9254642 Barrett The Lawrence Hall of Science and the University of Texas at Austin's Marine Science Institute are collaborating on a marine science teacher enhancement program that will serve 912 K-8 teachers in exemplary methods of science and math instruction and provide 17,600 students and their teachers in California and Texas with increased knowledge of ocean ecosystems. This model that is specifically designed to make science instruction accessible to language minority students, will be implemented in four urban school districts, two in California and two in Texas. In years 1 and 2, leadership teams from eight California schools and six Texas schools will attend summer institutes that introduce teachers to marine science education integrated with mathematics and other areas of science. The teachers will also have assistance as they plan for the improvement of the total science program of their buildings. During the school year, the lead teachers will assist the MARE staff in conducting whole- faculty inservice sessions to share the program and the teaching strategies with their colleagues. They will also lead faculty planning sessions for the whole-school Ocean Week immersion event that is the high point of the year-long marine science program at each site. During Year 3, the district leadership teams will adopt eight new schools in California and six new schools in Texas. The cost sharing will be 35% of the NSF award. ***
