[House Hearing, 111 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM:
INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND
SCIENCE EDUCATION
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
FEBRUARY 26, 2009
__________
Serial No. 111-5
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Science and Technology
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.science.house.gov
______
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COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
HON. BART GORDON, Tennessee, Chair
JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois RALPH M. HALL, Texas
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER JR.,
LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California Wisconsin
DAVID WU, Oregon LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas
BRIAN BAIRD, Washington DANA ROHRABACHER, California
BRAD MILLER, North Carolina ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland
DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan
GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma
DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois
MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio W. TODD AKIN, Missouri
BEN R. LUJAN, New Mexico RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas
PAUL D. TONKO, New York BOB INGLIS, South Carolina
PARKER GRIFFITH, Alabama MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas
STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, New Jersey MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida
JIM MATHESON, Utah BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California
LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia
RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri PETE OLSON, Texas
BARON P. HILL, Indiana
HARRY E. MITCHELL, Arizona
CHARLES A. WILSON, Ohio
KATHLEEN DAHLKEMPER, Pennsylvania
ALAN GRAYSON, Florida
SUZANNE M. KOSMAS, Florida
GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
VACANCY
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Subcommittee on Research and Science Education
HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois, Chair
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan
BRIAN BAIRD, Washington RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas
MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California
PAUL D. TONKO, New York ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska
PARKER GRIFFITH, Alabama
RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri
BART GORDON, Tennessee RALPH M. HALL, Texas
DAHLIA SOKOLOV Subcommittee Staff Director
MARCY GALLO Democratic Professional Staff Member
MELE WILLIAMS Republican Professional Staff Member
BESS CAUGHRAN Research Assistant
C O N T E N T S
February 26, 2009
Page
Hearing Charter.................................................. 2
Opening Statements
Statement by Representative Daniel Lipinski, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, Committee on
Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives.......... 6
Written Statement............................................ 7
Statement by Representative Vernon J. Ehlers, Ranking Minority
Member, Subcommittee on Research and Science Education,
Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of
Representatives................................................ 7
Written Statement............................................ 9
Statement by Representative Russ Carnahan, Member, Subcommittee
on Research and Science Education, Committee on Science and
Technology, U.S. House of Representatives...................... 9
Witnesses:
Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Director, Division of Research on
Learning in Formal and Informal Settings, Directorate for
Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation
Oral Statement............................................... 10
Written Statement............................................ 12
Biography.................................................... 17
Dr. Philip Bell, The Geda and Phil Condit Professor of Science
and Math Education, Associate Professor of the Learning
Sciences; Director, Institute for Science and Mathematics
Education, University of Washington, Seattle; Co-Chair,
Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments, Board
on Science Education, National Academy of Sciences, The
National Academies
Oral Statement............................................... 18
Written Statement............................................ 20
Biography.................................................... 25
Ms. Andrea J. Ingram, Vice President, Education and Guest
Services, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Oral Statement............................................... 26
Written Statement............................................ 27
Biography.................................................... 33
Mr. Robert M. Lippincott, Senior Vice President for Education,
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Oral Statement............................................... 34
Written Statement............................................ 35
Biography.................................................... 52
Dr. Alejandro Grajal, Senior Vice President for Conservation,
Education, and Training, The Chicago Zoological Society
Oral Statement............................................... 52
Written Statement............................................ 54
Biography.................................................... 59
Discussion....................................................... 59
Appendix 1: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions
Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Director, Division of Research on
Learning in Formal and Informal Settings, Directorate for
Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation..... 76
Dr. Philip Bell, The Geda and Phil Condit Professor of Science
and Math Education, Associate Professor of the Learning
Sciences; Director, Institute for Science and Mathematics
Education, University of Washington, Seattle; Co-Chair,
Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments, Board
on Science Education, National Academy of Sciences, The
National Academies............................................. 80
Ms. Andrea J. Ingram, Vice President, Education and Guest
Services, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.............. 82
Mr. Robert M. Lippincott, Senior Vice President for Education,
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).......................... 84
Dr. Alejandro Grajal, Senior Vice President for Conservation,
Education, and Training, The Chicago Zoological Society........ 97
Appendix 2: Additional Material for the Record
Statement of Ioannis Miaoulis, President and Director, Museum of
Science, Boston; Founding Director, National Center for
Technological Literacy......................................... 100
Statement of the Girl Scouts of the USA.......................... 107
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2009
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Research and Science Education,
Committee on Science and Technology,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:00 a.m., in
Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Daniel
Lipinski [Chair of the Subcommittee] presiding.
hearing charter
SUBCOMMITTEE ON RESEARCH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Beyond the Classroom:
Informal STEM Education
thursday, february 26, 2009
10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
2318 rayburn house office building
1. Purpose
The purpose of the hearing is to examine the role of informal
environments in promoting science learning. The Subcommittee will
explore the potential for informal science learning to engage students
in math and science in ways that traditional formal learning
environments cannot, as well as the ways in which informal science
education can complement and enhance classroom science studies.
Furthermore, we will receive testimony on the National Academies
report, ``Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places,
and Pursuits.''
2. Witnesses:
Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Division Director, Division of
Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings, Education and
Human Resources Directorate, National Science Foundation.
Dr. Phillip Bell, Co-Chair, National Academies report
``Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and
Pursuits,'' and Professor, College of Education, the University of
Washington, Seattle.
Ms. Andrea Ingram, Vice President of Education and Guest
Experiences, Museum of Science and Industry-Chicago.
Mr. Robert Lippincott, Senior Vice President for Education,
the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
Dr. Alejandro Grajal, Senior Vice President of Conservation,
Education, and Training, the Chicago Zoological Society.
3. Overarching Questions:
What is the role of informal environments in educating
students and the public about Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM)? In what ways can informal education contribute to
and enhance classroom learning? Are there areas that informal
environments are uniquely positioned to address? What role can informal
education play in broadening participation and promoting diversity in
STEM fields?
What are the key factors in successful partnerships between
informal science organizations and formal education institutions,
including both K-12 and higher education? What opportunities for
partnerships exist with the private sector? How have both museums and
educational media providers had to adapt to meet the needs of schools
and states? How can K-12 schools and institutions of higher education
take advantage of informal learning environments to meet their needs?
What kind of research is being done on informal science
education to assess its evolving role and effectiveness? What metrics
exist to assess and evaluate informal learning environments, and what
are the barriers to developing better metrics?
What are some of the major challenges and opportunities that
lie ahead in the field of informal science learning? What support could
federal research agencies provide to most effectively contribute to the
development and implementation of informal STEM education activities?
4. Background
There is now a consensus that improving science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics education is critical to the Nation's
economic strength and global competitiveness in the 21st century.
Reports have emphasized the need to attract and educate the next
generation of American scientists and innovators. For example, the
National Academies' 2005 report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm,
recommends that the Nation increase its talent pool by vastly improving
K-12 science and mathematics education. This recommendation was
embraced by the America COMPETES Act which was developed by the Science
& Technology Committee in the last Congress and was signed into law in
August of 2007. Many in the STEM educator community have argued that in
order to improve STEM education, we must draw on a full range of
learning opportunities and experiences, including those in informal,
non-school settings. Reports by both the National Science Board\1\ and
the Academic Competitiveness Council\2\ cited informal education as an
integral component of our nation's education system.
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\1\ National Science Board (2007). Science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education issues and legislative
options. In R. Nata (Ed.), Progress in Education (Vol. 14, pp. 161-
189).
\2\ U.S. Department of Education (2007). Report of the Academic
Competitiveness Council. Washington, DC: Author.
Informal Education
Informal science education can take place in a variety of places
and through a wide variety of media such as science centers and
museums, film and broadcast media, aquariums, zoos, nature centers,
botanical gardens, online games, and after-school programs. It is
widely held that informal learning can happen in everyday environments
and through everyday activities as well. While it can be difficult to
define informal education, the term tends to broadly refer to any
opportunities for learning that take place in non-traditional, non-
school settings.
National Academies Report on Informal Science Learning
The Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments was
established by the National Research Council (NRC) of the National
Academies to undertake a study to examine the status of, and potential
for science learning in informal environments. The National Science
Foundation (NSF), a principle sponsor of research in informal science
education, provided support for the study. In January 2009 the National
Academies Committee released a report entitled ``Learning Science in
Informal Environments: People Places, and Pursuits,'' summarizing the
key conclusions of the study and providing recommendations for future
research and practice. The Committee found, among other things, that
there is ample evidence to suggest that science learning takes place
throughout the life span and across venues in non-school settings. The
Committee outlined and examined four categories where informal learning
often takes place: everyday experiences, designed spaces (such as
museums, science centers and zoos), non-school educational programs,
and science media. The report summarizes the conclusions drawn from the
research reviewed by the Committee, and offers recommendations for
practice and research to exhibit and program designers, front-line
educators, researchers and evaluators.
