The University of Georgia will collaborate with the local State Systemic Initiative projects to enhance interdisciplinary science in the middle school by developing leadership resource teams (consisting of 4 master teachers, their science supervisor, and two college scientists) from nine school districts in the Southeast. These teams will participate in three summer leadership institutes which are designed to build teachers' science knowledge base and teaching, and which will focus on Science, Technology and Society (STS) issues that are relevant to the teachers' local communities. These teams will also develop instructional modules linking concerns for STS to knowledge of the biological and physical world. This proposal is appropriate for teacher enhancement because it is designed to prepare teams of Leader Teachers who will work with colleagues to bring interdisciplinary science to middle school students in their schools. Non-NSF cost-sharing is approximately 14.4% of the amount requested from NSF.
