PROM/SE Overview: News and Outreach: Media Coverage
Media Release
Michigan and Ohio Teachers Explore Science
During the PROM/SE Summer Science Institute
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Over 300 science teachers (K-12) from school districts in Michigan and Ohio will be attending the PROM/SE Summer Science Institute held on: June 12-15, Cintas Center, Cincinnati, OH; June 19-22, Corporate College East, Warrensville Heights, OH; June 26-29 at Holt High School, Holt, MI.
The PROM/SE Summer Science Institute brings together scientists and educators from Michigan State University, BSCS and other experts with K-12 Michigan and Ohio teachers during the four-day institute. Teachers attend interactive courses to develop a deeper knowledge of science and science teaching.
Experiences gained through the PROM/SE Summer Science Institute are meaningful to teachers as they develop science concepts that bridge grade levels. PROM/SE is helping teachers understand science concepts taught 2 grades below and 2 grades beyond their class so that teachers can tie together these concepts in their classrooms and help students understand broad science themes, and eventually become better informed.
“Science disciplines, unlike others, are often fragmented,” states Joan Ferrini-Mundy, PROM/SE principal investigator and MSU Distinguished Faculty. “Students can pass from earth science to biology to chemistry without really understanding the main concepts or “big ideas” that tie together each course. PROM/SE brings together mathematicians, scientists, educators, school district administrators and teachers from over 60 school districts in Michigan and Ohio to build teachers knowledge of math and science and identify ways to tie these “big ideas” together in the curriculum.”
PROM/SE tested over 200,000 students (grades 3-12) on their knowledge of science. Using these data and teacher surveys, PROM/SE designed the courses in the Summer Science Institute to address weak knowledge areas. All of the courses at the 2006 Institute are designed around the unifying theme of Systems and the unifying principle of Energy - both areas where the PROM/SE data showed weak student test scores.
PROM/SE BACKGROUND:
The PROM/SE Summer Science Institute is part of PROM/SE (Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science Education), a five-year, $35 million research and development project funded by the National Science Foundation to increase student achievement in mathematics and science, and support teachers in these efforts.
The project is coordinated by Michigan State University and
three intermediate school districts in Michigan (St. Clair RESA, MI; Calhoun ISD, MI; Ingham ISD, MI;) and two consortiums of school districts in Ohio (High AIMS Consortium, greater Cincinnati, OH; and SMART Consortium, greater Cleveland, OH.)
PROM/SE encompasses nearly 60 school districts, 7,000 teachers who in turn reach over 300,000 k-12 students. 37% of these students come from impoverished homes.
For more Information on the PROM/SE Science Institute