A key issue addressed in the report is the need to effectively
evaluate and assess informal STEM education. Assessing learning in non-
school settings can prove difficult since informal settings for STEM
learning typically do not use tests or grades. Yet, there tends to be a
general agreement that it is important to evaluate learning outcomes in
order to improve informal STEM programs and activities. Another key
issue highlighted in the report is the role of informal STEM education
in promoting diversity and broadening participation. The Committee
found that informal environments can have a significant impact on STEM
learning outcomes in historically under-represented groups, and
informal learning environments may be uniquely positioned to make STEM
education accessible to all.
5. Federal Support for Informal STEM Education
Informal STEM Education Support at NSF
STEM education research and development activities are funded out
of a number of federal agencies, with NSF being the primary source of
support for STEM education research. Historically, NSF's mission has
included supporting and strengthening the Nation's STEM research and
education activities at all levels. NSF carries out this mission by
funding STEM activities ranging from teacher training and curriculum
development to informal education and research on learning.
Many of the Foundation's STEM education and research activities are
housed in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). EHR
support for research on learning and STEM education is largely funded
through its Division on Research Learning in Formal and Informal
Settings (DRL). The FY08 budget for DRL was approximately $209 million.
One of the chief informal STEM education programs funded through DRL is
the Informal Science Education (ISE) program. ISE invests in projects
that are designed to increase interest and understanding of STEM
through informal learning experiences, with a particular emphasis on
projects that seek to inform and strengthen informal STEM education
nationally, and have the potential to make a strategic impact on the
field as a whole. The FY08 budget for ISE was approximately $66.0
million.
While the majority of the Foundation's STEM education support comes
out of EHR, there are a variety of STEM activities being funded across
the research directorates. One such example, the Centers for Ocean
Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) program, housed in the
Geosciences Directorate in the Division of Ocean Sciences (GEO/OCE) has
a strong informal education component. The COSEE program invests in
projects that connect scientists with educators in formal settings as
well informal settings such as museums and aquariums. Another example
is the International Polar Year awards in NSF's Office of Polar
Programs (OPP). Such awards fund formal and informal interdisciplinary
projects aimed at educating the public about the polar regions. IPY
projects have ranged from museum support and teacher development
programs to film projects documenting polar marine ecosystems in
Antarctica.
Support for Informal STEM Education at Other Agencies
The other mission agencies within the jurisdiction of the House
Science & Technology Committee also support STEM education, including
informal STEM education, through a variety of mechanisms. While it is
not possible to provide budget information regarding all the informal
science education initiatives at the agencies at present, there are a
few notable programs that serve as examples of agency support of
informal STEM education. The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) Informal Education Division has recently
initiated its NASA Explorer Institute (NEI) program, designed to bring
together members of the informal education community and NASA staff to
facilitate discussions on how to best utilize NASA missions to educate
students and the public about STEM. NEI supports the informal science
education community by providing NASA-related professional development
opportunities, STEM teaching tools and other development projects for
informal STEM educators at NASA field centers. Another NASA activity,
the NASA e-Education programs develop research-based products and
services specifically designed to enhance both formal and informal
education. At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), the new NOAA Education competitive grant program funds projects
that bring together formal and informal education institutions to
create projects that promote environmental literacy and build public
understanding of our global system and the interconnectivity of oceanic
and atmospheric processes.
It is difficult to identify all the informal education programs
since a comprehensive database of STEM education programs within the
federal agencies does not exist at present. Many STEM education
initiatives are clearly identified within their respective education
offices and budget lines, but the important STEM activities embedded
within the other agency mission directorates or program offices are
much harder to identify. For that reason, Committee staff has
undertaken the task of creating a comprehensive database of STEM
education programs and activities within the six mission agencies.
6. Questions for Witnesses
Dr. Ferrini-Mundy
What is the current level of support and the scope of
NSF-funded research on informal STEM education? How much of
NSF's research support in this area is directed to academic
researchers and how much to providers of informal science
education, or consortia thereof?
What metrics and methodologies exist for evaluation
and assessment of informal education environments? What are the
barriers to developing better metrics? What is or should be
NSF's role in developing those metrics?
How can informal STEM education environments help NSF
achieve its mission to broaden participation in STEM? To what
extent are informal learning environments incorporated into
programs to broaden participation managed elsewhere in the
Education and Human Resources Directorate or throughout the
Foundation? How do you communicate relevant new findings
supported by your division to colleagues who manage those
programs?
Dr. Bell
Please summarize the findings and recommendations of
the National Academy of Sciences report, ``Learning Science in
Informal Environments: People, Places and Pursuits.''
What do we know about how students and the general
public learn in informal environments? What don't we know? How
can we effectively evaluate informal learning environments? Is
the current level of support for research in these areas
adequate?
Please provide an overview of your own groups'
research on informal education at the NSF-funded Learning in
Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center at the
University of Washington.
Ms. Ingram and Dr. Grajal
What is the role of informal learning environments,
such as [museums/zoos], in educating students and the public
about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)?
In what ways can institutions such as [museums/zoos] contribute
to and enhance classroom learning? In what ways can and have
informal STEM education institutions, such as [museums/zoos],
provided professional development for teachers?
What role can informal education play in broadening
participation and promoting diversity in STEM fields? What are
informal education institutions, such as the [museum/zoo],
doing to engage and educate diverse populations?
Please describe any partnerships the [museum/zoo] may
have with formal education institutions, including both K-12
and higher education. What have been the key factors to the
success of such partnerships? How have informal STEM education
institutions such as [museums/zoos] had to adapt to meet the
needs of schools and States?
Mr. Lippincott
What role can digital and electronic media play in
educating students and the public about Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the 21st century? In what
ways can media be used as a teaching tool in the classroom? In
what ways can and have educational media providers, such as
PBS, provided professional development for teachers?
What role can informal education play in broadening
participation and promoting diversity in STEM fields? What are
media providers, such as PBS, doing to engage and educate
diverse populations?
Please describe any partnerships PBS may have with
formal education institutions, including both K-12 and higher
education. What have been the key factors to the success of
such partnerships? How have media providers had to adapt to
meet the needs of schools and States?
Chair Lipinski. This hearing will now come to order.
Good morning. This is the first hearing of the Research and
Science Education Subcommittee for the 111th Congress, and as
such, it is my first hearing as Chair. I am very happy to have
Dr. Ehlers here as the Ranking Member on the Committee. We have
a great interest in STEM education. It is very fitting--I have
a degree in engineering, Dr. Ehlers, of course, is a physicist,
and we are Co-Chairs of the STEM education caucus, so I am very
happy that we are holding this as our first hearing here this
morning.
While we often examine and discuss ways to improve STEM
education in the classroom, we rarely look at the many
opportunities for learning elsewhere. A great deal of learning
happens throughout our lives in everyday activities, from
having a conversation at the family dinner table or watching a
show on television, to attending a summer camp at a zoo or
taking a trip to a museum. Not just students but the general
public are exposed to opportunities for science learning
through informal education every day. Today we will explore the
ways in which informal learning institutions are uniquely
positioned to attract and educate the public about STEM issues,
as well as the role of informal institutions in contributing to
and enhancing formal education in the classroom.
Today, we will hear from witnesses who are engaged in
informal STEM education in a range of settings and capacities.
I look forward to hearing the witnesses provide insights
regarding the benefits and challenges of informal STEM
education and the state of research on how students learn STEM
in informal settings, as well as recommendations for moving
forward.
The Science and Technology Committee, and our subcommittee
in particular, has made STEM education a top priority. We have
heard time and again that we need more STEM educated graduates
and teachers if we want to compete in the global economy of the
21st century. A 2005 National Academies report, ``Rising Above
the Gathering Storm,'' recommended that the Nation increase its
talent pool by vastly improving K-12 science and mathematics
education. For that reason, in the last Congress, the Committee
developed and the President signed into law the America
COMPETES Act, which included many provisions specifically aimed
at improving STEM education in our country.
Educating more highly qualified STEM teachers and enhancing
the teaching skills and content knowledge of existing STEM
teachers was the top recommendation of the Gathering Storm
report, which became the basis for the teacher education and
professional development provisions in the COMPETES Act. I hope
to hear today from our witnesses about the ways in which
informal education institutions, such as museums, zoos, and
educational media providers, can and do offer teacher training
and professional development tools for our nation's STEM
teachers.
I am also interested in the role of informal education in
producing a more diverse pool of scientists and engineers
through programs and policies that attract individuals from
groups under-represented in STEM fields. I know some of our
witnesses have been engaged in programs that address this
issue, and I look forward to learning more about ways in which
informal STEM environments may be uniquely positioned to make
STEM learning accessible and exciting to a broader demographic.
I believe that if we hope to promote a more scientifically
literate citizenry and to attract and educate the Nation's
future scientists and engineers, we cannot depend upon schools
alone. Instead, we should be tapping all our resources and
looking at the potential for learning that happens every day,
outside the classroom door.
I want to thank all of the witnesses for taking the time to
appear before the Committee this morning and I look forward to
your testimony.
[The prepared statement of Chair Lipinski follows:]
Prepared Statement of Chair Daniel Lipinski
Good morning and welcome to this Research and Science Education
Subcommittee hearing on informal Science, technology, engineering, and
math (or STEM) education.
