9454390 Nanney POLARIS the Project On Leading Alaska Reform In Science is a four year program to effect comprehensive science education reform in schools along the length of the Alaska Highway, from Kenai to Fairbanks. Sixty leader teachers, from grades seven through nine, will participate in a series of two six-day academies each summer, a three day winter short course and ten follow-up meetings during the academic year. Workshop content and pedagogy will be merged so that teachers will learn in a format that their students are expected to use. The science content will be guided by local needs, national science education reform efforts and the emerging NRC standards. Reflecting its comprehensive nature these teachers will also learn assessment techniques, applications of technology and leadership skills and strategies. Other middle and high school science teachers in the participating districts will be included in the project through intensive workshop experiences lasting one hundred and five hours. These second tier workshops sill be conducted by the leader teachers. The Anchorage School District will be the lead district. The extraordinary contrast between urban centers and road-accessible remote rural communities will be alleviated by partnering the resources of each using electronic networks.
