Leap into Science: Cultivating a National Network for Informal Science and Literacy

作为加强非正式环境中学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）项目资助了用于各种环境的创新研究、方法和资源。该项目将建立国家基础设施，建立州和地区伙伴关系，以扩大富兰克林研究所行之有效的“飞跃科学”模式，这是一项推广计划，旨在培养来自服务欠缺社区的儿童（3-10岁）和家庭参与他们生活的科学的能力。Leap into Science将儿童科学主题书籍与实践科学活动结合起来，通过与图书馆、博物馆和其他校外时间提供者的非正式教育工作者合作，促进终身对科学的兴趣和知识。Leap into Science已经在12个城市进行了实地测试和实施，它将扩展到15个州的90个新的农村和城市社区，据估计，这一扩展将在4年内惠及50多万儿童和成人以及2700名非正式教育工作者。纳入边缘化农村社区将为评估和调整该方案提供新的机会，以适应农村家庭和社区的独特资产和需求。该项目将包括评价和学习研究活动。评估将侧重于：1)可能出现的形成性问题和可能加强实施的修改；2) Leap into Science项目的整体有效性和影响，因为它被扩展到更多的站点和合作伙伴。学习研究将用于调查有关家庭科学兴趣如何在六个地点（3个农村，3个城市）的36个参与家庭中产生和发展的问题。定性方法，包括数据综合和使用持续比较的跨案例分析，将用于开发多个案例研究，这些案例研究将提供对家庭参与Leap into Science的兴趣发展过程和结果的见解，并提供指导未来研究的概念框架。该项目涉及富兰克林研究所（宾夕法尼亚州费城）、全国女童合作项目（华盛顿州西雅图）、教育发展中心（马萨诸塞州沃尔瑟姆）和学习创新研究所（俄亥俄州科瓦利斯）之间的合作。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches, and resources for use in a variety of settings. This project will develop a national infrastructure of state and regional partnerships to scale up The Franklin Institute's proven model of Leap into Science, an outreach program that builds the capacity of children (ages 3-10) and families from underserved communities to participate in science where they live. Leap into Science combines children's science-themed books with hands-on science activities to promote life-long interest and knowledge of science, and does so through partnerships with informal educators at libraries, museums, and other out-of-school time providers. Already field-tested and implemented in 12 cities, Leap into Science will be expanded to 90 new rural and urban communities in 15 states, and it is estimated that this expansion will reach more than 500,000 children and adults as well as 2,700 informal educators over four years. The inclusion of marginalized rural communities will provide new opportunities to evaluate and adapt the program to the unique assets and needs of rural families and communities. The project will include evaluation and learning research activities. Evaluation will focus on: 1) the formative issues that may arise and modifications that may enhance implementation; and 2) the overall effectiveness and impact of the Leap into Science program as it is scaled across more sites and partners. Learning research will be used to investigate questions organized around how family science interest emerges and develops among 36 participating families across six sites (3 rural, 3 urban). Qualitative methods, including data synthesis and cross-case analysis using constant comparison, will be used to develop multiple case studies that provide insights into the processes and outcomes of interest development as families engage with Leap into Science and a conceptual framework that guides future research. This project involves a partnership between The Franklin Institute (Philadelphia, PA), the National Girls Collaborative Project (Seattle, WA), Education Development Center (Waltham, MA), and the Institute for Learning Innovation (Corvallis, OR).