While we often examine and discuss ways to improve STEM education
in the classroom, we rarely look at the many opportunities for learning
elsewhere. A great deal of learning happens throughout our lives in
everyday activities--from having a conversation at the family dinner
table or watching a show on television, to attending a summer camp at a
zoo or taking a trip to a museum. Not just students but the general
public are exposed to opportunities for science learning through
informal education every day. Today we will explore the ways in which
informal learning institutions are uniquely positioned to attract and
educate the public about STEM issues, as well as the role of informal
institutions in contributing to and enhancing formal classroom
learning.
Today, we will hear from witnesses who are engaged in informal STEM
education in a range of settings and capacities. I look forward to
hearing the witnesses provide insights regarding the benefits and
challenges of informal STEM education and the state of research on how
students learn STEM in informal settings, as well as recommendations
for moving forward.
The Science and Technology Committee, and our subcommittee in
particular, has made STEM education a top priority. We have heard time
and again that we need more STEM educated graduates and teachers if we
want to compete in the global economy of the 21st century. A 2005
National Academies report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm,
recommended that the Nation increase its talent pool by vastly
improving K-12 science and mathematics education. For that reason, in
the last Congress the Committee developed and the President signed into
law the America COMPETES Act, which included many provisions
specifically aimed at improving STEM education in our country.
Educating more highly qualified STEM teachers and enhancing the
teaching skills and content knowledge of existing STEM teachers was the
top recommendation of the Gathering Storm report, which became the
basis for the teacher education and professional development provisions
in the COMPETES Act. I hope to hear today from our witnesses about the
ways in which informal education institutions, such as museums, zoos,
and educational media providers, can and do offer teacher training and
professional development tools for our nation's STEM teachers.
I am also interested in the role of informal education in producing
a more diverse pool of scientists and engineers through programs and
policies that attract individuals from groups under-represented in STEM
fields. I know some of our witnesses have been engaged in programs that
address this issue, and I look forward to learning more about ways in
which informal STEM environments may be uniquely positioned to make
STEM learning accessible and exciting to a broader demographic.
I believe that if we hope to promote a more scientifically literate
citizenry, and to attract and educate the Nation's future scientists
and engineers, we cannot depend upon schools alone. Instead, we should
be tapping all our resources and looking at the potential for learning
that happens every day outside the classroom door. I want to thank all
of the witnesses for taking the time to appear before the Committee
this morning and I look forward to your testimony.
Chair Lipinski. The Chair now recognizes Mr. Ehlers for an
opening statement.
Mr. Ehlers. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I am sure we will
have a lot of good opportunities to work together, and we share
a great number of common interests, not just including science
but also many aspects of teaching science. So we are going to
have a good year here.
I am intrigued about this hearing on informal science
education. I never knew the term, even though that is how I
learned science for my first 12 years of school. As a child, I
was both unfortunate and fortunate. I was unfortunate to have a
serious enough disease I couldn't go to school but fortunate
enough that I was well enough to study at home where actually I
learned more than I would have at school. Don't tell that to my
former teachers. But I would get the assignments every week,
and I would plough through them. But no experiments in science.
My sister, fortunately, was in a high school where they gave--
she was taking a science class, I think chemistry, where they
gave free copies of Popular Science, and she brought those home
and I devoured those. And I still remember one of my first
striking home experiments which was informal science education.
I lit a candle, took some bicarbonate of soda, mixed it in a
glass, formed a little trough of paper, and held it near the
candle and proceeded to pour. Nothing that you could see, and
the carbon dioxide went down the trough and extinguished the
candle. That was just amazing to me, that something I couldn't
see, touch, feel, smell, could actually exist, could move, and
could put out a fire. That is the sort of thing that you never
forget, particularly if you develop them yourself, and I did
the same thing with some of my high school work.
The informal science education takes place almost
everywhere but in the classroom, and I was fortunate that I had
parents who could answer my questions quite often or would help
me find the answer, to be a more proper way of saying it. But
the question is, how do we measure the results of it? How do we
know whether it is good informal education or not? How does it
fit into the whole of educating the child about the wonders of
science? And above all, how does it get them interested in
science?
Informal science education then can take place almost
anywhere but in the classroom. A recent report from the
National Academies on this topic highlights the difficulty in
assessing the impacts of non-classroom learning on science
knowledge, attitudes, and actions. And maybe you have to wait
40 years to see whether the students learn enough science to
get a Ph.D. in physics and become a Member of Congress. I don't
know if I am one of the data points on their charts or not.
Clearly, formalized science, technology, engineering, and math,
which we call STEM education can only go so far. Informal
experiences shape how people view science and can help people
get comfortable enough with science to spend their free time in
places like parks, museums, and after-school activities. And
also, a real advantage of the informal education is getting
kids really excited about it because they are part of the
discovery process which they often are not in a traditional
classroom. Informal science education has a unique platform to
engage the public in science in ways that show it is not only
fun but also fundamental to the competitiveness of our country.
These opportunities also reach many students and families who
may not have received a high-quality STEM education through
traditional classroom experiences or who may have been turned
off to science by earlier negative experiences.
One challenge faced by the informal science education
community, and policy-makers, is that inherently minimally-
structured environments do not lend themselves to evaluation. I
am particularly interested in how the federal agencies can
support the necessary research and provide resources to
informal practitioners about how to develop and manage
successful programs.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. I
certainly appreciate your attendance here and look forward to
this being another informal learning experience. Thank you very
much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Ehlers follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Vernon J. Ehlers
Today's hearing is an opportunity to learn about the blossoming
field of informal science education and research.
Informal science education takes place almost everywhere but in the
classroom. The recent report from the National Academies on this topic
highlights the difficulty in assessing the impacts of non-classroom
learning on science knowledge, attitudes and actions. Clearly,
formalized science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education
can only go so far. Informal experiences shape how people view science
and can help people get comfortable enough with science to want to
spend their free time in places like parks, museums, and after-school
activities. Informal science education has a unique platform to engage
the public in science in ways that show it is not only fun, but also
fundamental to the competitiveness of our country. These opportunities
also reach many students and families who may not have received a high-
quality STEM education through traditional classroom experiences or who
have been turned off to science by earlier negative experiences.
One challenge faced by the informal science education community--
and policy-makers--is that inherently minimally-structured environments
do not lend themselves to evaluation. I am particularly interested in
how the federal agencies can support the necessary research and provide
resources to informal practitioners about how to develop and manage
successful programs.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today. Thank you for
your attendance.
Chair Lipinski. If there are Members who wish to submit
additional opening statements, your statements will be added to
the record at this point.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Carnahan follows:]
Prepared Statement of Representative Russ Carnahan
Mr. Chairman, thank you for hosting this hearing to examine the
role of informal environments in STEM education.
As we have all mentioned time and again, the Rising Above the
Gathering Storm report provided us with both the knowledge that our
nation's standing as the global leader in the STEM field is at risk as
well as solid tools for policy-makers to counteract this worrisome
trend. We must address this issue with all available resources, both
formal and informal.
The National Academies Committee report showed that there is ample
evidence to suggest that science learning takes place throughout the
life span and across venues in non-school settings. In my home district
of St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden offers a great example of
one such informal science learning environment. In their Power of
Plants Contest, students pick a plant that does great things for people
and tell its story through a two- or three-dimensional work of art.
Programs like this provide opportunities to reach into schools or
formal environments and allow students to connect in an informal basis.
These informal experiences can provide opportunities to form personal
connections which can be much stronger compared to those in a formal
classroom setting. It is these experiences that can lead to self-
directed learning which leave a strong and lasting impression on
students.
I am pleased that today's hearing again focuses on the important
task of ensuring that our STEM programs are working not only in the
classroom, but beyond as well.
To all the witnesses before us today--thank you for taking time out
of your busy schedules to appear before us today. I look forward to
hearing your testimony.
Chair Lipinski. I would like to also welcome Mr. Griffith
here as a freshman. It is good to have you here on this
subcommittee.
Mr. Griffith. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Chair Lipinski. I look forward to what you add to our
subcommittee, and I just want everyone to know that these are
very important issues that we are working on here in the
Subcommittee, very important for the future of our country. And
we are open to any ideas that anyone has on this subcommittee
about what we might want to talk about, what we might want to
work on during this Congress.
At this time I want to introduce our witnesses. We will
start with Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy, the Director of the Division
of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings in the
Education and Human Resources Directorate, of the National
Science Foundation. Dr. Phillip Bell is the Co-Chair of the
National Academies report, ``Learning Science in Informal
Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits'' and a professor at
the College of Education at the University of Washington,
Seattle. Ms. Andrea Ingram is the Vice President of Education
and Guest Experiences at the Museum of Science and Industry,
Chicago. And later on I may have the opportunity to regale
everyone with my memories of being a kid and going to the
museum. Mr. Robert Lippincott is the Senior Vice President for
Education at The Public Broadcasting Service. I am not sure I
am going to talk about watching the TV when I was a kid, but I
certainly watched a lot of PBS. Finally, I am pleased to
introduce Dr. Alejandro Grajal from my district, just west of
Chicago. He is the Senior Vice President of Conservation,
Education, and Training at the Chicago Zoological Society which
is the organization that operates the Brookfield Zoo.
