This article presents a systematic review of research on the achievement outcomes of all types of approaches to teaching science in elementary schools. Study inclusion criteria included use of randomized or matched control groups, a study duration of at least 4 weeks, and use of achievement measures independent of the experimental treatment. A…

Inquiry-based instructional approaches are an effective means to actively engage students with science content and skills. This article examines the effects of an ongoing professional development program on middle and high school teachers' efficacy beliefs, confidence to teach research concepts and skills, and science content knowledge.…

Inquiry-based instructional approaches are an effective means to actively engage students with science content and skills. This article examines the effects of an ongoing professional development program on middle and high school teachers' efficacy beliefs, confidence to teach research concepts and skills, and science content knowledge.…

This study examined how science teachers' knowledge of research methods, neuroscience and drug addiction changed through their participation in a 5-day summer science institute. The data for this study evolved from a four-year NIH funded science education project called Addiction Research and Investigation for Science Educators (ARISE). Findings…

In this commentary, I discuss how policy initiatives play out in two different contexts for elementary school teachers yet produce very similar outcomes regarding teachers' professional development and school science learning for elementary students. Ironically, the outcomes that we want see in elementary school science learning and professional…

Two research studies sponsored by the Centre for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS) investigated the programmes informal science institutions (ISIs) currently provide to support K-12 science education, particularly in the area of teacher professional development (PD). The first study was a large-scale survey with 475 ISIs responding about the…

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…

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…

Describes the Center for Chemistry Education (CCE) model for teacher development. Provides three examples of professional development programs that were taken primarily from three CCE initiatives that include Teaching Science with Toys, Partners for Terrific Science, and Science Integration in Today's Elementary Schools. (Contains 12 references.)…

Introduces the Iowa Chautauqua Program (ICP) which was disseminated through the U.S. Department of Education as an exemplary model of professional development for inservice teachers. Results reveal intricate relationships between classroom implementation by teachers and program implementation by the school district. (Contains 24 references.)…

Introduces the Earth Science Summer Institute for elementary teachers, a program of professional development in content and inquiry. Focuses on concepts and learning demonstrating the interconnectedness of earth science topics. (Author/YDS)

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…

Describes the Bridges program which aims at forming bridges between teachers and students within districts and extending those bridges across district boundaries in the Los Angeles area while enhancing science instruction in the classroom. Discusses the planning, implementation, evaluation, and summary of the program. (JRH)

Believing that science could be used as a vehicle for increasing student achievement across the curriculum, seven science resource teachers in the South Carolina Lowcountry designed a professional development program funded through a Local Systemic Change grant from the National Science Foundation called Project Inquiry. Science notebooks, used in…

Describes development of the National Science Education Standards in content, teaching, assessment, professional development, school and district programs, and the science education system. Considers the standards' distinctive features, including an expanded definition of science, grounded in inquiry; and an emphasis on all students understanding…