A graduate program in science education will be developed for elementary school teachers from schools in the Boston, Cambridge, and Fall River, Massachusetts, school systems which have high minority enrollments. Most of the teachers will be minority women. It will include three courses taught in the schools and one in which the teachers will be in a field assignment in industry or at the Boston Museum of Science. The three in-school courses will include one in a specific science discipline and two more covering topics such as Hands-on Science Learning, Teaching Science with Technology, Problem-centered Science, and Applied Mathematics and Science Tools. Field assignments will include actual work in industry or the museum coupled with follow-up sessions dealing with how to translate those experiences into useful classroom activities. Teachers will receive certificates of graduate work in elementary science education from Lesley College and can transfer the credits to a master's degree in science education program if they matriculate within five years. The program will be headed by Lesley College faculty members with the assistance of an advisory committee including elementary science teachers and industry and museum scientists. Cost sharing by the partners will total 100% of the National Science Foundation funding.