Now, as our witnesses should know, spoken testimony is
limited to five minutes each, after which the Members of the
Committee will have five minutes each to ask questions. And we
will have time, I am sure certainly during the questions, if
there is anything that you want to add onto your five minutes.
And you know, time permitting, we may have time for a little
bit of wrap-up at the end. So if you could limit yourselves to
the five minutes in any opening statements.
So we will start with Dr. Ferrini-Mundy.
STATEMENT OF DR. JOAN FERRINI-MUNDY, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF
RESEARCH ON LEARNING IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL SETTINGS,
DIRECTORATE FOR EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES, NATIONAL SCIENCE
FOUNDATION
Dr. Ferrini-Mundy. Chairman Lipinski, Ranking Member
Ehlers, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, I am
Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Director of the Division of Research on
Learning in Formal and Informal Settings at the National
Science Foundation in the Directorate for Education and Human
Resources. Thank you for the opportunity to testify about
informal education in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics, the STEM disciplines. Mr. Chairman, I ask that my
written statements be made a part of the record, and I would
like to summarize my remarks.
Today I would like to address three main areas: the level
and scope of NSF-funded research and development in informal
science education; emerging research directions and challenges
in assessment; and the significance of informal learning
environments for broadening participation in STEM disciplines.
Our signature catalyst program for investment in this area
is the Informal Science Education (ISE) program, whose primary
goals are to promote lifelong learning of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics by the public and to advance the
knowledge base and human capacity for improving informal STEM
education.
There currently are about 200 funded projects in the ISE
portfolio. Roughly 35 percent of the awards are to institutions
of higher education, and the remaining 65 percent are disbursed
among museums, science centers, youth and community programs,
and radio, television, multi-media and web producers. The
average ISE budget over the past five years has been about
$62.9 million. As hosts of new scientific findings and STEM
issues of importance to the public emerge daily, it is
essential to have a robust body of research and evaluation that
maximizes the potential impact of our investments in informal
science education.
We need to know much more about how to motivate and
interest learners in STEM topics, about what science topics
lend themselves best to learning in informal settings, about
how learning in informal settings can broaden participation in
STEM careers, and about how to engage citizens with the science
that affects public policy as well as their daily lives.
The recent study, Learning Science in Informal
Environments, the report of the National Research Council of
the National Academies, was funded by the ISE program. It
provides a synthesis of the research literature on learning in
informal environments, and the report confirms that everyday
experiences can support science learning for virtually all
people.
Informal learning environments are voluntary learning
settings. The learner can walk away from the exhibit, change
the television channel, or click to a new website. Thus, in
addition to measuring what is being learned about science in
such settings and what science is being learned, it is
important to determine what will engage the learners and hold
their attention, and that is a crucial topic for researchers.
There are major challenges in this research domain. What
outcomes should be expected in informal learning environments
and what assessments are best for measuring them? Museum-goers
don't expect to take a formal test after a casual visit. The
experiences are often brief and fragmented, so it may not be
reasonable to expect depth of content learning from a single
exposure.
Researchers are studying such outcomes as attitude,
awareness, interest, and behavior. Their methods include self-
report, recording visitors' conversations, interviews, and the
timing and tracking studies of behaviors. There is a continued
need for valid and reliable instruments and measures to assess
the appropriate outcomes of learning in informal settings. NSF-
funded researchers are addressing these challenges through the
ISE program and others.
I find that there is enthusiasm across NSF about sharing
exciting science with diverse audiences through informal
learning opportunities. We recognize the great potential of
these venues for engaging youth who may not thrive in the
formal education system. Some ISE projects focus specifically
on learners from groups traditionally under-represented in
STEM, and most projects include outreach to these groups. The
focus on broadening participation extends well beyond EHR. In
the Directorate for Geosciences, for example, there is a
project that prepares teachers in urban settings to integrate
the resources of their city into their STEM teaching. In the
Directorate for Computer and Information Science and
Engineering, a project with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America
uses culturally responsive approaches to attract and retain
high school students in computer science.
The NSF has been able to build a diverse and dynamic
portfolio of research, development, and model building to
promote the learning of all people at all ages through informal
science education environments. The portfolio is increasingly
robust in the area of research about learning in informal
settings. Through programs in the Division of Research on
Learning, we plan to continue encouraging and supporting
scientific discovery in informal science education.
I would like to thank the Subcommittee for this opportunity
to share with you information about investments made by the NSF
in this area. Mr. Chair, this concludes my remarks. I would be
happy to answer any questions.
The prepared statement of Dr. Ferrini-Mundy follows:]
Prepared Statement of Joan Ferrini-Mundy
Chairman Lipinski, Ranking Member Ehlers, and distinguished Members
of the Subcommittee, I am Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Director for the Division
of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings within the
Directorate for Education and Human Resources at the National Science
Foundation (NSF). Thank you for the opportunity to testify about
informal education in science, technology, engineering and
mathematics--what we at the NSF call the STEM disciplines. In an era
where we are all lifelong learners, the boundaries between formal
settings for learning--such as schools and universities--and informal
learning settings--such as museums, cyberspace, and the media--are
increasingly blurred and porous. Against this backdrop, the NSF
continues to provide leadership and scholarship for the ongoing
transformation of STEM learning opportunities, for learners of all
ages, backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities, and in all settings.
Today I would like to address three main areas: the level and scope
of NSF-funded research and development in informal science education;
emerging research directions and challenges, including a focus on
assessment; and the significance of informal learning environments in
broadening participation in STEM.
Research on STEM learning in informal settings is not a new
enterprise at NSF. The NSF's recognition of the importance of research
about the STEM lifelong learning opportunities through out-of-school
settings dates back five decades, to the formation of the Public
Understanding of Science program in 1959 and the funding of studies of
public knowledge of science. This emphasis has continued, most recently
in the production of Learning Science in Informal Environments (2009),
a report of the National Research Council of the National Academies.\1\
This effort, funded by the NSF's Informal Science Education program,
provides a synthesis of the research literature on learning in informal
environments. It is generally acknowledged that the percentage of time
that a person spends in formal education over a lifespan is relatively
small compared to the time available for learning outside of school.
And, the Learning Science in Informal Environments report confirms on
the basis of research that: ``Everyday experiences can support science
learning for virtually all people.'' (p. ES-2).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ National Research Council (2009). Learning Science in Informal
Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. Committee on Learning
Science in Informal Environments. Philip Bell, Bruce Lewenstein, Andrew
W. Shouse, and Michael A. Feder, editors. Board on Science Education,
Center for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and
Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
NSF-Funded Research and Development in Informal Science Education
Our signature catalyst for investment in this area is the Informal
Science Education (ISE) program, which received its first appropriation
in FY 1984. This was in response to recommendations that the Federal
Government provide support for a wide range of informal learning
experiences made in the 1983 report of the National Science Board
Commission on Precollege Education in Mathematics, Science, and
Technology.\2\ The report noted: ``A great deal of education takes
place outside the classroom. The most fortunate students receive
experiences in museums, clubs, and independent activities . . .. The
child who has regularly visited zoos, planetaria, and science museums,
hiked along nature trails and built model airplanes and telescopes is
infinitely better prepared for, and more receptive to, the mathematics
and science of the classroom.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ National Science Board Commission on Precollege Education in
Mathematics, Science and Technology, Educating Americans for the 21st
Century (Washington, DC: National Science Foundation, 1983, CPCE-NSF-
04).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ISE program's primary goal is to promote lifelong learning of
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by the public and to
advance the knowledge base, practice, human capacity and communities of
professionals engaged in informal STEM education. Indeed, the
infrastructure for free-choice learning provided by NSF's ISE program
has been noted as being important in the development of the ``informal
science education'' field.\3\ Over the years, it has established
television, radio, and giant-screen film as media for STEM education;
funded major traveling and permanent exhibitions; catalyzed citizen
science projects enabling the public to participate in actual research;
and expanded community and youth programming, including after-school
science. At the same time, it has supported ongoing professionalization
and increased capacity of the field, as well as knowledge building
through required evaluation, and research about learning in informal
settings. Awardees over the past decade have included museums (28.2
percent), academic institutions (24.1 percent), media producers and
television stations (20.8 percent), and many other types of developers
and providers of informal science education. The involvement of
academic institutions is increasing; in the current portfolio, roughly
35 percent of the awards are to institutions of higher education.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Lewenstein, B. (2001). Who produces science information for the
public? In John H. Falk (Ed.), Free-choice Science Education. New York:
Teachers College Press.
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Today, this field is a diverse, creative, and interdisciplinary
community of institutions, such as science centers, zoos, aquariums,
and museums of many types, and professionals, including exhibit
designers, film and television producers, media experts, after-school
program developers, information technologists, scientists, and learning
researchers. They share a passion and expertise for providing STEM
learning opportunities to all people of all ages. To harness the talent
and energy of these groups, the ISE program has dual commitments:
building new knowledge about STEM learning in informal environments
through research and development of models, and reaching large numbers
of children, youth, and adults with STEM learning and engagement
opportunities. Keeping these dual commitments in appropriate balance
and synergy is an important challenge in the management of the program.
