Science Education Reform for All (SERA)

Executive Summary

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II. Lessons Learned

We learned from this SERA study that while the turf wars continue, funds shrink, and leaders depart, state departments of education, school districts, and schools are sticking with SMT reform. In terms of educating a diverse population in SMT, educators are devising strategies that they think fit the needs of their students and their available resources. Many of these strategies are based on educational equity research that has been summarized in print and electronic toolkits. These toolkits have been developed by federal and state education offices and centers as well as other educational organizations and offices.

The following lessons learned from the SERA study may offer some guidance for other educators who are trying to figure out how to infuse equity into systemic reform initiatives.

Take the time to ensure that new assessments are aligned with content standards and are sensitive and appropriate for diverse student populations.

Many state departments of education and school districts are in the process of developing or identifying assessments that align with their content standards. Given concerns about using only fair, non-biased tests, districts need to take the time to ensure that new assessments and the administration of these assessments are appropriate for diverse student populations. Particularly with performance-based assessment, test developers need to be concerned about:

As outlined in a paper written by Kopriva and Lara (see page 105), it is not clear if scorers of performance-based activities are assessing subtleties in English language acquisition or knowledge of mathematics and science content. States that should be particularly careful about their assessments of LEP students are, in general, those that have the largest percentage of students who are English language learners. These states include California (15%), Texas (11.3%), New Mexico (10.5%), Arizona (8.9%), New York (8.2%), New Jersey (6.0%), Hawaii (5.7%), Rhode Island (5.6%), Florida (5.6%), and Massachusetts (5.4%), (The Condition of Education, 1996).

According to the Center for Applied Linguistics, The Benchmark Study, December 1996, the 154 schools that receive Title VII Bilingual funds represent 19 different states. The top 10 language groups in these schools are Spanish (119), Vietnamese (32), Cantonese (21), Tagalog (18), Cambodian (13), Haitian-Creole (11), Mandarin (9), Samoan (8), Russian (8), and Korean (7). Of the 20 schools that serve Native American students, Lakota (in 5 schools) is the top language and culture.

As reported by Sandra Fox, Chief, Monitoring and Evaluation for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP) in a paper in this report (see page 82), the BIA has adopted national standards and has developed a corresponding set of Indian content standards that infuse Indian cultural content into the standards. For assessment purposes, a BIA school will utilize the new assessment system of the state in which it is located or an adaptation of the California Learning Record, which is endorsed by the National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest).

One of the tribal schools profiled in this report, Tiopsa Zina Tribal School in South Dakota, is already aligning content standards, assessment, values, technology, and Dakota Nation culture. The mission statement for Tiospa Zina follows: "Learners will retain their own unique culture and be prepared for a technological/multicultural society."

Integrate strategies related to teaching a diverse student population into teacher professional development for SMT subject matter content.

As teachers gain content knowledge and skills, they need to develop teaching strategies and behaviors that are effective with diverse learners. They also need to understand the background and cultures of the students they teach. Through the use of toolkits, checklists, and workshops, states and districts are recommending teaching strategies and behaviors for working with a diverse student population, particularly LEP, special education, and American Indian students. Tables 4 and 5 provide some specific instructional ideas for helping LEP and special education students to succeed in science and mathematics.

As pointed out by Susan Bailey in the Research Report (1997), it is important to recognize that gender equity is not just for "girls only" and, is not a threat to boys. It is important for boys to learn about the contribution of women in SMT and to recognize that women can succeed in science and mathematics.

Table 4: Teaching Strategies and Behaviors for Working With Limited English Proficient Students

Table 5: Teaching Strategies and Behaviors for Working With Learning Disabled Students

Link teacher professional development to the school's improvement plan.

While many teachers self-select professional development opportunities, school districts in Palm Beach and Pinellas County, Florida, and in Covert and Buena Vista, Michigan, are linking their teachers' professional development to their schools' improvement plans. Leaders in the City of Saginaw School District in Michigan have recognized that many of its teachers may not be choosing professional development activities that help them grow professionally.

