Collaborative agencies efforts: an essential ingredient for successful science programs

This paper details the success story of an Ohio mid-sized city school district's movement into a hands-on science program. It stresses the necessity for collaboration between school districts, universities, state departments of education and federal education programs. Through a historical science education review imperative variables for profitable science programs surface. These variables serve as a vehicle to assess the project's selected school district's success. A major project strength rests on the program's collaborative nature. The school district made the first step by stating a significant philosophic commitment to infuse a hands-on K-8 science program. A committee of administrators, classroom teachers, university science faculty and parents formed a science education study committee. The committee conducted a needs assessment and district (State of the Art) study. Typical of most districts, a small amount of K-8 science education actually was occurring within the district. After viewing many science programs, the committee decided that the district teachers should develop the science curriculum. A team of university professors, representing science and teacher education departments, wrote and secured a $250,000 NSF grant to assist in curriculum development and teacher in-servicing. The state department of education added their support to the project. This dynamic collaboration first increased teachers' science understanding, secondly increased the amount of time devoted to science instruction, thirdly and of most importance, raised science scores on standardized tests.