9355620 Stewart This 3-year project provides intensive training and academic year support for a cadre of 40 leader elementary and middle school teachers from four districts in northwestern Washington State. With training in Operation Physics materials, leadership training and continuing project and district support these teachers will provide comprehensive training and collegial support for essentially every other K-6 teacher in these districts. The leader or Level-2 teachers will receive 50 days of training each year in summer workshops, academic year workshops and scientific research experiences. Workshops for their peers, Level-3 teachers, will be for two weeks in the summers. Unusual features of the Washington State-Op are: university faculty from the sciences, mathematics English and Technology will provide summer instruction and academic year consultation to the leader teachers, there is substantial support for the leader teachers in the form of teacher release time for the leader teachers, the extent to which an outside evaluator will track the project, and the extent to which the entire project design has been driven by teachers. Level-2 teachers will earn 36 graduate credits applicable to a Masters degree in Natural Science. Level-3 teachers may earn 3-graduate credits for each summer with AY follow-up.
