评估和评估组成部分；关注学区的科学教育需求。该计划更广泛的影响是：创造一批优秀的STEM博士和学士毕业生，他们具有较强的沟通能力，对K-12科学教育面临的问题有深入的了解；加强UCF的STEM教师与当地K-12教师和学校之间持久的合作关系；该地区九年级科学教学的持续改善；提高学生的科学学习体验；每年，该项目将影响12名9年级科学教师和2000名9年级学生。

The Greater Orlando GK-12 program is a partnership between the University of Central Florida (UCF), the Orlando Science Center (OSC) and Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) aimed at strengthening curriculum content and teacher knowledge in 9th grade science education. The program teams 9 graduate fellows and 3 undergraduate fellows from STEM programs at the University of Central Florida with 12 teachers from Orange County Public Schools. The GO-GK-12 Partnership builds upon many independently existing relationships between the various partners, and addresses the strategic needs for science education in the school system. The program focuses on assisting Orange County teachers with their 9th grade integrated science curriculum. OCPS is the 14th largest school district in the country serving 154,485 students in 151 schools. 52% of these students are members of underrepresented minority groups in science. An ultimate goal is to develop financial models for sustaining the GO-GK-12 Partnership so that GK-12 fellowships become an integral part of STEM graduate programs at UCF. The intellectual merits of this program are: Strong emphasis on pedagogical training of the GK-12 fellows prior to entering the classroom; Planned matching of fellows and teachers and comprehensive interactive training and planning workshops; Use of the GK-12 fellows to introduce teachers to the Orlando Science Center's Science Suitcase equipment loaner program; A thorough and independent evaluation and assessment component; A focus on the science education needs of the school district.The broader impacts of this program are: Creation of cohorts of outstanding STEM Doctoral and Bachelors graduates with strong communication skills and an intimate knowledge of issues facing K-12 science education; Strengthened and lasting partnerships between UCF's STEM faculty and local K-12 teachers and schools; Sustained improvement in the teaching of 9th grade science in the region; Improved student experiences of learning science; Each year, this program will impact twelve 9th grade science teachers and 2,000 9th grade students.