The communities of southwest Virginia and Radford University propose to implement a Local Systemic Change project in the Cumberland Plateau Regional Planning District of the Appalachian region of Virginia. In 5 years, all 644 grade K-8 teachers in 39 schools will reconstruct their didactic textbook driven elementary science curricula and replace it with units selected from FOSS, Insights and STC instructional materials. A resource center will be established and shared by all four school divisions in which the schools are situated (Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell and Tazewell). Southwest Virginia Community College will provide the facility. All teachers will receive a minimum of 105 hours professional development.
