Have you ever deeply considered the intersections between research and education, particularly for second-level students? Traditionally, the convergence of these two realms is most often noted when considering the integration of research findings into educational practices or the involvement of, typically a small number, of students in research…

A pressing problem facing regulatory agencies, academia, and the food industry is a shortage of qualified food science graduates, particularly those with advanced degrees (that is, M.S. or Ph.D.). In 2000, the Cornell Institute of Food Science established the annual Food Science Summer Scholars Program as an experiential summer research program…

Science literacy leading to fuller and informed participation in the public debate about science, technology, society, and environmental (STSE) issues that produce justified decisions and sustainable actions is the shared and central goal of the Pacific CRYSTAL Project. There is broad agreement by science education researchers that learners need…

The role of mentor development in implementing an out-of-school math and science Saturday program for middle-school girls is examined, using content analyses performed on journal entries that four college and graduate school-level mentors completed during the second year of the pilot program. Findings suggest that mentors matured and changed from…

Can storytelling--a revered teaching tradition in many Native American cultures--be used to generate enthusiasm for science and technology among indigenous children and address the achievement gap that exists between Indian and non-Indian children? The Tribal Youth Science Initiative (TYSI) is an innovative new media project for young people, ages…

This paper presents the full results from a 2008/2009 research study examining the application of a "learning environment" paradigm to the school library setting. The preliminary results from the examination of the Fifth Grade science classes were presented at the IASL 2009 Research Forum. We now report the process of completing our…

Austin Independent School District provided summer programs in 2010 for students to accelerate academic learning, maintain academic skills between school years, recover course credits, retake state achievement tests, or experience school-level transition activities. This is the full report, a research brief was also published. [For the research…

Implementation of science curriculum materials has been a fundamental challenge in science education for decades. Policy researchers have argued that alignment of standards, curriculum, and assessment are the key to supporting implementation. This paper focuses on teachers' perceptions of curricular alignment and on curriculum implementation using…

Scale is one of the thematic threads that runs through nearly all of the sciences and is considered one of the major prevailing ideas of science. This study explored novice and experienced teachers' concepts of spatial scale with a focus on linear sizes from very small (nanoscale) to very large (cosmic scale). Novice teachers included…

This study uses a sample of 454 teachers engaged in an inquiry science program to examine the effects of different characteristics of professional development on teachers' knowledge and their ability to implement the program. The authors analyzed results from a survey of teachers served by 28 professional development providers within a…

This article describes the outgrowth of a recently held invitational conference, supported by the National Science Foundation, to define, describe, and examine existing models for the use of elementary science specialists. The authors explore the educational, policy, and financial issues that affect the use of science specialists as well as offer…

This Evaluation Brief examines the BSCS approach to improving secondary science education, and illuminates some of the lessons learned from its five years of work with districts across the nation. It highlights selected findings from the full study report and discusses the broader implications for the field. Specifically, this Brief examines the…

This document contains the cumulative report of the WestEd Eisenhower Regional Consortium for Science and Mathematics Education (WERC) for the fiscal years 1996-2000. WERC regional and national activities involve collaborations with other Eisenhower regional consortia and the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse (ENC). The WERC region includes four…

Evaluates the results of an experiment with comprehensive project-organized and problem-based engineering education at Aalborg University that has lasted for 20 years. Several independent evaluations show that the graduates are more readily adaptable, with strong qualities in the field of problem-solving, cooperation, communication, and…

Reviews three pioneer programs that attempt to integrate genetic science and ethics in the classroom. Concludes by suggesting that the basic goal of integrating science and ethics is undermined in each program by a lack of correspondence between the articulated pedagogical goals and the unarticulated theoretical framework. (LZ)