This article describes how the Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE) programme was implemented in the final year of primary school and the first year of secondary school in a number of schools in Ireland. The original CASE programme, pioneered in the 1980s, proved successful in its aim to develop the science-reasoning abilities…

There are many transition points in the school life of a child, but the move from primary to secondary school is a particularly significant one. How can both the social and academic threads remain intact? In this article, Kristen Mould discusses the main issues relating to transition from primary to secondary science. She cites the primary factors…

Transitioning from elementary school to middle school can be a difficult time for many adolescents. It is a period often correlated with a decline in students' academic achievement, perceptions of performance, potential, and value in schooling. Research has shown evidence that parents' involvement in their children's education significantly…

This paper reports a two-year longitudinal study of the effects of cooperative learning on science attainment, attitudes towards science, and social connectedness during transition from primary to high school. A previous project on cooperative learning in primary schools observed gains in science understanding and in social aspects of school life.…

This article reports data from a 2-year longitudinal study on cooperative learning in school science. The study reported the effects of cooperative learning in science on science attainment, effective development and social connectedness, and interactions during transition from elementary to high school in rural and urban school settings. The…

Traditionally science clubs have been seen as a lunchtime or after-school activity, run by volunteer teachers giving up their spare time. Increasingly, however, they are being used creatively as a way of delivering important curriculum enhancement activities or even as a vehicle for the science part of whole-school priorities such as working with…

Primary science has rightly been recognised as one of the great successes in UK education over the last 20 years--a jewel in the National Curriculum crown. Its successes are evidenced by the high numbers of pupils achieving the target levels in national tests and by the rising number of science lessons rated as good or better in school inspections…

Austin Independent School District served more than 13,000 students in summer programs during 2009, providing opportunities for accelerated learning, maintenance of academic skills between school years, course credit recovery, state achievement tests, or school-level transition activities. This report summarizes this information.