The four districts in the Partnership with the Merck
Institute for Science Education have varied in their
strategies for acquiring, maintaining, and otherwise
managing instructional materials.
The smallest district (with 1,700 students in three
schools -- two elementary and one middle school)
distributes modules to classrooms and laboratories where
some units are taught by science specialists. This
method, one of the few alternatives available to very
small school districts, is not recommended for larger
school districts, because it is less likely to lead to a
close integration of science learning with other areas
than one in which all teachers teach science.
Two of the other three districts chose to rotate
modules across schools, scheduling materials so that
teachers in one grade could plan together how they would
use the modules. These districts have established and
maintain their own science materials supply center.
The fourth district refurbishes kits from a central
location, but provides each school building with its own
modules to circulate among classrooms.
