The revised National Curriculum for Science for key stages 3 and 4 (ages 11-16) in England provides the opportunity to develop a new coherent approach to teaching about the carbon cycle, the use of carbon as a fuel and the resulting issues. The Earth Science Education Unit (ESEU) intends to develop a new workshop to support the teaching of this…

Evaluation of large-scale professional development programmes in a cost-effective but detailed manner presents challenges. Much of the research evidence on the effectiveness of professional development in science education has been the result of small-scale studies that use clustered or stratified sampling methods. Using the evidence collected…

To address the need to better prepare teachers to enact science education reforms, the National Science Foundation has supported a Research Experience for Teachers (RET's) format for teacher professional development. In these experiences, teachers work closely with practicing scientists to engage in authentic scientific inquiry. Although…

Biology in Context ("bik") is a project that aims to improve biology teaching in lower secondary schools in Germany. Based on a theoretical framework derived from the National Educational Standards, four competence areas should be fostered in biology education: subject knowledge; inquiry acquisition; subject-related communication; and…

The authors argue that leadership networks when comprised of regional stakeholders including university faculty, school system administrators, and teacher leaders can begin to work together towards common reform goals. (Contains 1 figure.)

The Improving Teacher Quality Program recently concluded its 2007 competition to select grantees who will provide high-quality teacher professional development over the next several years. Teachers in grades K-2 were the focus of this year's Request for Proposals (RFP). As required in the last two rounds of competition, the selected projects must…

Primary science in Scotland has got the wind in its sails. The Scottish science education initiative, "Improving Science Education" (ISE) 5-14, has invested millions in professional development (CPD) materials and experiences for science teachers, harnessing and developing their enthusiasm for effective learning and teaching in science.…

This paper focuses on the refinement and articulation of the invitational education concept to science teaching in the classroom, an approach consistent with the underlying philosophy of SCIS. The first section of the paper outlines the nature of invitations and disinvitations and describes the ability of teachers to send formal or informal…

One-third of all U.S. school children attend school in rural settings. Rural schools are much poorer than urban America, with most of the poorest counties in the United States located in rural areas. Equity is a concern not only in terms of race, class, gender, disability, and sexual orientation, but also in terms of being geographically located…