National calls to improve student academic success in college have sparked the development of bridge programs designed to help students transition from high school to college. We designed a 2-week Summer Bridge program that taught introductory biology content in an active-learning way. Through a set of exploratory interviews, we unexpectedly…

This article describes the development of a Targeted Learning Community (TLC) that supports first-year science students enrolled in a General Chemistry course. Drawing on student feedback and knowledge and expertise in their respective disciplines, four faculty members from two colleges at Kennesaw State University came together to develop a…

A peer-mentoring program was developed for students in an introductory biology course at a university in Ontario, Canada. Students could attend up to five peer-mentoring sessions during their first semester. Quantitative-survey, participation, and academic data spanning from 2003 through 2007 were reviewed for the purpose of evaluating the…

It is a recurring debate many people have probably been engaged in: why do pupils appear to under-perform in the lower years of secondary school? In the latest in their "Perspectives on education" series, "Primary-secondary transfer in science" (Wellcome Trust, 2009), the Wellcome Trust addresses this problematic area with…

This paper reports a two-year longitudinal study of the effects of cooperative learning on science attainment, attitudes towards science, and social connectedness during transition from primary to high school. A previous project on cooperative learning in primary schools observed gains in science understanding and in social aspects of school life.…

This article reports data from a 2-year longitudinal study on cooperative learning in school science. The study reported the effects of cooperative learning in science on science attainment, effective development and social connectedness, and interactions during transition from elementary to high school in rural and urban school settings. The…

The REAL Camp-NIU Experience established at Northern Illinois University serves as a model to afford high school students an experience in science- and mathematics-related careers. The participants' perceptions of the college-based camp curriculum were very favorable, as were the perceptions from preservice teachers and practicing teachers…

Primary science has rightly been recognised as one of the great successes in UK education over the last 20 years--a jewel in the National Curriculum crown. Its successes are evidenced by the high numbers of pupils achieving the target levels in national tests and by the rising number of science lessons rated as good or better in school inspections…

The Basic Trilingual Program at Flushing High School in New York City is described in this report. As implemented in 1980-1981, the program aimed to help 250 Spanish- and Korean-speaking high school students (grades 9 through twelve) to make the transition to English by adopting a comprehensive instructional approach consisting of intensive…

Project E.T.B.B.S., a bilingual education program designed to accelerate the transition to English usage among Spanish-speaking high school students of limited English proficiency, is described in this report. As implemented in 1980-81, the project provided instruction in English as a second language, native language instruction, bilingual…