As indicated by Cynthia G. Brown, Director, Resource Center on Educational Equity for CCSSO, in a paper in this report (see page 79):

"Despite growing knowledge about what kinds of professional development lead to improved student achievement, too many school boards, superintendents and school principals fail to evaluate the effectiveness of their expenditures in this area, reallocate funds, and/or seek adequate funds to support high-quality professional development. There are vast sums spent on professional development with little relation to improved student results. The best example is the increase in teachers' pay for taking courses unrelated to classroom practice and their school's curriculum, instructional strategy, and improvement needs."

The TIMSS researchers also suggest that we can raise science and mathematics achievement by having tougher standards; aligning standards, curricula, instruction, textbooks, assessments, and school policies; strengthening teachers' subject matter content and teaching skills; and aligning states' teacher policies with instructional goals that are embedded in standards (The National Education Goals Report, 1997).

Monitor tracking of students to ensure that they are getting the full benefits of the SMT reform, particularly tracking of LEP students, special education students, and students in alternative programs for prospective drop-outs or teen parents.

While schools are exploring ways of reducing tracking, a significant number still use pull-out programs, particularly for LEP students, severely disabled special education students, teen parents, and prospective drop-outs. Some districts in this study appear to be trying to provide special services with a mix of remedial and more challenging mathematics and science classes.

In Beyond the Technicalities of School Reform: Policy Lessons for Detracking Schools (1996), Jeanie Oakes and others studied 10 racially and socio-economically mixed secondary schools involved in a detracking process. This study identified organizational and pedagogical changes for detracking schools, including: This study also looked at the cultural and political dimensions of the detracking process. These dimensions included social justice as a motivation for detracking, rethinking what it means to be "smart," confronting racial stereotypes within and outside the school, and dealing with parents who believe their children deserve more resources because they are gifted and talented.

Strengthen the SMT education components of preschool and early childhood education programs.

State departments of education and school districts are beginning to restructure preschool and early childhood education programs and align them with their standards. For example, the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Department of Children and Families introduced the Florida Sunrise Standards for Publicly Funded Early Education and Care Programs. These standards serve as a guide and framework for public child-care agencies. The four specific performance measures that programs should achieve include school readiness; coordinated staff development; improved access for families to services and resources to achieve self-sufficiency; and a simplified point of entry. Subject matter content standards are located in the Florida Sunrise Standards in the preK-2 sections. Child-care agencies using the Sunrise Standards include teen parent programs, pre-kindergarten early intervention programs, subsidized child-care, Title I, First Start, and Even Start.

Expand parent programs to focus on helping parents understand standards, multiple assessments, and indicators of reform.

For the most part, school districts in this study are offering family mathematics and science nights and providing information for parents online or in hard copy. It appears that little attention is being given to educating parents about SMT content standards, instruction, and multiple assessment strategies. However, some districts are attempting to adopt new strategies with parents and guardians.

The U.S. Department of Education publication, Reaching All Families: Creating Family Friendly Schools (1996), suggests ways that schools can support parents of disabled children, including:

Include informal SMT activities in before- and after-school programs for school-age children.

In the 1996 Science Linkages in the Community (SLIC) annual report, Shirley Malcom pointed out that, in general, SMT systemic education reform activities are tied to the regular school day. Support for curriculum standards and assessment and teacher professional development has overwhelmed any modest resources directed toward parent and community engagement or after-school educational activities.

Research summarized in Years of Promise (1997), a Carnegie Corporation of New York Report, indicates that a home atmosphere conducive to learning, preschool and school-age child care programs offered by both schools and community groups, and the media, all have a profound impact on children's learning. In response to this and other reports, the U.S. Department of Education established the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. The program enables rural and inner-city public schools to stay open before and after school hours and provide extended learning activities in safe and constructive environments, under adult supervision.

In his 1998 State of the Union speech, President Bill Clinton indicated that only about 1.7 million K-8th grade students enrolled in 49,500 formal before- and after-school programs. He further indicated that 70% of all public elementary and combined schools do not offer such programs. These before-and after-school programs can benefit from informal SMT activities developed by youth-serving organizations and their affiliates. Organizations with existing programs include the Association for Science Technology Centers (ASTC); Boys and Girls Clubs of America; Girls Inc.; Girl Scouts; the National Urban League; the Easter Seal Society; Recording for the Blind; ASPIRA; and the Center for Children and Technology at the Educational Development Center (Science Linkages in the Community, Profiles in Intervention, 1997).

