Long History of Science Partnerships and Professional Development Outreach
East
Tennessee State University has a long and successful history of
building and nurturing partnerships with the region’s local
education agencies, which has led to the development of high
quality programs to study and develop ways to advance
standards-based students’ learning in science education. In
fact, we have had more than fifteen years of established
partnerships with the region’s LEAs to enhance and enrich the
middle and high school science programs, grades 5-12. These
partnerships have been grounded in the understanding that we exist
to broaden our impact, accelerate the pace, and increase the
effectiveness of improving science education (NSF, 1990, p. 1). Our
design and strategy have been to scale up and build capacity and
credibility with our partners through designing, evaluating,
revising, and expanding activities. With each step of the
way, we have laid a foundation for the next, building the capacity
for the partners along the way to ensure readiness and change.
As a result of our
previous work, a well-developed infrastructure network of
cooperation and mutual respect has been established between the
University and local school districts. Our existing and current
relationship with our school partners is nurtured and sustained
through our Project Management Team (MSP) (see description below).
And our existing project is funding by the Tennessee Mathematics
and Science Partnership grant, and is entitled “Reaching for
Excellence in Middle and High School Science Partnership.” We
are currently in the third year of funding for this project, which
will end in April of 2007. We are beginning to see, through our
evaluation design, many successes as a result of the project to
date. The Reaching for Excellence project has provided
opportunities for middle and high school science teachers to
increase content knowledge, learn pedagogical/classroom management
strategies, become “highly qualified, “ build
professional development networks, create a vision of effective
science instruction, and how to use instructional resources/tools
in the classroom.
As indicated above, ETSU
has been, for many years, engaged in building an infrastructure to
support strong partnerships with school districts in Northeast
Tennessee. The primary vehicle for “planning and involvement
of all partners” has been through the Project Management
Team. Dr. Jack Rhoton, Executive Director, ETSU Center of
Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education, works closely with
each PMT member and serves as a vital link among the ETSU science
faculty, LEAs, and members of the PMT. The PMT consist of central
office curriculum directors with decision making authority, middle
and high school principals, university science professors, and
middle and high school science teachers, all of whom represent
participating school districts. The PMT has met monthly in person
or via e-mail for three years to identity needs, design summer and
academic year programs, and to build leadership capacity. The
changing nature of the “responsibilities and expectation of
reward among partnering institutions,” especially in the
areas of data-informed decision making and accountability, have
provided opportunities to influence local practices. Our increasing
need and requirement to collect, analyze, report, and use data in
decisions and actions are valued by all partners. ETSU and
the members of the PMT have found themselves in strong positions to
work with LEAs to develop systems and capacities for these new
responsibilities, and consequently to introduce a systemic view of
management and change.
Capacity
Related
to the goals and objectives of the project, the partner school
districts have representation on the PMT. Their primary roles and
duties consist of designing professional development; assisting in
the needs assessment; assisting in proving student assessment data,
assisting in establishing an agenda based on needs assessment,
providing resources, monitoring implementation, and providing
time for participating teachers to work with their peer teachers.
The primary role of ETSU consist of: serving as fiscal agent,
hosting professional development, assisting the designing of
professional development, delivering professional development
(summer months) , providing facilities, providing tutoring for low
achieving students, visiting classrooms to model effective
teaching, providing inservice training for teachers during the
academic year, and serving on the PMT.
Per the
partnership’s governance structure specific to
decision-making, communication, and fiscal responsibilities, one of
the major assets of the PMT has been to create opportunities to
cultivate the will and commitment of LEA administrators to support
science education reform. For example, curriculum supervisors from
each of the partner districts (serving on the PMT) have important
decision-making authority in instructional matters that play a key
role in defining content and pedagogy in the classroom. By virtue
of having curriculum supervisors serve on the PMT, it has ensured
the establishment of high-quality alignment with the goals and
objectives of the project. Similarly, principals on the PMT
evaluate teachers and make decisions about the nature and extent of
professional development. By responding to local needs through the
work of the PMT, our science programs have been able to heighten
awareness of and commitment to science education and close the
science achievement gap, thereby changing the culture of the
system.
