Science Education and Leadership to Promote Equity in K-6 Classrooms

本项目旨在服务于国家对小学科学教学高素质教师带头人的需求。小学科学教学的质量因学区和学校而异。然而，一个关键的国家优先事项是确保所有学生都将科学视为与他们的生活相关的，并将自己视为科学的参与者。为了实现这些目标，所有学生必须从小平等地获得以学生经验和社区为中心的高质量科学教育。该项目旨在通过培养发展小学科学掌握教师的知识和技能的能力来改善小学科学教学。这些教师领袖将发挥领导作用，做出必要的改变，在他们的学校提供公平、高质量的科学教学。该项目将以区域内的需求和机会为中心，包括大学和地区合作伙伴。这一区域努力的结果将成为在全州范围内审查类似问题的另一项努力。该项目将与当地学校和大学内部合作伙伴合作，探索和开发机制，使未来的教师领导能够更深入地将下一代科学标准融入他们的教学和专业社区。西华盛顿大学的这个项目包括与西北教育服务区和华盛顿西北部四个区的高需求学校的合作：贝灵汉、弗农山、努克萨克和塞德罗-伍利。项目目标包括：(1)确定变革的需要和能力，以便在华盛顿州西北部的小学进行公平的、与下一代科学标准一致的科学教学；(2)与学校合作伙伴共同构建教师领导力发展和支持的可持续模式，使各地区能够分享专业知识，同时对学校情况作出反应；以及(3)为科学教育教职员工和小学教师领导者制定一项计划，以开展相互学习，从而使教师准备和学校的科学教学保持一致。通过这项工作，教师领导人将发展一个实践社区，并加强学校与大学的伙伴关系。该项目开发的教师领导模式将为社区贡献新的知识，并可能被其他机构采用。该项目将由一位在基础科学教育方面有丰富经验的评估者进行评估。该能力建设项目由罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金计划(NOYCE)提供支持。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人员成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富、模范的K-12教师成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12 STEM教师的持久性、保留率和有效性的研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national need of developing highly qualified teacher-leaders in elementary grade level science instruction. The quality of science instruction at the elementary level varies between school districts and schools. Yet, a critical national priority is to ensure that all students see science as relevant to their lives and see themselves as participants in science. To achieve these goals, all students must have equitable access from an early age to high quality science instruction centered in students’ experiences and communities. This project looks to improve elementary school science instruction by building capacity to develop elementary science master teachers’ knowledge and skills. These teacher-leaders will provide leadership to make the changes needed to provide equitable, high-quality science instruction in their schools. This project will center on the needs and opportunities within the region that includes the university and district partners. The results of this regional effort will inform an additional effort to examine similar issues statewide. Working with local schools and internal university partners, the project will explore and develop mechanisms to allow future teacher-leaders to more deeply integrate the Next Generation Science Standards into their teaching and professional communities. This project at Western Washington University includes partnerships with the Northwest Educational Service District and high-need schools in four districts in Northwest Washington: Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Nooksack, and Sedro-Wooley. Project goals include to: (1) Determine the needs and capacity for change toward equitable, Next Generation Science Standards-aligned science teaching in elementary schools in Northwest Washington; (2) Co-construct with school partners a sustainable model for teacher leadership development and support that enables the sharing of expertise across districts while being responsive to school contexts; and (3) Create a plan for science education faculty and elementary teacher leaders to engage in reciprocal learning that will result in aligned teacher preparation and science teaching in schools. Through this work, teacher-leaders will develop a community of practice and strengthen school-university partnerships. The model of teacher leadership developed by the project will contribute new knowledge to the community and may be adopted by other institutions. The project will be assessed by an evaluator with significant experience in elementary science education. This Capacity Building project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.