Implementing hands-on programs: these NSF-supported curriculum centers offer valuable online resources. (the online edge).

Implementing hands-on programs: these NSF-supported curriculum centers offer valuable online resources. (the online edge). The National Science Foundation has arguably done more to improve K-12 science, mathematics and technology education in the United States Education in the United States is provided mainly by government, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. School attendance is mandatory and nearly universal at the elementary and high school levels (often known outside the United States as the than any other sponsoring agency. Starting decades ago, the NSF NSF - National Science Foundation funded the development of large-scale programs that transformed the curriculum from didactic content presentations to laboratory-centered student inquiry. The programs were created through comprehensive research and development processes, were piloted and field tested extensively with diverse student populations, and published commercially for wide-scale implementation. High school programs that originated through NSF funding include three approaches to biology developed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study--BSCS Biology: A Human Approach and BSCS BSCS Biological Sciences Curriculum StudyBSCS Bachelor of Science in Computer ScienceBSCS Business Support & Control SystemBSCS Black Sea Coastal States (Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine)Biology: An Ecological Approach (both from Kendall/Hunt Publishing, www.kendallhunt.com), and BSCS Biology: A Molecular Approach (Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, www.glencoe.com). At the elementary school level, program with NSF roots include Science and Technology for Children--STC (Carolina Biological Supply, www.carolina.com), Full Option Science Systems--FOSS (Delta Education, www.delta-education.com), and Growing with Mathematics (Wright Group, www.wrightgroup.com). Furthermore, what we learned about hands-on teaching and learning through the NSF projects influenced the entire K-12 curriculum profoundly, including most of the math and science textbook series on the market. GETTING THE WORD OUT However, the success of any new program in schools is dependent on the success of its dissemination and implementation efforts, so the NSF also supported a variety of development activities for such purposes. These included regional information workshops, leadership programs, newsletters, national consultant networks, the distribution of staff development materials, the establishment of demonstration classrooms, and even study visits to work with curriculum developers. In this regard, my teacher education colleagues and I visited major project centers including the Educational Development Center in Massachusetts, the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study The Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) is an American non-profit organization that develops curricular materials based on science and technology for schools. The organization was founded in 1958 by a grant from the National Science Foundation to the education committee of in Colorado, the Lawrence Hall of Science The Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) is a public science center featuring hands-on exhibits and activities. Located in the hills above the University of California, Berkeley campus, LHS is also a resource center for preschool through high school science and mathematics education. in California, and the Engineering Concepts Curriculum Project in New York New York, state, United StatesNew York,Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . As a result of these experiences, we received our own NSF grant to implement science and math curriculum programs in 19 Connecticut school systems. NEW MODELS FOR A NEW ERA But the national priorities for such activities have changed significantly--funded travel opportunities are few and far between--and online technology has also changed the nature of curriculum dissemination and implementation. For example, the NSF now supports eight curriculum implementation centers in K-12 science and math (see sidebar "NSF-SUPPORTED IMPLEMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION CENTER") and each uses Web resources to improve and support education reform nationwide. These include online instructional materials, professional development resources, technical assistance, research reports, evaluation rubrics, descriptions of exemplary programs and curriculum standards from professional organizations including the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) was founded in 1920. It has grown to be the world's largest organization concerned with mathematics education, having close to 100,000 members across the USA and Canada, and internationally. (www.nctm.org) and the National Science Teachers Association (www.nsta.org). The sites will help your staff find out about innovative math and science programs, understand how inquiry-oriented teaching and learning improve student achievement and attitudes, build community support for inquiry-centered curriculum options, develop effective classroom management techniques, and evaluate results. RELATED ARTICLE: NSF-supported implementation and dissemination centers. The NSF-supported curriculum centers work in partnership with academic institutions, corporations, educational organizations and school districts to sustain inquiry-centered science and math in local school districts. SCIENCE: * EDC EDCSee: Export Development Corp. K-12 Science Curriculum Dissemination Center, www.edc.org/cse (K-12) * IMPACT New England at CESAME CESAME Center for the Enhancement of Science and Math Education , www.cesame.neu.edu (K-12--science and math) * The LASER Center at the NSRC NSRC Network Startup Resource CenterNSRC National Science Resources CenterNSRC National Synchrotron Research Center (Thailand)NSRC National Service Resource CenterNSRC Nanoscale Science Research Center , www.si.edu/nsrc (K-8) * The SCI (Scalable Coherent Interface) An IEEE standard for a high-speed bus that uses wire or fiber-optic cable. It can transfer data up to 1GBytes/sec. (hardware) SCI - 1. Scalable Coherent Interface.2. UART. Center at BSCS, www.scicenteratbscs.org (9-12) MATHEMATICS: * ARC Center, Alternatives for Rebuilding Curriculum, www.arccenter.comap.com (K-6) * COMPASS Center, Curricular Options in Mathematics Programs for All Secondary Students, www.ithaca.edu/compass (9-12) * EDC K-12 Mathematics Curriculum Center, www.edc.org/mcc (K-12) * Show-Me Center, www.showmecenter. missouri.edu (6-8) Odvard Egil Dyrli, dyrli@uconn.edu, is senior editor and emeritus professor of education at the University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut is the State of Connecticut's land-grant university. It was founded in 1881 and serves more than 27,000 students on its six campuses, including more than 9,000 graduate students in multiple programs.UConn's main campus is in Storrs, Connecticut. .