9625947 Scharberg This project continues the tradition of the prior teacher in- service programs associated with the Biennial Conferences on Chemical Education sponsored by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society. Because the location of the Biennial Conference changes from year to year the target group also changes and consists of those teachers of chemistry within a 3-4 hour driving time of the conference. The up-coming conference will be held at Clemson University. The project will serve 55 participants and especially those teachers who are (1) teaching out of field; (2) professionally or geographically isolated; (3) and teaching large numbers of underrepresented students. The major goals of the proposal are to stimulate and encourage these teachers to join professional groups, to participate in a regional network dedicated to issues in chemical education, to become involved in the mainstream of chemical education and thus to participate in the national movement to improve science education at the high school level. The teachers in the project will be involved in an intensive series of workshops before during and after the Biennial Conference. They are also expected to attend the Conference Sessions and two follow-up sessions six months apart. Ten Lead Teachers from the region, selected on the basis of their demonstrated excellence in teaching and professional development history will lead the Operation Progress workshops, serve as mentors and information sources to the participants and manage the networking component of the program. Matching funds constitute about 315% of the NSF grant.
