Stopping an Epidemic of Misinformation: Leveraging the K-12 Science Education System to Respond to Ebola

发现研究K-12（DRK-12）计划支持的项目，提高学习和教学的科学，技术，工程和数学preK-12学生，教师，管理人员和家长。 该项目将为这一使命作出贡献，为教师和行政人员开发资源，为有关埃博拉病毒和可能出现的其他传染病流行病的教学提供指导。 将要开发的资源将包括管理人员和教师的指导方针，这些资源将以印刷品的形式和通过项目合作伙伴的门户网站分发，这些合作伙伴包括国家科学教师协会（NSTA）、国家科学教育领导协会（NSELA）和国家科学监督员理事会（CSSS）。 与埃博拉教学和学习有关的政策简报，将为特定组织量身定制，包括疾病控制和预防中心，国立卫生研究院和国家教育协会。 教师和行政人员的信息需求将通过对学区和州的教师和科学监督员进行大规模调查来确定。 该项目开发的资源预计将在全国范围内产生广泛影响，帮助学校教师和行政人员建设性地应对往往伴随埃博拉等传染病爆发而传播的错误信息。教师调查、学区科学监督员调查和州科学监督员调查。 这些调查将探讨有关埃博拉和传染病的知识，受访者从哪里获得信息，这些信息如何纳入教学，以及哪些因素影响他们的反应。 调查项目将通过专家评审和对一部分应答者的后续认知访谈进行验证。 该项目打算对3 000名教师以及全国教育和就业协会和社会保障中心的所有成员进行调查。 调查和相关访谈的结果将用于编写信息材料和政策简报，供教师和地区用于指导与埃博拉和相关流行病教学有关的教学实践和政策。 科学教师处于独特的地位，以抵制错误信息的传播，往往伴随着迅速出现，科学相关的问题，这个项目有可能提供急需的指导，提供合理的，建设性的反应。

The Discovery Research K-12 (DRK-12) program supports projects that enhance learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by preK-12 students, teachers, administrators, and parents. This project will contribute to that mission by developing resources for teachers and administrators that will provide instructional guidance for teaching about the Ebola virus and other epidemics of infectious diseases that may arise. The resources to be developed will include guidelines for administrators and teachers, and these resources will be distributed both in print form and through the Web portals of project partners, including the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA), and the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS). Policy briefs related to teaching and learning about Ebola and will be tailored for specific organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Education Association. The informational needs of teachers and administrators will be determined through large-scale surveys of teachers and science supervisors of school districts and states. The resources developed by the project are expected to have broad impacts nationwide in helping schoolteachers and administrators respond constructively to the spread of misinformation that often accompanies outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as Ebola.To determine the informational needs of teachers and administrators, the project will develop and administer three surveys: a teacher survey, a survey for school district science supervisors, and a survey for state science supervisors. The surveys will probe knowledge about Ebola and infectious diseases, where respondents get their information, how such information is incorporated into instruction, and what factors affect their responses. Survey items will be validated through expert review and follow-up cognitive interviews with a subset of responders. The project intends to survey 3,000 teachers and all members of NSELA and CSSS. Findings from the surveys and related interviews will be used to develop informational materials and policy briefs that can be used by teachers and districts to guide instructional practices and policies related to teaching about Ebola and related epidemics. Science teachers are uniquely positioned to counteract the spread of misinformation that often accompanies quickly emerging, science-related issues, and this project has the potential to provide much-needed guidance in providing reasoned, constructive responses.