With the cooperation of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the National Parks of New York Harbor, and the American Museum of Natural History, CUNY Brooklyn College is providing high school Earth Science teachers with community-based research experiences that better prepare them to engage their students in inquiry that addresses real-world problems in their local environment. The project is developing a 3-course series of local Research Experiences for Earth Science Teachers (RET) courses that are integrated into a Master of Arts of Teaching program. This hybrid curriculum provides a sustainable professional development route to advance educator expertise in Earth Science beyond mastery of geoscience content and towards mastery of geoscience inquiry. Project activities are designed to create a community of local geoscience research practice and provide support for teachers seeking to use inquiry-based Earth Science instruction. Infusion of career information throughout the program is intended to help teachers support the large and diverse population of high school students in New York City who may be inspired to study Earth Science in high schools, and to major in geoscience when they transition to college.
