9553905 Nye This is a five year Local Systemic Change project to improve science education for all 1715 K-5 teachers in 84 elementary schools in Metro Nashville Public Schools District. This will be accomplished by providing intensive summer institutes and continuing school year collaborative sessions. The District and Tennessee State University (TCU) will collaborate to initiate and sustain the reform through a partnership by creating site-based and cross-district learning communities with an enduring infrastructure to sustain the reform. Leadership development will be a component of the project. There will be 11 Teachers in Residence to assume the role of professional development for a cluster of schools (each cluster will serve seven or eight elementary schools) and there will be teams of three school facilitators at each school. The Teachers in Residence will provide professional development opportunities for teachers in their cluster of schools and the facilitators will be available on a day to day basis for the teachers in their respective schools. Principals play an important role in the project. Each will receive 50 hours of professional training which will be provided by the Co-Principal Investigators. The intent is that the principals will become the instructional leaders of their schools. The curriculum will be modular based and includes Science and Technology for Children (STC), INSIGHTS and FOSS units. All the science disciplines are included in the curriculum. A Materials Resource Center has developed TSU and will be the distribution center for the kits. The Center maintains, refurbishes, and distributes the kits to the classrooms. Scientists will work with teachers to develop skills in inquiry and to provide support and enhancement of the content for the curriculum. The project requested $5,145,000 from NSF with institutions/agencies and the Metro School District providing $14,011,353 in cost sharing.
