Newsclippings and Press Releases

by Marilyn Braatz, Public Relations Specialist, College of Education
Bowling Green State University

Jodi Haney, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Curriculum and Instruction, is the co-author and co-director of a collaborative project in science education that has received more than $5 million in funding from the National Science Foundation. The grant, entitled TAPESTRIES (Toledo Area Partnership in Education: Support Teachers as Resources to Improve Elementary Science) was awarded to Dr. Haney and Dr. Charlene M. Czerniak, a faculty member at the University of Toledo. The five-year project is designed to improve K-6 science education in the Toledo Public Schools and the Springfield Local Schools through a sustained professional development program.

Haney and Czerniak collaborated with a group of school teachers and administrators from both TPS and Springfield to plan and write the proposal. They received word that the grant had been approved late last spring and have recruited a group of 16 support teachers who will participate in more than 200 hours of training activities during summer institutes and academic year sessions during the next two-three years. A second group of 16 teachers will be recruited in year three of the grant.

The teachers are learning to use an inquiry-based science curriculum and instructional strategies in physical, earth/space, and life science. The cadre of support teachers will provide assistance for classroom teachers as they implement their science curriculum, help teachers with district assessments, and execute district action plans for improving science literacy. A key feature of district action plans will be the involvement of community representatives, parents, and principals.

"To facilitate the program, both TPS and Springfield adopted the same type of curriculum --FOSS (Full Option Science System) and STC (Science and Technology for Children)," Dr. Haney said. "These materials are among the best available on the market, and the joint action of the school districts was key to our selection to receive the NSF grant."

The initial 16 support teachers, recruited from several buildings within the Toledo and Springfield school systems, will receive academic credit from either UT or BGSU and have been granted release time by the schools so that they can share their new knowledge and demonstrate innovative teaching techniques to their colleagues. Over the life of the grant, all 1476 classroom teachers from the participating districts will be able to receive more than 104 hours of staff development in science content, pedagogy, and student assessment as they implement their district adopted curriculum materials.

Drs. Haney and Czerniak are involving many area scientists and university faculty from the science fields in the program, during both the summer institutes and the academic year activities. Those participating from BGSU include: Dr. Roger Thibault, director of environmental programs and assistant professor of biological sciences; Dr. T. Berry Cobb, professor emeritus of physics and astronomy; Dr. W. Robert Midden, associate professor of chemistry and photochemical sciences; Dr. Norm Levine, assistant professor of environmental programs and geology; Dr. Charles Keil, assistant professor of environmental health; and Dr. Charlene Waggoner, lecturer in biological sciences.

Dr. Haney notes that the project will also benefit the undergraduate science methods programs at both BGSU and UT, because students enrolled in the programs are being placed with TAPESTRIES trained teachers for their field experience. "The opportunity to place our undergraduate students with knowledgeable teachers who are using exemplary science curriculum materials is a real plus for our program as well," she said. The collaborators also anticipate another key outcome for TAPESTRIES -- improved science proficiency test scores for elementary students in the Toledo area.