9353816 Staver This planning proposal will coordinate organizations and resources in North Central Kansas around a collaborative effort to improve rural elementary science teaching. A partnership among the North Central Kansas Educational Service Center, the Center for Science Education at Kansas State University, and Cloud County Community College as been created through this process to address the science needs in this region. This collaborative partnership will develop a project designed to implement hands-on science in rural school districts by preparing elementary teachers to become local and regional facilitators of quality hands-on science instruction. The project will also design a mechanism for providing teachers with implementation assistance, administrative support, and instructional materials. The cost sharing will be 229% of the NSF request. Cost sharing will come from Kansas State University, North Central Kansas Educational Service Center, and Cloud County Community College. ***