The budget in the ISE program for the past five years has been as
follows (in millions):
There currently are about 200 funded projects in the ISE portfolio,
ranging from design and implementation of innovative museum exhibits,
to the production of large-format films and television and radio
series, to research studies to examine how informal learning
opportunities promote science learning, to ``citizen-science'' efforts,
to public engagement in science in the spirit of science cafes, to the
development of virtual learning communities and serious games. In the
past two years, ISE-funded projects have won major awards, including
Emmys, the Peabody Award, the Webby, and the American Association of
Museums Award of Excellence in Exhibition, as well as recognitions such
as premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. This is a highly
competitive program with a funding success rate of about 15 percent.
Based on the questions I received from the Subcommittee and the
focus of the recent Learning Science in Informal Environments, my
emphasis in this testimony is on research related to informal learning.
The Informal Science Education (ISE) program, NSF's primary source of
investment in this area, funds both research and development.
The ISE program is part of a broader effort at NSF to understand
STEM learning and how to best engage people of all ages in it. The
Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings has a
growing portfolio of funded research that is building knowledge about
the processes of STEM learning and that examines the impacts of
learning interventions such as school curricula or museum exhibits, and
the reasons for those impacts. DRL-funded research is ongoing at
various points in a cycle of research and development.
Projects range from those that generate hypotheses and describe
STEM learning phenomena and constructs, to those that design highly
innovative and potentially powerful learning interventions built on
basic learning research, to those that test, implement, and refine
these interventions and learning materials in specialized settings, to
those that operate larger scale implementation and effectiveness
studies for the most promising interventions, to--finally--synthesis
and theory-building that informs continued work in the cycle. DRL and
its predecessor divisions and units have provided funding for research
on STEM learning and education since the 1950s.
Across the Directorate for Education and Human Resources and NSF
more broadly, there are several programs that also invest in efforts to
engage learners in STEM outside of school settings, as part of the NSF
commitment to the integration of research and education. For instance,
in the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program
(IGERT), scientists are engaged in communicating their work to public
audiences.
Emerging Research Directions and Challenges
As hosts of new scientific findings and STEM issues of national
interest to the public emerge daily, and in today's rapidly changing
context for communication and information-sharing, it is essential to
have a robust body of research and evaluation that maximizes the
potential impact of investments in informal science education. We need
to know much more about how to motivate and interest learners in STEM
topics. We need to understand what areas of science lend themselves
best to learning in informal settings. We need to study how learning in
informal settings can be most powerful as an impetus for broadening
participation in STEM careers. And, we need to conduct research about
the public's attitudes, interests, and knowledge as a basis for their
informed engagement with the science that affects public policy as well
as their daily lives.\4\ The National Science Board's Science and
Engineering Indicators volumes report on the levels of public attitudes
and understanding of science and technology, recognizing that this is
one barometer of the Nation's readiness to engage in solutions to the
scientific problems of the day and for its citizenry to have the
scientific literacy necessary to sustain their own personal science-
related decision-making. Research in all of these areas, and others, is
essential to ongoing strategic investments in the models and resources
that are produced for learning in informal settings.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See Office of Science and Technology and the Wellcome Trust
(2000). Science and the Public: A Review of Science Communication and
Public Attitudes to Science in Britain. (p. 4)
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The Learning Science in Informal Environments report makes
recommendations about needed research on: tools and practices that
contribute to learning, learning strands, cumulative effects, and
learning by groups, organizations, and communities. Through such
syntheses, together with published research studies, web databases of
evaluation reports, professional meetings and NSF-sponsored principal
investigator meetings, the growing body of research about informal
learning is communicated to practitioners to help inform their work.
This research is also shared internally through seminars and workshops
to help NSF staff remain abreast of developments in the field.
As the informal science education field matures, part of the needed
capacity-building is to expand expertise and interest in research and
evaluation, and to build the research base. NSF's investments in this
area of capacity-building and knowledge-building are increasing. One
strategy in this area was the establishment of the Center for
Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE), a resource center
funded by the ISE program. In a review of the 548 ISE projects funded
over the period 1998 through 2008, CAISE found that 60 projects had
research about informal learning as a primary objective, and 37 as a
secondary objective. These 97 research-oriented projects represent an
investment over ten years of about $128 M. This indicates that
approximately 15 percent of the overall ISE investment over this
period, which includes development and implementation of a wide range
of informal learning resources, is directed toward improving
understanding of the use and impacts of such resources through
research.
In addition to the ISE program, NSF's Research and Evaluation on
Education in Science and Engineering (REESE) and Innovative Technology
Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) programs support research
on learning in informal environments. For example, in its most recent
solicitation the ITEST program calls for research to address such
questions as: ``What does it take to effectively interest and prepare
students to participate in the science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) workforce of the future? What are the knowledge,
skills, and dispositions that students need in order to participate
productively in the changing STEM workforce and be innovators,
particularly in STEM-related networked computing and information and
communication technology (ICT) areas? How do they acquire them? How can
the Nation's burgeoning cyberinfrastructure be harnessed as a tool for
STEM learning in classrooms and informal learning environments? How can
we assess and predict inclination to participate in the STEM fields and
how can we measure and study the impact of various models to encourage
that participation?'' \5\
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\5\ See http://www.nsf.gov/funding/
pgm-summ.jsp?pims-id=5467
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The Center for Informal Learning and Schools, funded by NSF's
Centers for Learning and Teaching Program in 2002, has as its primary
objective to create a program of research, scholarship, and leadership
in the arena of informal learning and the relationship of informal
science institutions and schools. This partnership among the
Exploratorium, King's College London, and the University of California-
Santa Cruz, is undertaking research about such topics as explanation
and communication, structures that support informal learning, and the
design of learning environments. Within the REESE portfolio, there are
11 projects currently underway, representing a total investment of
about $7M, that are specifically examining issues relevant to informal
learning. These range from a project that is studying how fundamental
biological concepts are understood in different learning contexts and
by different cultural groups (Bardeen, Fermilab), to a study of
indigenous-heritage communities' ways of learning about scientific
ideas (Rogoff, University of California-Santa Cruz), to a study of how
to improve connections between formal and informal learning settings
(Schwartz at Stanford University, and Biswas at Vanderbilt University.)
Informal learning environments are voluntary learning settings; the
learner can walk away from the exhibit, change the television channel,
or click to a new website. Thus in addition to measuring what is
actually being learned in such settings, the matter of determining what
will engage learners and hold their attention is a crucial topic for
researchers in this domain. This includes aspects such as understanding
which scientific topics will engage learners, what kinds of features of
an exhibit or program will hold attention, and what sorts of activities
will encourage continued participation. The ISE program has funded
efforts in all of these areas, although this clearly needs to be seen
as an emerging, interdisciplinary area of research. Cognitive
scientists traditionally have been more interested in learning as it
occurs in school settings, although we are noticing increased proposal
pressure in ISE-relevant research over recent years.
The professional wisdom and craft knowledge resident in the
informal science education community, when tested and strengthened
through research and evaluation, stands to inform some of today's most
pressing educational challenges. In particular, because of the porous
boundaries between the formal and informal learning communities, a
focus on the connections between informal and formal learning
environments is important. For example, the need to provide the
Nation's K-12 STEM teachers with mechanisms for keeping their science
knowledge current in a cyber era can be informed by what is already
known from the informal science learning community's accumulated wisdom
about voluntary learning. By their very nature, informal learning
organizations are positioned to be innovators in the type of hands-on,
direct contact with the world of science that is seen by many as
crucial in student learning, and research to illuminate such learning
environments stands to inform K-12 formal education.
There are major challenges in this research domain, as well as some
promising tools and resources. Challenges are most prevalent in
determining what outcomes should be expected in informal learning
environments, and what metrics are best for measuring them. There are
theoretical issues of ``ecological validity''--museum-goers don't
expect to take a formal test after a casual visit. Frank Oppenheimer
once said ``no-one ever flunks a museum.'' And, because of the self-
directed nature of this learning, diverse learners (ranging from young
children to older adults) will be interested in, and will learn,
different things. The experiences are often brief and fragmented, and
so it may not be reasonable to expect depth of content learning from a
single exposure, although they may be particularly memorable and
stimulate further engagement. In dynamic, open, voluntary learning
environments it is hard to establish control groups and to deal
adequately with human subjects issues. Promising approaches to
addressing these challenges include interdisciplinary efforts that
bring together informal science educators, educational researchers,
psychologists, sociologists, and assessment experts; capacity building
among evaluators to understand both the constraints and affordances of
evaluation in informal learning settings; strategic use of common
instruments when efforts have overlapping goals; and design of
innovative instruments and approaches. This might involve, for
instance, using physiological measures to track learning-related
emotions, or building stronger theories about culturally responsive
evaluation, or constructing new and appropriate outcome goals for
learning. One resource that has been well received is the ISE-funded
Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects
(NSF, 2008). This is a guide for ISE projects which includes such
material as ``Tools, Tips, and Common Issues in Evaluation Experimental
Design Choices.'' The NSF, through the Division of Research on Learning
in Formal and Informal Settings, is committed to playing a leading role
in advancing research and development in the area of informal science
education.
