Whos Job Is It To Support Good Science Education Anyway

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Whos Job Is It To Support Good Science
Education Anyway?

• Lorraine Mulfinger, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor of Chemistry
• Juniata College Science In Motion
• PA Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships
• in Science Technology

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What IS Good Science?

• Back to Basics vs. Hands-On Instruction
• Washington Post, February 3, 2004
• The major players the California Curriculum
  Commission, which advises the state Board of
  Education and has recommended new criteria for
  K-8 textbooks that allow for a maximum of 20 to
  25 percent of hands-on material.

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What IS Good Science?

• Back to Basics vs. Hands-On Instruction
• Washington Post, February 3, 2004
• In opposition are many classroom teachers and
  scientists including leaders of the National
  Academy of Science and the California Science
  Teachers Association who say the recommendation
  makes no sense in a field that is all about
  discovery.

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OVERVIEW

• Defining Good Science Education and What It
  Costs
• The What and Why of Basic Ed / Higher Ed
  Partnerships
• Funding Sources for Basic Ed / Higher Ed
  Partnerships
• Sustaining Funding at the State and Local Levels

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What IS Good Science?

• National Science Education Standards
• National Research Council (1995 -NAS, NAE, NSF,
  NASA, USDoEd, NIH)
• Principals and Definitions
• The development of the National Science
  Education Standards was guided by certain
  principals. Those principles are
• Science is for all students.
• Learning is an active process.
• School science reflects the intellectual and
  cultural traditions that characterize the
  practice of the contemporary science.
• Improving science education is part of systemic
  education reform.

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What IS Good Science?

• National Science Education Standards
• National Research Council (1995 -NAS, NAE, NSF,
  NASA, USDoEd, NIH)
• Principals and Definitions
• Science is for all students (EQUITY).
• All students are capable of full participation
  and of making meaningful contributions in science
  classes.

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What IS Good Science?

• National Science Education Standards
• National Research Council (1995 -NAS, NAE, NSF,
  NASA, USDoEd, NIH)
• Principals and Definitions
• Learning is an active process.
• Emphasizing active science learning means
  shifting emphasis away from teachers presenting
  information and covering science topics.

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What IS Good Science?

• National Science Education Standards
• National Research Council (1995 -NAS, NAE, NSF,
  NASA, USDoEd, NIH)
• Principals and Definitions
• School science reflects the intellectual and
  cultural traditions that characterize the
  practice of the contemporary science.
• students must become familiar with modes of
  scientific inquiry, rules of evidence, ways of
  formulating questions, and ways of proposing
  explanations. The relation of science to
  mathematics and to technology and an
  understanding of the nature of science should
  also be part of their education.

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What IS Good Science?

• National Science Education Standards
• National Research Council (1995 -NAS, NAE, NSF,
  NASA, USDoEd, NIH)
• Principals and Definitions
• Improving science education is part of systemic
  education reform.
• The components include students and teachers
  schools with principals, superintendents, and
  school boards teacher education programs in
  colleges and universities, textbook publishers,
  communities of parents and of students, scientist
  and engineers science museums businesses and
  industry and legislators.

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What IS Good Science?

• How critical is this argument for todays
  discussion?
• 20 25 hands-on is a minimum of one day/week!
• PA Basic Ed / Higher Ed Science Tech
  Partnerships like (Science In Motion) wish to
  ensure that hands-on activity occur per week
  (with or without our support.)

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What IS Good Science?
Science In Motion 1998-1999 - Assessment
Results 4 Labs / Month
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What IS Good Science?

• Science In Motion Assessment Results
• Students in project schools answered twice as
  many test questions correctly
• SIM Students demonstrated higher-order thinking
  skills
• SIM students are capable of using the techniques
  that modern scientists use.
• a consortium-wide assessment is underway

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What are Higher Education/Basic Education Science
Partnerships Why are they Essential to Good
Science Education?
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Why Are BE/HE Partnerships Essential?

• Systemic Problems In Schools
• School systems are not organized to support
  change in the classroom.
• Not the teachers fault
• Not the administrations fault
• Not school boards fault
• We waste a lot of time pointing fingers at people
  when it is the system.

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Why Are BE/HE Partnerships Essential?
Systemic Problems (continued)

• Schools are organized on the model of
  assembly line factories. Students move along the
  assembly line, first grade, second grade, third
  grade, etc. and at each point certain things are
  scheduled to happen.
• Eventually, the factory becomes outdated.

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Breakdowns Teachers

• Lack of resources
• Equipment supplies are expensive
• Isolation
• Lack of professional development opportunities
  involving state-of-the-art science in the
  teachers content area
• Inability to collaborate with other teachers in
  the same content area
• Lack of time
• Full teaching schedules fail to allow time to
  develop or even to set up labs

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Breakdowns Administration

• Principals and superintendents can not be experts
  in every area
• They do not have time to work extensively with
  each teacher
• They also lack resources

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Breakdown School Boards

• School boards are too far removed from the
  classroom to directly affect what happens
• But, they should care about the classroom and are
  accountable for students
• Generally lack experience on the board and in
  education

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THE BOTTOM LINE

• Problem
• Teachers know what they need, but school boards
  control spending
• Boards under community pressure to limit taxes,
  as are state legislators
• Answer
• Sharing resources among school districts is the
  most cost effective answer
• Higher Ed can contribute infrastructure without
  direct costs added to the program

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Why are Basic Ed / Higher Ed Sci Tech
Partnerships Effective?

