Curriculum

EDC views curricula as tools to be placed in the hands of skilled teachers, rather than cookbooks to be followed. EDC's curricula integrate professional development for teachers with hands-on, inquiry-based activities for students. Our curricula are designed by and with teachers, in collaboration with academicians and researchers specializing in the relevant content areas. They are extensively field-tested to ensure that they are accessible to a wide range of teachers and students and that they adhere to classroom realities. They are also developed in partnership with EDC and university-based content experts, including mathematicians, research scientists, historians, and artists. In addition to designing curriculum materials in several content areas, EDC advises schools and districts on selecting and implementing curricula that best meets their specific educational needs.

Sustaining the Maine ScienceCorps: Collaborative Research Experiences

CSE is conducting the formative and summative evaluation of the Maine ScienceCorps, a project of the biosciences community at the University of Southern Maine and the Education Division of the Foundation for Blood Research, which works with university professors, teaching fellows, and over 30 teachers across the state. Teachers and researchers bring authentic lab experiences aligned with Maine’s science standards—involving nucleic acids, proteins, microbes, viruses, human disease, and immune responses—to over 2,500 students.

Evaluation of the Migrant Education Even Start (MEES)

The primary goal of this project is to improve the language and literacy skills of at-risk children and their families though four mechanisms: (1) Early Childhood Education: A specific language and literacy curriculum, Building Language for Literacy, will be added to the Head Start preschool classrooms;

Linear Algebra and Geometry: Advanced Mathematics for More Students

EDC is developing, testing, and publishing Linear Algebra and Geometry, a modular curriculum for high school capstone courses that features three semesters worth of topics in linear algebra and its applications.

Algebra 1 Online Module Development for the Louisiana Department of Education

EDC is developing a series of 11 online modules focused on targeted topics in the Louisiana Algebra 1 Comprehensive Curriculum where there is a need to strengthen teacher’s content knowledge and instructional practices, and improve student achievement on the Algebra 1 End of Course exam. EDC’s EdTech Leaders Online program is also providing online facilitator training to Louisiana math teachers to offer these online workshops the math teachers across the state.

E-Learning for Educators Model Course Development

EDC is developing a series of model online workshops in math, English Language Arts and science for the eight state E-Learning for Educators collaboration funded by a five year U.S. Department of Education Ready to Teach grant. These workshops will offered throughout the eight state consortium (Alabama, Delaware, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) and will be used in large-scale experimental research on the impact of online professional development which involves elementary and middle school teachers in each of the states.

Beyond the Basics with Math

Chicago Public Schools—the third largest school district in the United States—is embarking on a comprehensive high school reform effort and has turned to EDC. A mathematics program developed by EDC will be a central part of the 100-high-school reform effort.

Changing the Rules of the Game

A staggering number of children are involved in bullying. The EDC project ‘Eyes on Bullying’ helps adults develop new knowledge, skills, and strategies to prevent and address the issue.

EDC South Africa Project Featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show

An EDC project that creates health education materials to combat HIV in a beleaguered region of South Africa is receiving attention on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Develop Training Manual and Parent Activity Guide

This project is developing two products for the National Institute for Literacy. The products will be used by schools and other organizations and groups to engage parents with low literacy skills in supporting their children’s (kindergarten through third grade) literacy development through fun, at-home activities. The products include a facilitators manual and parent activity guide. EDC project stasff are working with national literacy experts on the development of the products.

Technical Assistance for Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)

In this project, CSE draws on its own and other resources at EDC to provide technical assistance to the management of the Presidential Award program. Every year, that program honors exceptional science and mathematics teachers from every state. CSE facilitates the program’s work in several ways. Staff connects the project with national science and mathematics leaders who take a role in the awards process.