Track 2, GK-12: Human Impact Along the Front Range of Colorado

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0440605The University of Northern Colorado (UNC), Colorado State University (CSU), the Weld County School District 6, and the Poudre School District Track 2 award is developing, sustaining, and institutionalizing its current GK-12 program entitled Human Impact Along the Front Range of Colorado. Intellectual Merit: The project integrates science and math content standards using the rapid regional growth and its impacts on land use, climate and biodiversity. The project links K-12 instruction, teacher professional development, and graduate education with STEM research, exposing K-12 teachers and students to current research, and graduate and undergraduate fellows to K-12 classrooms and instruction. The project supports 24 graduate and 10 undergraduate fellows. The project has 3 goals. Goal 1: Deliver and refine the GK-12 program. The project forms teaching-research teams comprised of K-12 teachers, GK-12 fellows, K-12 students and researchers that interact throughout the year. During the summer, the teachers, fellows, and students work together on research. During the academic year the fellows work with teachers in the classroom. Teaching and research workshops and symposia are held to familiarize researchers and fellows with the K-12 culture (led by teachers), and teachers with the research culture (led by researchers and fellows). Teachers and fellows established long-term Schoolyard Ecology research plots on school grounds or local environmental centers as a focal point of learning. Teachers and fellows develop and deliver standards-based science and mathematics modules. Goal 2: Institutionalize and sustain the GK-12 program across the partnership. The project builds on the successes by securing the space, the seminar series, and the schoolyard plots. Goal 3: Evaluate the effectiveness of the GK-12 program. An external evaluator leads the evaluation, in concert with GK12 participants by assessing the content and process knowledge of teachers, fellows and students; changes in the instructional practices of teachers and fellows; the effectiveness in increasing minority participation in STEM research, education, and careers; the programs effectiveness in creating teacher leaders; and its effect on the degree programs and career choices of fellows. Broader Impact: The program impacts districts (Weld County and Poudre) of 45,000 students, high percentages of whom are from groups under-represented in STEM disciplines (47% and 20%), low income (47% and 20%) and/or English Language Learners (10%). The project focuses on teacher professional development designed to increase content knowledge of teachers, the training of fellows on how to engage K-12 students, research opportunities for minority students, and the preparation teacher leaders to initiate long-term systemic change.