The Center for Science Education at the Education Development Center (EDC) proposes a renewal of the EDC K-12 Science Curriculum Dissemination Center for a final year. The Center has supported the dissemination and implementation of research-based science materials in small, rural, geographically isolated and poor K-12 school districts. The Center works through eight regional hubs to reach rural areas in or adjacent to the following states: Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Iowa, South Dakota, Alabama, Florida and Georgia. In the original grant the Center worked to (1) increase the number of school districts knowledgeable about research-based K-12 science curriculum and help them to critically assess the materials; (2) increase the number of districts piloting, adopting or implementing such materials; and (3) enhance the capacity of local resource providers to support curriculum implementation.
The renewal will shift the Center's work to building the capacity of district and regional science education leaders to support the high-quality implementation of these science curricula. In the final year the Center will:
1. Increase the science leadership capacity of teachers and administrators from strategically selected school districts to address high-quality curriculum implementation.
2. Increase the capacity of the hubs and regional resource providers to support and sustain improvements in science education in their regions.
3. Increase outreach to national educational associations to influence their support of science education.