Informal Learning Environments in Broadening Participation in STEM
Building a STEM workforce that draws on the best talents of all in
the society, reaching out to groups that have been under-represented in
STEM, and promoting a STEM-literate public all are central to NSF's
mission. NSF's Strategic Plan, 2006-2011, includes as a strategic goal
``Cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering
workforce, and expand the scientific literacy of all citizens.'' In
particular, the plan notes: ``NSF will improve STEM literacy by
developing new strategies that explicitly encompass both formal and
informal education, with a focus on strategies that have an impact on
the Nation's critical need for a citizenry literate in science and
technology, a skilled workforce, and a vibrant research community.''
(p. 8).
A number of ISE projects are specifically concerned with engaging
learners from groups traditionally under-represented in STEM. For
example, the ``Urban Bird Gardens: Assessing the Interest of Latino
Communities in Citizen Science'' project (Dickinson, Cornell
University), and the ``Native Science Field Centers'' (Satchatello-
Sawyer, Hopa Mountain) are funded with ISE support. And although the
ISE program is the Foundation's flagship program in this area, there
are a number of efforts across NSF that recognize the particular
potential of informal learning opportunities as a resource for
broadening participating in STEM fields and make investments to advance
this potential.
I have already mentioned the Innovative Technology Education
Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which provides
funding for research and development projects for K-12 students in out-
of-school settings to encourage STEM workforce participation,
especially by students from groups traditionally under-represented in
STEM. Also managed in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal
and Informal Settings is the Communicating Research to Public Audiences
(CRPA) program With CRPA, researchers funded through NSF's Research and
Related Activities directorates can receive new awards to help them
communicate their scientific results to the public. Other divisions in
the Education and Human Resources directorate also fund projects to
broaden participation in science using informal science learning
materials as a basis--notably a number of efforts in the Division of
Human Resource Development that work to engage women, people with
disabilities, and under-represented minorities in STEM learning. The
``Adolescents' Identification with Televised Portrayals of Male and
Female Scientists'' study (Steinke, Western Michigan University),
through the Gender Studies in Education Program, is one such example.
I find that there is enthusiasm across NSF about informal learning
opportunities as means of sharing the exciting and motivating aspects
of science with diverse audiences, and recognition of the great
potential of these informal learning venues for engaging youth who may
not thrive in the formal education system. For example, several studies
of museum-based and after-school programs have shown evidence of
supporting statistically significant academic gains for youth,
particularly when they draw on local issues and the children's prior
interests.\6\
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\6\ See Chapter 7, Diversity and Equity, in Learning Science in
Informal Environments, NRC, 2009.
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Across the Foundation there are efforts to broaden participation
through informal science education. The NISE Net initiative, a
collaborative effort across seven NSF directorates, is building public
awareness and engagement about nanoscale science and engineering at
more than 100 sites nationally. Led by researchers at three science
museums, the project's goals include helping museum visitors understand
the properties of new materials, along with the possibilities they
present in areas such as medicine, security, and energy, as well as
their potential societal implications. In another example, the
International Polar Year provided opportunities for cross-NSF
collaborations, particularly between the Office of Polar Programs and
the ISE program, for major investments in innovative and exciting
informal STEM learning. Among them was PolarPalooza, bringing polar
scientists and their gear to sites around the country, as well as
films, websites and science blogs bringing polar science to Americans
of all ages and from all communities. In the Directorate for
Geosciences, the ``Science and the City: Fusion of Formal and Informal
Learning Experiences into an Innovative Geoscience MA-Teacher Program''
prepares program teacher graduates to integrate the resources of their
city into their teaching. And, the project ``Incorporating Cultural
Tools for Math and Computing Concepts into the Boys and Girls Clubs of
America,'' funded through the Broadening Participation in Computing
Program in the Directorate for Computer Information Science and
Engineering, uses culturally responsive approaches to attract and
retain high school students to computer science.
In summary, the NSF has been able to build a diverse and dynamic
portfolio of research, development and model-building to promote the
learning of all people, at all ages, through a range of informal
science environments, and including the cyber world. This portfolio is
increasingly robust in the area of research about learning in informal
settings and the knowledge base that is so essential in this area is
growing in significant and useful ways. In closing, I want to thank the
Subcommittee for this opportunity to share with you this information
about the investments made by NSF in research and development to
advance and foster increased public scientific literacy and development
of the STEM workforce through informal science education.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my remarks. I would be happy to answer
any questions.
Biography for Joan Ferrini-Mundy
Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy is the Director of the National Science
Foundation's (NSF) Division of Research on Learning in Formal and
Informal Settings (DRL), in the Directorate for Education and Human
Resources (EHR). DRL programs invest in research and development
efforts to support the learning of science, technology, engineering and
mathematics at all levels and in all settings. She has recently been
appointed Executive Officer (Acting) of the Directorate for Education
and Human Resources. She serves as an NSF representative on the
Education Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council,
and represents EHR on NSF's Facilitating Transformative and
Interdisciplinary Research Working Group. While at NSF Dr. Ferrini-
Mundy holds a faculty position at Michigan State University where she
is a University Distinguished Professor in Mathematics Education and
Assistant Vice President for STEM Education and Policy. Her research
interests include calculus teaching and learning, the development and
assessment of teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching, and the
improvement of student learning in K-12 mathematics and science. Dr.
Ferrini-Mundy has served on the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics' Board of Directors, The Board of Governors of the
Mathematical Association of America, and as Director of the National
Research Council's Mathematical Sciences Education Board. She also
participated as an Ex Officio Member of the National Mathematics
Advisory Panel in 2007-2008, and serving as Co-Chair of the
Instructional Practices Task Group.
Chair Lipinski. Thank you very much for your testimony. Dr.
Bell.
STATEMENT OF DR. PHILIP BELL, THE GEDA AND PHIL CONDIT
PROFESSOR OF SCIENCE AND MATH EDUCATION, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF
THE LEARNING SCIENCES; DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE AND
MATHEMATICS EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, SEATTLE; CO-
CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON LEARNING SCIENCE IN INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS,
BOARD ON SCIENCE EDUCATION, NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, THE
NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Dr. Bell. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and Members of the
Subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before
you today. I am Philip Bell from the University of Washington.
I served as Co-Chair of the Committee on Learning Science in
Informal Environments of the National Research Council, and I
ask that my written remarks be made part of the record of the
hearing.
I was asked to describe the work in my research group and
summarize the conclusions and recommendations of the recent NRC
consensus study. I participate in a large-scale
interdisciplinary research effort called the Learning in
Informal and Formal Environments Center, or LIFE Center, a
collaboration of the University of Washington, Stanford
University, SRI International. It is funded through NSF's
Science of Learning Center program within the SBE Directorate.
In LIFE we study the social foundation of how people learn
across a broad range of learning environments from the
classrooms, science centers, aquaria, and zoos to after-school
programs, Internet sites, video game environments and in the
midst of family life. My research group investigates how youth
and families from multi-cultural urban communities develop
science and technology-related expertise across different
settings. In our research, we found a surprising and troubling
pattern where children pursue and engage in sophisticated STEM
learning outside of school, but those interests and early
competencies are not recognized or built upon in the classroom.
Just one example, we followed an elementary school-aged boy
for several years documenting his learning across settings who
developed significant expertise related to mechanical
engineering, from building robotic kits at home to engaging in
complex puzzle activity on the science center floor, but in the
classroom, he is not perceived as being interested in academic
subjects at all. Such disconnects in learning between home and
school are putting these particular children at higher risk of
academic failure in STEM.
Our research further indicates that STEM academic
achievement, although crucial, is only part of what is needed
to cultivate expertise in STEM, and people's activities in
informal environments are an equally crucial platform for
learning, as we are hearing from Congressman Ehlers.
Efforts to enhance the scientific capacity of society
typically focuses on formal schooling. LIFE Center researchers
developed the diagram shown over on the easel there to my left,
to your right, to characterize roughly the amount of time
individuals spend in formal and informal environments, with
lifelong learning along the horizontal and life-wide learning
as people go across settings along the vertical.
What is often overlooked or underestimated is the potential
of STEM learning in non-school settings. Each year tens of
millions of Americans young and old explore and learn about
science by visiting informal learning institutions,
participating in programs, and countless more use media to
pursue their science-related interests. From a lifelong, life-
wide perspective, it is imperative that we leverage informal
learning environments to support workforce development, civic
participation, and STEM-related policy issues, and to promote
scientific literacy among the citizenry.
The Informal Science Education program, as we already
heard, funded a consensus study with the Board on Science
Education at the NRC with the goal of synthesizing the existing
research about how people learn in informal environments. The
interdisciplinary committee that was convened organized its
analysis by looking at the various places where science
learning occurs. These included everyday experiences like
hiking at a national park with your family, pursuing a hobby or
learning on the farm, as well as designed settings, such as
visiting a science center, zoo, aquarium, or botanical garden
or participating in educational programming, such as summer
science programs for youth, environmental monitoring
experiences for citizens, or Elderhostel programs that are
related to science. The committee found abundant evidence that
informal learning environments routinely support significant
science learning for individuals from all ages, from a broad
variety of backgrounds and ways that uniquely serve their
personal and professional interest and that relate to the
broader STEM interest of society.
