Science

A collaborative project of EDC’s Education, Employment, and Community Programs and Center for Educational Resources and Outreach, this project is enhancing the mathematics content in the Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) curriculum. EDC was awarded a subcontract by Mathematica Policy Research (MPR) to create six new lessons for the Ford PAS module Planning for Business Success and to create a professional development experience to support business teachers in using the math-enhanced module.

The Henry Ford Learning Institute creates small charter schools that focus on innovation and 21st century skills. Built on the success of a flagship school in Dearborn, Michigan, the Henry Ford Academies will be co-located with businesses, community, and cultural institutions in urban neighborhoods, and will leverage a wide range of local resources to provide hand-on learning experiences for students while supporting neighborhood revitalization.

EDC is developing an interdisciplinary career technical education (CTE) curriculum, Making Connections, that prepares students to pursue their interests in the arts, media, and entertainment when they go off to college or join the workplace. The curriculum addresses national and California state standards for grades 9 and 10, and also includes integrated units for English language arts, math, science, and social studies to help teachers link these subjects with applications in arts, media, and entertainment.

EDC in collaboration with partners in education, youth media and business, is creating a youth-produced, Web-based media series and companion educator materials on science and engineering careers, targeting girls from underserved groups (minority populations, youth of low socioeconomic status and those with disabilities). The Girls Communicating Career Connections (GC3) project’s media series—short video segments produced by middle school aged girls—will capture the inquiry-based learning experiences of girls, as they investigate what it means to be a scientist or engineer.

CAE and EDC’s Center for Science Education are developing a supplemental curriculum in bioethics to be used in high school biology courses. An advisory team of ethicists, scientists, and teachers are working with EDC staff members to develop instructional materials on topics of social importance in the life sciences. These topics include the nature of bioethics, vaccinations, genetic testing, organ transplantation, and modifications of the natural world.

CCT is conducting an external evaluation of the Eastern Alliance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (EAST), a five-year cooperative agreement to increase the number and diversity of students with disabilities receiving degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and ultimately entering STEM careers in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

CCT is examining how Teachers’ Domain online professional development in high school biology affects teachers’ content and pedagogical knowledge as well as their students’ achievement. During the last six years, Teachers’ Domain has brought together quality science materials and multimedia resources (videos, animations, and interactive Web-based activities for teachers and students) into online professional development courses.