When, in late 2008, there was an opportunity to set up a government-sponsored project to help improve practical science, CLEAPSS jumped at the chance to become involved. Practical work is what CLEAPSS is about. CLEAPSS has been a lead co-ordinating partner in the Getting Practical programme, with Phil Bunyan taking on the role of Deputy Director.…

With the two-year pilot of "Getting Practical" drawing to a close, new ways to embed the key messages into existing CPD programmes are being sought. In "Embedding Getting Practical," the first author describes how she has been able to do this with the courses she is involved with. In "ASE Improving Practical Work in Triple Science LSN Network,"…

President Barack Obama recently issued a call for increased hands-on learning in U.S. schools in an address at the National Academy of Sciences. Obama concluded that the future of the United States depends on one's ability to encourage young people to "create, and build, and invent." In this article, the author discusses National Lab Day (NLD)…

This article features several educators whose classroom, school, and district-wide projects offered this year's most inventive and successful examples of bringing technology-based learning to K-12 students. A middle school teacher used grant money to fund a weekly student news broadcast. A technology director created video booths to reveal to…

Education in science serves three purposes. First, it prepares students to study science at higher levels of education. Second, it prepares students to enter the workforce, pursue occupations, and take up careers. Third, it prepares them to become more scientifically literate citizens. The relative priority and alignment of these three purposes…

"Viewpoints" is a multimedia package containing two audio CDs and a short, informative booklet. This volume of "Viewpoints" focuses on using scientifically based practices to improve student achievement and teacher effectiveness. The audio CDs provide the voices, or viewpoints, of various leaders from the education field who have worked closely…

The mission of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools (CYFS) is to advance the conduct of high-quality interdisciplinary research to promote the intellectual, behavioral, and social-emotional development and functioning of individuals across educational, familial, and community contexts. Central to this is…