However, the field is lacking a clear statement of goals
that are appropriate for these settings, learning goals, which
can be measured. The committee developed and used the strands
of science learning framework that articulates science specific
capabilities supported by informal learning environments. The
six interrelated strands reflect the field's commitment to
getting learners to participate and connect to science in
stimulating, interactive, contemporary, and personally relevant
ways.
In closing, I want to mention some high priority policy
issues that are described in the report. First, in terms of
broadening participation in STEM, studies do suggest that
informal learning environments may be particularly effective
for youth from historically non-dominant communities. However,
there is variability in the success of these environments in
attracting and engaging diverse audiences. We believe that a
better understanding of the naturally occurring science
learning in a diverse range of communities is needed to inform
basic theory about how people learn as well as to design
informal learning experiences that actually are tailored to
these communities.
Secondly, we believe that there should be sustained support
for high-quality informal programs and experiences that focus
on STEM. Informal learning environments represent a crucial
part of society's infrastructure for STEM education.
Thirdly, although it is important to understand the impact
of informal environments, a more important question may be how
science learning occurs across a range of formal and informal
environments. The science learning literatures and fields are
segmented in ways that are at odds with how people routinely
traverse settings and can engage in learning across those
settings day to day.
Thank you for the opportunity to be here, and I look
forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Bell follows:]
Prepared Statement of Philip Bell
Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee. Thank you
for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss informal STEM
education in science. I am Philip Bell, Associate Professor of Learning
Sciences in the College of Education at the University of Washington. I
served as a Co-Chair of the Committee on Learning Science in Informal
Environments of the National Research Council (NRC), the operating arm
of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering,
and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.
In the following statement I will briefly describe what research
tells us about how and why people learn science in informal
environments, what role informal environments can play in broadening
participation in STEM fields, and what priorities exist for research
and evaluation related to informal science education. Let me start by
stating that a synthesis of the research clearly indicates that
informal learning environments represent a crucial part of our
society's educational infrastructure for STEM education. Informal
learning environments routinely support significant science learning
for individuals of all ages from a broad variety of backgrounds in ways
that uniquely serve their personal and professional interests--and the
broader STEM-related interests of society as well. At the same time,
additional research is needed to better understand the cumulative
effects of how people learn across formal and informal learning
environments, to better understand the influence of contemporary media
on science learning, and to document how people from groups that are
under-represented in STEM fields learn science, which we take to be
both a basic and applied area of research. These inquiries can provide
critical information for developing better programs and experiences for
learners.
I was asked to describe the work of my research group at the
University of Washington and to summarize the conclusions and
recommendations of the recent NRC consensus study on Learning Science
in Informal Environments. Let me start with the research of my group as
I think it sets the stage for summarizing the report. Over the past
five years the National Science Foundation has been supporting six
large-scale, long-term research centers around the country through the
Science of Learning Center program focused on advancing the frontiers
of the sciences of learning through integrated, interdisciplinary
research. I participate on the faculty leadership team of one such
center called the Learning in Informal and Formal Environments Center--
or the LIFE Center--which is a collaboration primarily among
researchers at the University of Washington, Stanford University, and
SRI International. The scientific mission of the LIFE Center (http://
life-slc.org/) is to document the social foundations of how people
learn across formal and informal learning environments using cognitive,
social and cultural, neurobiological, and developmental perspectives on
learning.
LIFE has a portfolio of research studies that investigate STEM
learning--including how families engage in math learning in everyday
activities like personal finance and health decisions, how youth
develop expertise about technology, and how young girls and boys
develop stereotypes about academic subjects like math and reading. We
do that work across a broad range of venues for learning--from
classrooms, science centers, aquaria, and zoos to after-school
programs, Internet sites, virtual spaces, hobby groups, and in the
midst of family life. My research group investigates how youth and
their families develop science and technology related expertise across
a broad range of formal and informal environments, groups, and
activities in their lives. We construct finely detailed cultural and
ecological accounts of where, how, why, what, and with whom children
learn over years with special attention to knowledge and expertise that
has real consequences for the youth and families in our studies. We
also conduct extended multi-week curriculum design studies in
elementary science classrooms in collaboration with teachers to test
theoretical questions about how we can bridge what the children learn
and do at home with what they are learning at school. The fieldwork
generates principles of learning that inform educational design
principles that are tested in the context of classroom instruction.
Our research takes place within multicultural, urban communities,
and we are strongly focused on understanding how to broaden
participation in STEM learning and activities. As we document how
children learn across different settings, we have found a surprising
and troubling pattern where children pursue and engage in sophisticated
STEM learning outside of school but where those interests and early
competencies are not recognized or built upon in the classroom. Just as
one example: we followed an elementary school-aged boy with significant
expertise with mechanical systems--from building robotic kits at home
and designing solutions to complex puzzles at a science center--who, at
school, was perceived as not being interested in academic subjects.
Such disconnects in learning between home and school are putting these
particular children at a higher risk of academic failure in STEM. At
the same time, many of the cases document how interest, personal
identification with STEM endeavors, and practice with the tools of STEM
disciplines are sustained in important activities happening outside of
school--while in summer programs at science centers and in
collaborative activities with peers and parents. That is, STEM academic
achievement in school, although crucial, is only part of what is needed
to cultivate personal expertise in STEM--and the activities with which
people engage in informal learning environments are an equally crucial
platform for STEM learning. This point highlights the truly
complementary role of schooling and informal learning environments in
STEM learning.
Researchers in the LIFE center developed the following diagram to
roughly characterize the amount of time individuals spend in formal and
informal learning environments. The diagram highlights changes in this
split between formal and informal learning environments over the life
course of the individual--what we call life-long learning---and it
gives a sense of the breadth of different social settings in which
people spend time in daily life--what we refer to as life-wide
learning. As it indicates, the majority of our time is spent within the
range of informal learning environments in which we participate--in the
``sea of blue'' as we call it.
The knowledge and practices of science shape people's lives in
fundamental ways. It is increasingly understood that the science and
technology enterprise plays a crucial role in our economy as well as in
our communities and in our personal lives. This makes it imperative
that we leverage informal learning to support workforce development,
civic participation in STEM issues and policy, and to promote
scientific literacy among all citizens.
Efforts to enhance the scientific capacity of society typically
target schools and focus on such strategies as improving science
curriculum and teacher quality and strengthening the STEM pipeline.
What is often overlooked or underestimated is the potential for science
learning in non-school settings, where people actually spend the
majority of their time.
Beyond the schoolhouse door, opportunities for science learning
abound. Each year, tens of millions of Americans, young and old,
explore and learn about science by visiting informal learning
institutions, participating in programs, and using media to pursue
their interests. Thousands of organizations dedicate themselves to
developing, documenting, and improving science learning in informal
environments for learners of all ages and backgrounds. Countless others
choose to learn about science topics in ways that serve their interests
or needs and engage in science-related hobbies with others who share
their interests. So, if we ask the crucial question: Where do people
learn science? The answer is everywhere--in ways that we only partially
understand.
The National Science Foundation funded a consensus study through
their Informal Science Education program with the Board on Science
Education at the National Research Council with the goal of
synthesizing the existing research about how people learn science in
informal environments. The Board on Science Education at the NRC is an
advisor to the Nation on all issues of science education and oversaw
the project. In response, the Committee on Science Learning in Informal
Environments was established to examine the potential of non-school
settings for science learning. The committee, comprised of 14 experts
in science, education, psychology, media, and informal education,
conducted a broad review of the literatures that inform learning
science in informal environments. The charge we were given specifically
included assessing the evidence of science learning across settings,
for different age groups, and over different time frames. We were asked
to identify the qualities of learning experiences that are unique to
informal environments and to explore the relationship between the
science learning that happens in informal environments and the learning
that goes on within school. And we were also asked to develop an agenda
for research and development related to how and why people learn
science in informal environments.
The committee organized its analysis by looking at the places where
science learning occurs as well as cross-cutting features of informal
learning environments. The ``places'' that we considered included:
everyday experiences--like hiking, pursuing a hobby, or farming;
designed settings--such as visiting a science center, zoo, aquarium,
botanical garden, planetarium; and educational programs--such as after-
school or summer science programs for youth, environmental monitoring
experiences for citizens, or Elderhostel and senior center programs for
elders. We also examined cross-cutting features that shape informal
environments including: the role of media as a context and tool for
learning and the opportunities these environments provide for
broadening participation in STEM for individuals from diverse
communities that are historically under-represented in STEM fields.
A critical missing piece in this area of research and development
is a clear statement of goals that are appropriate for these settings
and which can be measured. The committee developed and used a ``strands
of science learning'' framework that articulates science-specific
capabilities supported by informal environments. It builds on the
framework developed for K-8 science learning in the NRC Taking Science
to School report from 2007. The six strands illustrate how schools and
informal environments can support complementary educational goals, and
serve as a tool for organizing and assessing science learning. The six
interrelated aspects of science learning covered by the strands reflect
the field's commitment to getting learners to participate and connect
to science as a stimulating, creative, and personally relevant
endeavor.
