Program of Institutes. The program of the 5-Day
Regional Leadership Institutes is modeled to a large
extent on the National Elementary
Science Leadership Institutes staged by the National
Science Resources Center every year since 1989. The
program covers national goals for science education, the National
Science Education Standards, Benchmarks
for Science Literacy , exemplary curriculum
materials, the challenges of good professional
development, performance-based assessment, and the
dynamics of educational change.
In addition, each team is asked to develop a strategic
plan for introducing systemic reform into their district,
including a tentative budget.
To help each team in its planning, the institute staff
includes a resource team of 18-20 persons divided into
about six clusters. Each cluster is headed by a
nationally known figure in science-education reform and
one or two knowledgeable educators from the region. By
their participation in the clusters, the educators are
being prepared to provide follow-up support in their own
region.
Expected Consequences. Upon completion of a
strategic plan for systemic reform, leadership teams are
expected immediately to
- begin building support for the plan among their
local faculty, school administration, and
community
- make modifications based on additional
consultation
- begin implementing the first phase of the plan
When a team represents a consortium of school
districts rather than a single school district, its plan
may include holding a consortium leadership institute,
for which the institute's local resource team members can
serve as leaders. The local members of the institute's
resource team are available to help, as are other teams
in the region.
Follow-Up Activities. During the year following
the original Institute, TSAI personnel maintain contact
with the participating school districts and lend
technical support. This support may include recruitment
of scientist teams to attend an annual 5-Day
Lead-Scientist Institute in Washington or a 1-Day Scientist Workshop and 1/2 Day Community Workshops
At some point during the academic year following the
original Institute, TSAI may organize a one-day meeting
in the region where the teams can re-establish their
connections and report their successes, their failures
and frustrations, and the involvement of scientists in
their programs.
Participating Teams and Their Recruitment. The
leadership teams are chosen competitively by application.
Typically, a leadership team from a school district
consists of five or six persons from the district: a
superintendent or assistant superintendent for curriculum
and instruction; a coordinator or supervisor for
elementary-school science; an elementary school
principal; one or two outstanding elementary school
teachers; and one or two scientists (or engineers or
other technical professionals) from technology companies
or academic or government laboratories in the area. These
scientists are committed to becoming lead scientists in
their local school district's systemic reform program.
A team from a consortium of school districts may have
as many as eight persons, including one or two leaders of
the consortium, key people from several of the school
districts, and at least one scientist. The specific
structure of a consortium team reflects the size and
history of the consortium and the much greater challenge
of achieving systemic reform throughout a group of
different school districts.
Choice of Region and Site. The regions and
specific sites for the institute must have the following:
- a significant number of school districts that are
ready to commit to systemic reform
- at least one school district with a program of
reform, including a materials support center,
that is already well under way
- a group of people (e.g. key personnel from a
National Science Foundation-funded Statewide
Systemic Initiative) who know the landscape of
science education reform in the area and are
prepared to collaborate with the TSAI in
operating the institute
Cost. The American Physical Society picks up
all costs for participating teams, including travel,
lodging, and all meals. The school districts or other
institutions involved provide release time for the
participants.
