9550090 Johnson This Local Systemic Change Through Teacher Enhancement project is the result of a collaboration between nine small rural school districts, one large urban district and Ball State University. The project will combine the resources of the school districts, the university, the Indiana Department of Education, private organizations, and the community to institute and support an integrated, inquiry-based, hands-on science curriculum in the elementary schools in the region. The curriculum to be implemented throughout the district will include NSF funded FOSS, EDC-Insights, and NSRC-Science, Technology, and Children materials as instructional modules for the school districts. The project is an example of a university and school districts that have leadership teachers who have been trained by past NSF projects and who are ready to support district-wide efforts. This group of lead teaches will work with scientists, science educators, and master teachers to plan and staff the summer leadership institutes and will form a leadership team core at each school site to mentor and educate teachers in elementary science teaching and reform. In addition to attending the first summer institute, these teachers will each attend the second summer institute and mentor a new teacher into the leadership team. This process is repeated each year with a total of 336 teachers directly impacted by NSF funds. This number represents no less than 6 teachers per school for 37 schools in ten school districts.
