MIDAS PROJECT/MODEL/IMPLEMENTATION/DISSEMINATION/EHS

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Center for Research on Environmental Disease (CRED) of the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC) is requesting funding for a five year combined Phase I and Phase II project to launch a fully integrated dissemination and implementation program of environmental health and science education. Phase I includes development of an implementation plan that integrates environmental health and science modules across existing K-12 curriculum in a model school system. Phase II includes continuation and expansion of a statewide teacher training institute for K-12 educators. The implementation model includes integration of new environmental health and science education modules and curricular enrichment through a seminar series, a field trip program and student projects. All activities and modules are coordinated through age-appropriate research and educational themes. These elements will be thematically interwoven into the existing curricular framework and are designed to exceed statewide scholastic requirements. The underlying conceptual basis is to provide a self-sustaining, integrated curriculum in the schools that utilizes existing local and accessible resources and infrastructure. The seminar series will include a balanced presentation of environmental health and science issues from experts in the field including representatives from many local and state agencies and leading biomedical research institutions. Field trips to educational sites, parks, facilities, museums, and universities will engage students and reinforce environmental health and science lessons. The Phase II dissemination program will serve as a curricular foundation for the integrated K-12 implementation model of environmental health and science education by introducing new educational modules and materials. The Environmental Health Sciences Summer Institute (Summer Institute), will provide bilingual environmental health and science training and education to Texas teachers resulting in enhanced classroom learning for more than 75,000 students. This professional development paradigm for improving environmental health and science education will be used to disseminate new and innovative curricular materials developed by several of the nation's leading science research institutions. Formative and summative analyses will be used to measure the effectiveness of statewide dissemination of environmental health science curricular materials and the development of the integrated K-12 implementation model. Scientific and educational advisory boards will monitor the progress of the project, provide directional assistance and identify resources. In today's society the challenge of fully understanding the impact of environmental exposures on human health continues to increase in complexity. This project seeks to improve the understanding of environmental health and science by teachers and their students and enable both to make informed decisions about the environment and their health.