The Jefferson County Public School System is developing a year-long junior high/middle school program in life science which emphasizes the understanding and care of the human body. The development will be done in close cooperation with the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and with the support of local physicians and university-level scientists and science educators. The program will provide an alternative for teachers and schools seeking materials to improve their life science curriculum and will serve as a resource for schools seeking to integrate health topics with their existing life science course. A part of the program will also direct students toward an ability to make decisions in and about their local environment. Provisions have been made to develop a variety of materials for this portion of the course that will fit other "local" environments, i.e., a variety of exosystems across the country. A text integrating reading activities, laboratory activities, and student questions along with the supporting teacher's guide will be produced. The Jefferson County Public Schools will be joined in their effort by The NETWORK, Inc. of Andover, Massachusetts. The role of The NETWORK is to create a strong training and support system for the course materials, evaluate their effectiveness, and disseminate the materials on a national basis.