The ETSU professional
development staff is carried out by a highly trained and dedicated
faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Foster Levy
(Project Instructor Biology): Dr. Levy is an Associate Professor of
Biology at ETSU. He earned his Ph.D. and B.S. in Biology from Duke
University. He has been an effective instructor in several of our
previously funded projects. He is a very active teacher and
researcher and he has written many publications dealing with his
field of study. He will be a member of the PMT. CHU-NGI HO (Project
Instructor Chemistry): Dr. HO is an Associate Professor in
Chemistry at ETSU. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. in analytical
chemistry at the University of Washington and his B.S. in chemistry
and physics from Denison University. He has been very active in
science teacher training and he has received numerous honors and
awards in his discipline. He will be a member of the PMT. Dr. Gary
D. Henson (Project Instructor Physics): Dr. Henson is an Assistant
Professor in Physics at ETSU. He received his Ph.D. in physics from
the University of Oregon; M.S. in Physics from the University of
New Mexico; and his B.S. in physics and mathematics Central
Arkansas University. Dr. Henson has been actively involved in
science teacher education for several years. He has taught in
previously funded science teacher enhancement projects. He will
also server as a member of the Project Management Team. Dr. Jeff
Wardeska (Project Instructor Chemistry): Dr. Wardeska
received his Ph.D. in Organic/Polymer Chemistry from the University
of Florida and B.S. in Chemistry from Denison University. He has
taught in previous teacher workshops and he is a member of the PMT.
Dr.Timothy D. McDowell (Project Instructor Biology): Dr. McDowell
received his Ph.D. in Botany at Duke University and his B.A. in
Botany form the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He has served as instructor on several of our previously funded
projects and he continues to involve himself in activities to
promote science teaching and learning in the local schools. He will
continue to work closely with teachers. He will serve as a member
of our Project Management Team. Dr. Cecilia A. McIntosh (Project
Instructor Chemistry/Biology): Dr. McIntosh is Professor of
Biochemistry at ETSU. She received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from
the University of South Florida. She has also served as
instructor in many of our teacher workshops. Dr. Jack Rhoton is
professor of Science Education.. He received his doctorate in
science education from the University of Tennessee and a MS in
Biology from Old Dominion University and his masters in science
education from the University of Virginia. He has an array of
experiences working with elementary, middle and high school science
teachers.
Project participants
have received a wide array of resources while on the ETSU campus.
Some of these are: computer labs, state-of-art laboratory
facilities and equipment, full-service library and instructional
materials center, parking privileges, and the availability of the
university’s dining and recreational facilities.
Scope and Impact:
Just as
“actions speak louder than words,” our science program
has put a face on science reform in Northeast Tennessee.
Operationalizing our goals and objectives demonstrates a commitment
to show how that commitment translates into real efforts and
activities to change the culture, practices, and policies of the
system. The science programs justify interventions based on a
thorough needs assessment. The project stresses the critical role
of the middle and high school science teachers in reform through a
large investment in professional development, attending to
teachers’ content knowledge and skills as necessary for
substantive changes in teaching and learning. The partnership also
builds credibility among key constituents, including university
science faculty and school administrators, and uses these
interventions to demonstrate commitment to change. In particular,
the science programs monitor and evaluate our interventions.
As we establish data systems and track quality and impact, the
information is used by the school districts to show that the
project is producing desired results and achieving the goals and
objectives set forth at the beginning of the intervention.
For example, studies
have shown (Garet, M, et al., 2002), that changes in practice also
depend on a sustained and targeted professional development program
which focuses on particular content knowledge and instructional
strategies if it is to have an effect on teacher instruction and
achievement. The researchers found that, for classroom practice to
change, professional development should be grounded in the
curriculum that students study; professional development should be
embedded within an aligned system and connected to elements of
instruction, i.e., (assessment, curriculum); and extended time for
practice and follow-up activities. As all members of the
partnerships learn to make such instructional changes, the impact
is long-lasting and permeates the culture of practice within the
school and school districts (Supovitz, Mayer, & Kahle,
2000).