The goal of the Howard Hughes Science Institute (HHMI) supported science program is to train one staff member to become a science lead within each of the elementary schools in the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) district. The specific objectives of the first year of HHMI grant project were to: (1) provide approximately 20…

Reviews the effects of the first stage of the Better Elementary Science Teaching Project to overcome teacher isolation and help staff development. Describes the participants and features of the project. Reports the results of using telecommunication and academic achievements. Discusses implications for the project. (YP)

National science assessments and international comparisons indicate that science achievement in the United States is stagnant or declining. Of the many steps needed to improve U.S. science education, the authors write, none is more important than improving teacher training and preparation. Analyses of scores on the National Assessment of…

The purpose of this paper is to provide summary data relative to the instruments developed for analysis of in-service institutes. This paper initiates a slightly different form of offering instruments for use by others. Rather than presenting a finished instrument with only summary data provided and all of the subjective decisions made, the reader…

Examines the long-term implementation of learning cycle science curricula introduced in National Science Foundation sponsored institutes delivered in 1985, 1987, and 1988. (LZ)

Reports the results of a study relating to the effectiveness of the 1972 National Science Foundation summer institute at Ball State University. Participating teachers were motivated to increase, in their own teaching, the level of emphasis given to 45 of 55 instructional topics stressed in the institute. (JR)

Presents the results and conclusions of a survey of 121 participants of the 1961-65 Academic Year Institutes at the University of Mississippi to determine (a) the participants employment status one to five years after the Institute, (b) the extent to which participants had continued their formal education, secured advanced positions and changed…

Principals can improve programs by becoming science advocates (to teachers, students, and parents), constructing and pushing a science curriculum plan, ensuring annual funds for science materials, providing needed inservice experiences, monitoring the program, and handling likely problems. A 73-item checklist is provided for evaluating current…

A description and evaluation of an environmental science inservice education program for teachers of grades 4-6 from central Texas is described. Participants attended 32 class sessions which involved lecture, demonstration, seminars, laboratory work, and discussion. Two full-day and four half-day field trips were also part of the program. The…

This document presents a study related to teacher education programs in general, but with specific attention directed to, National Science Foundation (NSF) institute programs for in-service teachers. The study was designed to answer questions pertinent to an assessment instrument designed and used with the Ball State University NSF institute…

Evaluated the effectiveness of an in-service science program, designed to introduce the Science Curriculum Improvement Study (SCIS) to 35 elementary schools, by measuring teachers' (N=168) use of living materials available from the school district's resource supply center. Findings include no significant increase in material usage by workshop…

This article is a report of the evaluation of the second year of the project, ENLIST Micros II. The project is working to develop a model for implementing educational computing in school science. The project goals, staff development, and project activities are described. The participants' checklist, "Microcomputer Use in Science…

Inverness Research studied the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Seminars on Science program for eight years, from its inception in 1998 to 2006. In 2009, Inverness Research conducted additional studies of the AMNH's new online course, The Solar System. This paper presents teacher survey ratings for The Solar System, along with profiles of…

This report assesses the Do-It-Yourself Home Savings Techniques project, which was designed to develop and test an instructional unit for making homes energy efficient. The project, implemented at schools in the Cleveland City School District from October 1981 through February 1983, involved 11 science teachers and approximately 1,200 students.…

Describes a quantitative hands-on approach for teaching science to elementary school teachers. Program materials have been presented to students in undergraduate elementary teacher education and to teachers in the Chicago metropolitan area. The program has resulted in measured improvement in science skills of elementary school children. (Author/SK)