Continuing, GK-12: Enhancing Science Literacy in Southeast Idaho with Community-based Projects and University/K-12 Partnerships

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PROPOSAL #: 0638684PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Rosemary SmithINSTITUTION: Idaho State UniversityTITLE: GK-12: Enhancing Science Literacy in Southwest Idaho with Community-based Projects and University/K-12 PartnershipsThe GK-12 Enhancing Science Literacy in Southwest Idaho with Community-based Projects and University/K-12 Partnerships, a continuing GK-12 project between eight Idaho K-12 school districts and Idaho State University, focuses on three educational research topics (robotics, watershed and the environment) for middle and high school students. This project builds upon prior success by including additional school districts and also by developing more activities under broader topics. The intellectual merit of the project lies in three main areas: 1) the development of empirical tools to measure and verify the impact of the GK-12 experience upon fellows' communication and partnership skills; 2) the ability to make science "alive" in the K-12 classroom by focusing on topics of local relevance; and 3) the ability of the project to serve as a national model, based on its structure of year-long matches with fellows and K-12 teachers and a flexible format for matching research interests of fellow to the needs of the teacher. This project affects a large, rural area that has an underdeveloped economy. The state is also an EPSCoR state and school districts have fewer comparative resources. There have been significant outcomes from the first phase of this project which include increased teacher content knowledge, ability to meet state standards, and the implementation of inquiry-based learning.