Involve high school students in the SMT reform.

In Michigan, the Pontiac School District uses student advocates at the secondary level to counsel at-risk students and provide academic and social support. The Covert School District matches LEP students with student interpreters. One caution: make sure that the student interpreters know the science and mathematics content before matching them with LEP students.

At the post-secondary level, research shows that underprepared SMT students benefit socially and academically from well-designed peer group mentoring in which mutually supported learning take place. Examples of such programs include the Emerging Scholars Program (also known as the Treisman model) which began as the Professional Development Program at the University of California, Berkeley (Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences, 1990) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) which started over 20 years ago in medical education (Schmidt, 1993). AAAS, as well as others, have used both high school and college students as leaders of SMT workshops in out-of-school settings. Given that many high schools and colleges are instituting community service policies, it may be an opportune time to involve high school students in the preK-12 SMT reform in a more strategic way.

Link the school-to-work experience or career exploration to the standards-based curricula.

While most school districts are providing some type of school-to-work and career exploration programs, these experiences need to be linked to standards-based curriculum. Some school districts are already doing so.

In addition, telecommunications and CD-ROM technology are providing online, interactive career opportunities. For example, AAAS has developed Science's Next Wave, an electronic network for the next generation of scientists. Next Wave includes open forums for discussion of key science career topics; a series of features on alternative science careers; a semimonthly column of science career advice; and links to Science's Professional Network, an online jobs referral network.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, one of the funders of the Next Wave, provided grants to other professional societies for online SMT advice to young scientists. These professional societies include:

Involve the community in SMT education reform.

Although most of the school districts in this study have community volunteer programs and classes for adults, they are not using these opportunities to educate the community about SMT education reform. Some districts in this study are moving beyond the traditional school volunteer and adult education classes.

In addition, the NSF and the U.S. Department of Education have joined forces to implement a large-scale public initiative to inform and engage the public in activities directed toward preparing middle school students for success in high school SMT courses. These courses are gateways to college, employment opportunities, and effective citizenship.

Use technology to enhance science and mathematics learning.

In response to the nation's mission to ensure technology literacy for all students in the 21st century, state departments of education are revisiting their technology plans.

Table 6: The Use of Technology in Transforming Education

Learn how to converge resources to maximize the funds available for reform.

The Improving America's School Act permits states to consolidate federal funds to meet their educational goals and effectively meet the needs of the intended beneficiaries that a particular fund is designed to serve. The U.S. Department of Education, Cross-Cutting Guidance (1996) booklet indicates that the following programs can be consolidated:

To facilitate the convergence of funds at the district and school level: the Michigan State Department of Education issued a memorandum to superintendents and school administrators that outlined what federal and state funds can be used for potential interagency collaborations and the restrictions placed on those funds. The South Dakota State Department of Education and Cultural Affairs is conducting a series of workshops on consolidating funds.

Develop an accountability system that includes indicators for student progress and school improvement.

The Florida Department of Education is one of 13 states that have an accountability system that includes public reporting, rewards, and sanctions. Using 16 indicators aligned to state education goals (see Table 7), Florida reports both school and student performance to parents and the community (see Table 8 in the Florida Profiles section). In addition, Florida provides a School Advisory Council Report by gender and race/ethnicity. Assistance is provided for schools that perform below expected achievement levels.

Michigan has public reporting and sanctions. South Dakota only conducts public reporting. Also, the OIEP has established goals and benchmarks for BIA schools and prepares annual reports for Congress (please refer to Table 31 in the South Dakota Profiles section).

Encourage and provide funds for careful experimentation with appropriate evaluation at the school level.

Johnson, Lein, and Ragland, in a paper contained in this report (see page 109), discuss the concept of careful experimentation at the school level. As teachers try out new strategies in their schools and classrooms, they need to have an internal and external plan for collecting, analyzing and sharing the results of curricula and instructional experimentation. These small-scale research efforts should be a part of the accountability system and when appropriate should be included in reports to the school improvement council and the general public.

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