The Grid in PreCollege Science Education Reform: Bringing 21st Century Science into the High School

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The Grid in Pre-College Science Education
ReformBringing 21st Century Science into the
High School Classroom

• William J. Frascella
• Director
• Center for Mathematics Education
• Indiana University
• Bloomington, IN
• frascell_at_indiana.edu

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US Education Reform Critical Priority Since
Early 1980s

• Top Agenda Item for State and Federal
  Policymakers
• Call for Ed. Reform has been focused and
  consistent since publication of A Nation at
  Risk
• Thrust of Criticism
• Pre-college Education is Undermining Economic and
  Social Goals of US Society and
• IS not Preparing Our Students to Lead Meaningful
  and Successful Lives in the 21st Century Workplace

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Recent Indictment of US High SchoolsIrrelevant
to Needs of Society and to the Lives of Students

• Americas high schools are obsolete. By
  obsolete, I mean that our high schoolseven when
  theyre working exactly as designedcannot teach
  our kids what they need to know.
• Bill Gates
• National Governors Assoc. Education Summit
• February 26, 2005

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Gates Continues

• Our high schools were designed fifty years ago
  to meet the needs of another age.
• Until we design them to meet the needs of the
  21st century, we will keep limitingeven
  ruiningthe lives of millions of Americans every
  year.

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Major Themes in Gates Criticism of US High
Schools

• Not Meeting Needs of Their Students
• Only half of all students that enter high school
  ever enter a post secondary institution and get a
  job that allows them to support a family
• Not Meeting Needs of the Economy and Workplace
• US has dropped from 1st to 5th in percentage of
  young adults with college degrees
• We cant rely on importing talent. In todays
  global environment people can innovate without
  having to emigrate.

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Major Themes in Gates Criticism of US High
Schools (cont.)

• Undermining Political and Social Goals of Equity
  and Access in the US
• The idea behind the new design should be that
  all students can do rigorous work, andfor their
  sakes and oursthey have to.
• Declare all students can and should graduate
  from high school ready for college, work, and
  citizenship.
• Dropout rates for low-income and minorities are
  much worse than the general high school
  population

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Current Report CardMassive Effort, Little
Success

• Consensus on Broad Reform Goals
• Math and Science Education Communities Respond
  Individually
• Period of Rich and Focused Education Research to
  Develop Innovative Curricula and Designs for
  Teacher Professional Development
• Awareness by Science Research Community Ed.
  Reform is Critical to Their Pipeline Problem

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Comprehensive CollaborationThe Missing
Ingredient

• Addressing This Problem Requires Comprehensive
  Collaboration of Science, Education, and Business
  Communities
• Requires Understanding the Institutional Settings
  of These Communities, and
• Must Take Account of the Changes These
  Communities Are (or Will Be) Experiencing in the
  21st Century

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The Emotional Pre-Requisites of Collaboration are
not Addressed

• Robust Sense of Self-Interest Being Served for
  all Parties
• Mutual Respect
• Trust

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Institutional Changes in Science and Education
the Grid and a Unique Opportunity for
Collaboration

• Powerful Institutional Transformations of The
  Learning Community and Science Research Workforce
  Are Underway
• Stovepipe Structures are Breaking Down in all
  Communities as New Networks Emerge
• Grid Technology is Creating a Window of
  Opportunity for Robust Collaboration Serving the
  Interests of all Parties

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Developing Grid-environed Science Workforce
Common Ground for Science Education
Collaboration

• 21st Century Workplace Locus of Converging
  Technologies
• Requires Workers with non-Traditional
  Concatenations of Skills Not Aligned With Most
  Current Educational Curricula
• Effective Functioning of This Workplace Will
  Require Science Community to Solve New Kinds of
  Learning and Communication Problems
• Nanoscale Science and Engineering Emblematic of
  This Interdisciplinary Workforce

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The Science WorkforceMore Radical Facelifts
Ahead

• Growth of Grid-environed Research Will Facilitate
  the Pursuit of Big Science Projects
• Empower a Globally Distributed Workforce to
  Pursue Single Big Science Research Agendas
• Big Science Research Will Require Workers With
  Wide Variety of Skills and Education

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Solving Learning and Communication Problems A
Basis for Science Education Collaboration and
Conversation

• Pursuing Big Science Research Agendas Will
  Require Solving Learning and Communication
  Problemsnot Typically a Mainstream Science
  Activity
• Creates a Window of Opportunity for Dialogue
  Between Science and Education
• 21st Century Big Science Workplace is Impacting
  Education Right Now

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Workforce Impact on Elementary Classrooms

• Emergence of K-12 Academic Standards in New
  Areas, including Engineering and Technology
• Not Enough Minutes in the Instructional Day for
  Coverage by Single Teacher
• Interdisciplinary Standards and Instruction
  Viewed as Necessity at Elementary Level

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Workforce Impact on Graduate Schools and PhD
Programs

• Carnegie Foundation Initiative Encourages
  Graduate Schools to Reflect on Programs and
  Practices
• In Particular, How Well Programs are Aligned with
  the Workplace their Ph.D. Graduates will Enter
• Increasing Percentage of PhDs Entering
  non-Academic Workplaces

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Learning Communities of the 21st Century Signs
of Change in Education

• Experimentation with New Academy Models for
  High School
• New Networks Forming with New Learning
  Possibilities and Capacities

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21St Century Learning CommunitiesEmerging
Networks

• Home Schooling
• 1,100,000 students (Spring, 2003)
• Charter Schools (in 37 states and the DC)
• 3,000 schools 685,000 students
• Before/After School Program
• 6,500,000 students enrolled
• 14,300,000 take care of themselves after the
  school day ends!

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Expanded Role for Informal Education

• Museums (all types) 16,000
• History 25
• Art 23
• Historic Home/Site 12
• Natural History/Anthro 4
• Science Centers 4 Childrens/Youth 3
• Zoos and Aquaria 3
• Source Museum Financial Information 2003,
  American Association of Museums

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Educational Impact ofScience-rich Informal
Institutions

• Roughly 2000 institutions
• Science Centers, Planetariums, Zoos, Aquaria,
  Natural History Museums, Children Museums, Nature
  Centers, Arboretums and Botanical Gardens
• 25.8 million schoolchildren served annually
• About 40 of all U.S. Children

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New Challenges for Education

• General Recognition Traditional Ed. Institutions
  Are Not Meeting Our Needs
• Gates Criticism of High Schools Can be Extended
• Desire to Form New Networks and Reach Out to
  Informal Institutions Will Increase
• Linking These Diverse Resources to Address
  Education Goals Will Become Major Challenge

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The Grid Catalyst for Science and Education
Collaboration and Alignment

• Grid Has Potential to Serve Both Communities
  Similar Needs
• Each Side Will Have as a Professional Priority to
  Solve Learning and Communication Problems
• Self Interest of Scientists and Science Educators
  Can Drive an Effective Collaboration

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An E-High School Science Laboratory A Major Step
in This Direction

• Use a Grid Environment to Connect a 21st Century
  Science Workplace with a High School Science
  Classroom
• Develop e-High School Science Laboratory Based on
  this Connection
• Identify an Instrumentation-rich
  Interdisciplinary Cutting-Edge Content Area
• QuarkNet Prototype Model of Teacher Development
  Connecting Scientists and High School Teachers
  Pursuing Contemporary Research Ideas