The Museum of History and Science in Louisville will conduct an internship program in support of the Jefferson County Public Schools' "Professional Development Model for Science Improvement". The Teacher Internship Program in Science (TIPS) will involve recruiting five talented beginning elementary of middle school teachers to Jefferson County Public Schools each of the next three tears and teaming them with five mentor teachers. The co-teachers will begin the Internship Program with a ten week summer program, eight of material development in June and July, and two of in-service training in August From September through December, the beginning teachers will alternate being at the Museum three days a week while working in the school classroom two days per week with their mentor co-teacher. In the second term, the process will be reversed; mentor teachers will intern at the Museum three days per week while their co-teachers work in the classroom. This plan has been developed in direct collaboration with an Advisory Team of classroom teachers, the Jefferson County Science Supervisor, the University of Louisville, and the Museum staff. The project will offer mentor teachers the reward of a sabbatical from normal duties and the opportunity to learn both new content and new methodologies. Qualified new teachers will be offered the opportunity to co-teach their first year with an experienced mentor teacher, participate in a hands-on internship at the museum, and receive leadership and in-service training. Using Starlab and other resources such as kits, exhibits, and collections, teachers will learn new methodologies, experiment with their ideas in new settings, and share a professional relationship with new colleagues. Each intern will model successful interactive teaching techniques in physics, chemistry, earth science, and life science. The school system assures that each mentor and intern, aided by the Museum and University staff, will teach ten other teachers in an in-service program. This project provides a means of recruiting beginning teachers of high academic quality, offers a system of induction into the teaching profession, and provides an approach to retaining highly qualified experienced teachers. Science Museums are particularly well suited to partners in these endeavors because of their emphasis on participatory learning, their resources, and their position in the community. The Jefferson County Public Schools and the Museum of History and Science have contributed an amount equal to approximately twice that of the National Science Foundation award.
