Over the past three years, the Oceanic Society, San Francisco Bay Chapter, has pilot-tested a high impact marine science immersion program, Project OCEAN, in West Coast schools. Funding for this pilot effort was obtained from the California Fund for Postsecondary Education, the US Department of Education and the Packard Foundation. This project disseminates the model to additional school sites in California and to schools around the University of Texas Marine Science Institute on the Gulf Coast. This three year project will field test the model over an extended period of time, the use of a second expert facility (UTMSI) as a resource for the teacher enhancement, and refine the curriculum and teacher materials developed by the Oceanic Society for use in the teacher enhancement projects. The seven grade level specific marine science guidebooks integrate science, mathematics, social studies and language arts and are thus used by all teachers in all classes from K-6. Each volume is built around the context of a specific habitat, such as Kelp Forest, Bays and Estuaries, Tidepools, etc. The Project includes a year-long emphasis on the marine sciences which culminates in a school-wide observation of Oceans Week. There are strong indications that the immersion event significantly improves school climate and culture, student and teacher attitudes about science, and learning and second language acquisition among students who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) and/or otherwise at risk. Sixteen schools from California and Texas coastal regions will participate with 10 teachers from each school attending the intensive leadership workshops. These schools serve heterogenous populations that include a relatively large number of educationally disadvantaged and LEP students (Black, Hispanic and Southeast Asians). The schools have committed money, released time, minimum of 80% faculty involvement in workshops and Oceans Week and the presence of strong committed administrators and teachers. Project activities include a 10-day residential training workshop led by Project Ocean and UT staff for small teams of specialist teachers to become immersed in marine science, trained in innovative curricula and instructional methods. This is followed by a third week of training for these teams to develop their leadership capabilities in order to expedite the school wide program. All-day faculty workshops will be held for the entire school staffs prior to Oceans Week. In the second year, habitat-specific workshops will be held for all teachers as well as follow-up workshops by specialist teams, presentations for parents and evaluative activities. Extensive documentation and evaluation will be carried out enabling other sites to use the model. Schools, University and Oceanic Society cost-sharing is equivalent to 56% of the grant request.