• STUDENT OUTCOMES
• Better Test Scores
• More Meaningful Science Fair Projects

• Success in Student Behavior
• Produces Students who can Function in Modern Labs
  Workforce/Economic Development!

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Why are Basic Ed / Higher Ed Sci Tech
Partnerships Effective?

• Higher Education Institutions Provide
• Teacher Training
• Continuing Professional Development
• Resources for the classroom
• Support IN the classroom
• Cost Efficacy
• Sharing of less frequently used, expensive
  resources
• Infrastructure (facilities and personnel) already
  in place

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Why are Basic Ed / Higher Ed Sci Tech
Partnerships Effective?

• What Teachers say about
• SCIENCE IN MOTION HANDS-ON SCIENCE
• The most significant program in which they have
  been involved
• They feel more like scientists
• They are excited to have up-to-date lab
  activities
• They have neither the time nor the resources to
  conduct the same hands-on activities without SIM

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Current Programs

• Model Programs in 10 States

Statewide Programs
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11 Pennsylvania Sites

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11 Alabama Sites

• University of North Alabama
• Athens State College
• Alabama AM and University of Huntsville
• University of Alabama
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Jacksonville State
• University of Montevallo
• University of South Alabama
• Alabama State University
• Auburn University
• Troy State University

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RECONGNIZED SUCCESS

• Featured by
• ABC News with Peter Jennings
• Nightly Business Review feature with Morley Safer

• Winner of the 2004 Innovations Award from the
  national Council of State Governments

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Funding Sources for Basic Ed / Higher Ed
Partnerships
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Funding for Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships
The Ideal Program...

• Partnerships should serve
• 16,000 students, K-12
• 8-10 Rural School Districts

OR

• Part of a Single Urban School District

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Funding for Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships

• Each Partnership would have
• Biology Van
• Chemistry Van
• Physics Van
• Elementary Van

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Funding for Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships
The funding for these projects would be an
average of 55 per year per child. 16,000
Students x 55 Per Child 880,000 Per Year
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US EDUCATIONAL SPENDING Per Pupil Spending
55 lt1 of total student spending
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ASIM - FY 1999 (98/99) Costs

• 65.21 per student
• 125,000 per discipline
• expenditures breakdown

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ASIM - FY 2000 (99/00) Costs

• 55.72 per student
• 122,000 per discipline
• expenditures breakdown

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Alabama SIM - FY 2002 Costs

• 47.65 per student
• 2,454,757 total
• 108,013 per discipline
• expenditures breakdown

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Statewide Expenditures
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Funding for Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships
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Funding for Basic Ed / Higher Ed Partnerships
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WHO SHOULD FUND SCIENCE?NSF Math Science
Partnerships (MSPs)Projects FundedTargeted
Awards
Note Review Criteria Plan for sustainability
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WHO SHOULD FUND SCIENCE?The future of (MSPs)
120 M may move to USDoEd
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SUSTANING FUNDINGShifting from Federal to
State/Local Support
Unfunded applications 1998 Physics Van
Expansion (NSF) 1999 Physics Van Expansion
(NSF) 2001 Elementary Van Program
(Dreyfus) 2002 Statewide K-8 Expansion
(NSF/MSP) 2003 Regional K-8 Expansion
(NSF/MSP) 2003 Regional K-8 Expansion
(PDE/Title II)
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SUSTANING FUNDINGShifting from Federal to
State/Local Support
NSF Mission strengthening math and science
education PA State Constitution to provide an
education PA School Code (School
Boards) review and approve curriculum text
books
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...and SCIENCE?Pennsylvania will not test
science until 2005 at the earliest.
READING, WRITING RITHMATIC
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Sustaining Funding at State Local Levels

• CURRENT PA FUNDING DILEMMA
• PA House and Senate support continue state
  funding
• Governor Rendell and Secretary for Education
  Advocate charging individual school districts
  through block grants

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Some Arguments for State Funding

• Constitutional Mandate of the State
• High Tech Workforce Development is a state
  priority
• Equity is assured for poorer districts

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Some Arguments for Local Funding

• PA School Code emphasizes local control (not
  funding)
• School Boards must approve curriculum
• School Boards must approve the budget
• HOWEVER,
• approval does not funding
• local boards cannot create new forms of taxation
• will block grants be used for science?

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CONCLUSION

• In the current climate, sustained funding will
  most likely be at the state level
• Equity
• Cost Efficacy (shared resources)
• Can enact legislation to raise necessary revenues
• Department of Ed can coordinate and monitor
  spending (prevent out-dated content but they do
  not have the resources to provide the program
  directly.)
• Science has a key role in workforce economic
  development state priorities

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CONCLUSION

• Funding COULD occur at the federal level if
  science were made a national priority and was
  seen as important as reading and math

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PA Basic Ed/Higher Ed Science and Technology
Partnerships

• Statewide Project Coordinators
• Dr. Lorraine Mulfinger
• Dr. Don Mitchell
• Juniata College
• Huntingdon, PA 16652
• 814-641-3566 or mulfinger_at_juniata.edu
• www.scienceinmotion.org
• internet links to other higher ed program