California State University, Northridge's Hybrid Lab course model targets high failure rate, multisection, gateway courses in which prerequisite knowledge is a key to success. The Hybrid Lab course model components incorporate interventions and practices that have proven successful at CSUN and other campuses in supporting students, particularly…

"I can feel it making my brain bigger": from a Year 8 student at Pinjarra Senior High School (SHS) halfway through the two-year Thinking Science Program. Pinjarra was a pilot school for the program in 2009/10 and a growing number of schools in Western Australia (WA) are implementing this program in Years Seven to Nine as part of the…

A place-based learning community called "Klamath Connection" was designed to improve the academic performance of freshman in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) majors at Humboldt State University, a midsize public institution in a location geographically and culturally unfamiliar to the majority of its students. The…

In times of economic downturn, college enrollments often increase. Entering students may come from diverse educational backgrounds and bring variable skill sets. In this article, the authors describe a skills-focused course developed to ensure that transfer and nontraditional students returning to education are prepared to succeed in…

In 2000, Oil City Elementary School faced collapsing enrollment, a high-risk student population, and a reputation as the place for kids who were not smart enough to attend the nearby academic magnet. The school was slated for closure. But the school had a history of connection to Oil City, a town of 1,500 in western Louisiana, and school staff…

"Alabama Education News" is published monthly except for June, July, and December by the Alabama Department of Education. This publication, authorized by Section 16-2-4 of the "Code of Alabama," as recompiled in 1975, is a public service of the Alabama Department of Education designed to inform citizens and educators about…

Argues that it is possible to evaluate the excellence of academic documents involving the study of geosciences K-16 by using the Geoscience Academic Excellence Model which was developed by scientific societies including the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences. (Author/YDS)

Summarizes changes in student achievement and behavior (cross-racial selections) due to the adoption of an activity-based elementary education program (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Classroom Laboratories and Elementary Science Study units) in Springfield, Massachusetts. Emphasis of hands-on experience in mixed-race groups was effective in student…

Describes Project JUST (Join Underrepresented in Science and Technology), an initiative whose goal is to create an atmosphere of systemic change within an urban school district that results in minority students excelling in upper level math and science courses. Discusses leadership, governance, and management; a standards-based curriculum;…

Describes current efforts of a project designed to improve girls' attitudes toward physical science and craft subjects and to elect more science classes, including raising teachers' awareness of girls' underachievement, testing attitudes/knowledge for later comparison, and arranging school visits by working women to act as role models. (JN)

This paper describes a project for upper elementary and middle school minority girl students called the Sisters in Sport Science (SISS). The SISS program addresses the needs of urban girls in gaining access to equal education in science and mathematics by using athletics as a vehicle for learning. The program provides a non-competitive and…

Mentoring can help ethnic minority students improve communication abilities, remove barriers to academic progress, understand science and other technological concepts, improve math skills, learn good study habits, better test-taking skills, cope with problems, remain in school. Iowa State University's Science Bound is a three-way mentoring…

The review of science education research for 1982 includes analyses of 455 studies reported in dissertation abstracts, journal articles, research papers, and papers presented at conferences. The organization of the review is topical. Topic areas include: (1) student characteristics and behavior (cognitive development, conceptual understanding,…

Twenty-five years of research comparing student performance in NSF-funded science curricula to student performance in traditional courses was examined as part of a comprehensive synthesis of science education research. These curricula were found to be consistently more effective, suggesting that their philosophies/strategies/materials be…

Just a few years ago Jefferson Elementary School in San Diego County, California suffered from low test scores and a lackluster "science from workbooks approach" that was not motivating many in the 75% Hispanic and 50% learning-to-speak-English student body. A partnership program with the San Diego Natural History Museum called…