This proposal describes a Track 1 project developed by Rutgers University in partnership with Newark Public Schools and The Newark Museum. This is a Track 2 program that focuses on the development of five model science classrooms employing inquiry based instructional strategies and materials. It will use 5-10 Fellows and students and 15 teachers from grades 5-8. The anticipated outcomes of the proposed program include: enhanced teaching and communication skills of the Fellows; fifth grade students who are motivated and excited about science, mathematics, and technology, exposed to new ideas, resources, and potential careers, and increased knowledge and understanding of STEM subjects; collaboration of teachers with graduate students and in designing learning experiences for their students and incorporation of new ideas, activities, and resources into their curricula; opportunities for teachers to learn hands-on, inquiry-based approaches to teaching; and the development of a model of school-college collaboration that has relevance and merit for national dissemination.
