This paper reports on an ongoing professional learning and development (PLD) initiative in New Zealand. The Academy is designed to provide primary and intermediate classroom teachers with the knowledge, materials and support needed for effective delivery of "The New Zealand Curriculum's" science subject area. Specifically, this paper…

Action research has been suggested as a useful way to support university faculty to improve teaching and learning. However, there seems to be little knowledge about how faculty (and those who work with them) experience the process of doing action research. In order to explore team members' in-depth experience about what they learned and how they…

Despite the expressed need for high-quality science education, very little research has been conducted on what middle school science learning opportunities look like in practice. This study was conducted in support of "Strengthening Science Education in California", a research, policy, and communications initiative. Partners in this…

Describes a long-term in-service training program for physics teachers grades 7-12 designed to enhance teachers' subject matter and pedagogical content knowledge. Teachers' opinions of the program were examined using a survey. Results suggest that the courses and activities that were most valuable for day-to-day teaching were those in which…

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) is responsible for providing national leadership and support for improving the quality of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SME&T) education from kindergarten through graduate school. The ultimate goal is to achieve excellence in the…

Project LIFE, a state systemic initiatives professional development program for middle-grade life science teachers, has been successful in improving the science content knowledge, process skills, and attitudes toward teaching science of the teachers participating in the project. The essential characteristics of this project are described as a…