This project seeks to improve the academic performance of high school students by developing their knowledge and skills in science, math, and humanities using context-based environmental health science scenarios. The project is a collaboration among the Environmental Health Sciences Center, the Marine/Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center, and the Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences (SMILE) Program at Oregon State University; the Oregon Department of Education; and Oregon school districts with high dropout rates and high numbers of minority and disadvantaged students. The project uses the Hydroville Challenge Problems, an existing set of environmental health science scenarios, developed under NIEHS grant ESA-96-001, to improve the critical-thinking skills of high school students and to engage them in developing solutions to real-life environmental health science problems. The proposed project includes the following activities: * Adapting the Hydroville Challenge Problems into integrated classroom modules, enhancing them with additional scientific and humanities content (including risk assessment and risk perception), and aligning them with state and national education standards; * Conducting Summer Institutes to train teams of teachers in environmental health science, team teaching, and implementation of the Challenge Problem modules; * Evaluating the impact of environmental health science as an integrative context for learning using the Hydroville Challenge Problems; and * Disseminating the Challenge Problem modules nationwide. Approximately 150 science, math, and humanities teachers will be trained to use the Hydroville Challenge Problem modules in each year of the project. Teams of teachers will then incorporate the modules within the existing high school curricula. As a result of this project, it is hoped that students will demonstrate improved academic performance, decision-making skills, and attitudes toward science and school, as well as increased knowledge of environmental health issues.