Our efforts to improve STEM education frequently focus on the
importance of the disciplinary content of science and how people come
to understand scientific concepts, principles, and established facts.
The committee agreed that the knowledge of science is an important
outcome of science learning, but there is more to the learning of
science than understanding content. The other five strands help bring a
more complete image of learning into view. These broader dimensions of
science learning are necessary for developing interest in young
learners. For example, early interest in science is clearly associated
with entry into STEM fields. In this vein, it is also crucial for
people to develop science-related interests and to experience
enjoyment, to come to identify with science, to know how to develop and
evaluate scientific arguments and explanations of natural phenomena, to
know how scientists actually inquire and build new knowledge using
specialized tools and equipment, and to understand the multifaceted
role of the institution of science in society.
The six science learning strands help us understand how learners in
informal environments:
Strand 1: Experience excitement, interest, and motivation to
learn about phenomena in the natural and physical world.
Strand 2: Come to generate, understand, remember, and use
concepts, explanations, arguments, models and facts related to
science.
Strand 3: Manipulate, test, explore, predict, question,
observe, and make sense of the natural and physical world.
Strand 4: Reflect on science as a way of knowing; on
processes, concepts, and institutions of science; and on their
own process of learning about phenomena.
Strand 5: Participate in scientific activities and learning
practices with others, using scientific language and tools.
Strand 6: Think about themselves as science learners and
develop an identity as someone who knows about, uses, and
sometimes contributes to science.
With this multi-dimensional definition of science learning, we then
explored the question: What is the contribution of informal
environments towards these outcomes? The report describes the state of
our knowledge about how the strands of science learning are supported
across the different informal learning environments. For example,
educational television and museum experiences can support conceptual
learning. Family conversations can help children learn to produce
scientific conversations. After-school programs can give learners
access to learning to use the specialized tools of science and support
the learning of science content. Prior knowledge, interest, and
identity--long understood as integral to the learning process--are
especially important in informal learning environments, where
opportunities to learn can be fleeting, episodic, and strongly learner-
driven. At any point in the life span, learners have knowledge and
interests, which--given opportunities and support--they can develop
into for further science learning. This includes their comfort and
familiarity with science. Although learners' knowledge may remain tacit
and may not always be scientifically accurate, it can serve as the
basis for more sophisticated learning over time. Educators can support
learners of all ages by intentionally querying, drawing on, and
extending their interests, ideas about self, and knowledge.
So, do people learn science in non-school settings? This is a
critical question for policy makers, practitioners, and researchers
alike--and the answer is yes. The committee found abundant evidence
that across all venues--everyday experiences, designed settings, and
educational programs--individuals of all ages learn science in
significant ways. We know from vast literatures in the science of
learning field on cognition and development that sophisticated learning
only results from concerted effort and sustained practice. It is
crucial for us to recognize and understand how such learning and
expertise gets supported and cultivated across the settings and
pursuits in a person's life. Understanding the cumulative effects of
STEM learning as it occurs across formal and informal learning
environments is a high-priority area for future research.
Virtually all people of all ages and backgrounds engage in informal
science learning in the course of daily life. Informal environments can
stimulate science interest, build learners' scientific knowledge and
skill, and--perhaps most importantly--help people learn to be more
comfortable and confident in their relationship with science.
Researchers and educators interested in informal settings are typically
committed to open participation in science: building and understanding
science learning experiences that render science accessible to a broad
range of learners and in ways that serve their interests.
Everyday experiences can support science learning for virtually all
people in response to the interests and needs that matter most to
them--including environmental risks, health decisions, and appreciation
of the natural world. If educators can attend more deeply to the ways
in which people already intersect with science and technology in their
lives then our educational efforts will be more powerful and
meaningful.
Designed spaces--including museums, science centers, zoos,
aquariums, botanical gardens, and environmental centers--can also
support science learning. Rich with real-world phenomena and unique
learning experiences, these are places where people can pursue and
develop science interests, engage in science inquiry, and reflect on
their experiences through sense-making conversations.
Educational programs focused on science learning take place in
schools and community-based and science-rich organizations and include
sustained, self-organized activities of science enthusiasts. Such
programs are growing in number, with the support of significant federal
funding, and there is mounting evidence that structured, non-school
science programs can feed or stimulate the science-specific interests
of adults and children, may positively influence academic achievement
for students, and may expand participants' sense of future science
career options.
Science media, in the form of radio, television, the Internet, and
hand-held devices, are increasingly pervasive and make science
information increasingly available to people across venues for science
learning. Science media, especially interactive forms that are web-
based, are fundamentally changing people's engagement with science and
offer new ways to support science learning. Although the evidence is
strong for the impact of educational television on science learning,
substantially less empirical evidence exists on the impact of other
media--digital media, gaming, radio--on science learning specifically.
There is good reason to believe that such media are increasingly
supporting science learning, but we need more research focused on how
and why people learn science specifically through interactive and
social media.
What role can informal learning environments play in broadening
participation and promoting diversity in STEM fields? A report on
diversity and learning recently edited Professor James Banks from the
University of Washington states: ``Being born into a racial majority
group with high levels of economic and social resources--or into a
group that has historically been marginalized with low levels of
economic and social resources--results in very different lived
experiences that include unequal learning opportunities, challenges,
and potential risks for learning and development.''
The committee recognized that there is increasing interest in the
informal learning research and practitioner fields for understanding
cultural variability among learners and its implications: how learners
participate in science in relation to the values, attitudes, histories,
and practices of their communities and those of science.
Studies suggest that informal environments for science learning may
be particularly effective for youth from historically non-dominant
groups--groups with limited social and political status in society who
are often marginalized in educational experiences. For example,
evaluations of museum-based and after-school programs suggest that
these experiences can support academic gains for children and youth
from historically non-dominant groups. These successes often draw on
local issues and the prior interests of participants--for instance, by
integrating science learning and service to the community. Similarly,
case studies of community science programs targeting participation of
youth from historically non-dominant groups--such as children in Native
American or recent immigrant communities--document participants'
sustained, sophisticated engagement with science and sustained
influence on school science course selection and career choices. In
these programs, children and youth play an active role in shaping the
subject and process of inquiry, which may include local health or
environmental issues about which they subsequently educate the
community. Equally interesting in these contexts is the cross-
generational learning--the ways in which informal learning
opportunities help connect children, parents, grandparents, and other
community elders.
Many designers in informal science learning are making efforts to
address inequity and wish to partner with members of diverse
communities. Effective strategies for organizing partnerships include
identifying shared goals; designing experiences around issues of local
relevance; taking the everyday patterns of participation of learners
into account; and designing experiences that satisfy the values and
norms and reflect the practices of all partners. These efforts merit
replication and further study, including analysis of how science-rich
institutions can collaborate with and serve community-based
organizations and how these programs support and sustain participants'
engagement.
To understand whether, how, or when learning occurs, good outcome
measures are necessary, yet efforts to define outcomes for science
learning in informal settings have often been controversial. At times,
researchers and practitioners have adopted the same tools and measures
of achievement used in school settings. In some instances, public and
private funding for informal education has even required such academic
achievement measures. Yet traditional academic achievement outcomes are
limited. Although they may facilitate coordination between informal
environments and schools, they fail to reflect the defining
characteristics of informal environments in three ways. Many academic
achievement outcomes (1) do not encompass the range of capabilities
that informal settings can promote; (2) violate critical assumptions
about these settings, such as their focus on leisure-based or voluntary
experiences and non-standardized curriculum; and (3) are not designed
for the breadth of participants, many of whom are not K-12 students.
The challenge of developing clear and reasonable goals for learning
science in informal environments is compounded by the real or perceived
encroachment of a school agenda on such settings. This has led some to
eschew formalized outcomes altogether and to embrace learner-defined
outcomes instead. The committee's view is that it is unproductive to
blindly adopt either purely academic goals or purely subjective
learning goals. Instead, the committee prefers a third course that
combines a variety of specialized science learning goals used in
research and practice--for example, the six strands of science learning
developed in the report.
In closing, the following are some high-priority policy
considerations related to research on the role of informal learning
environments in STEM education:
There should be sustained support for high-quality
informal programs and experiences that focus on STEM, whether
they occur in museums, aquaria, zoos, science and technology
centers, botanical gardens, in out-of-school program settings
or other informal efforts. Significant and unique science
learning occur in these venues--in ways that can be leveraged
to support school-based academic outcomes and in ways that
represent important experiences with STEM disciplinary fields
as an end in and of themselves. The report offers guidance for
how these activities should be evaluated and studied so that we
can gain a better understanding of how and when they succeed.
Although it is important to understand the impact of
informal environments, a more important question may be how
science learning occurs across the range of formal and informal
environments. The science learning literatures and fields are
segmented (e.g., into school learning, informal education) in
ways that are at odds with how people routinely traverse
settings and can engage in learning activities across settings.
Thus, research should attempt to explore learners' longer-term,
cross-cutting (or ``life-wide'') learning experiences. Further
work should increase understanding of the connections or
barriers in learning between more formal and more informal
science learning environments. These inquiries can provide
critical information for developing better programs and
experiences for learners.
Media, in particular television and Internet
resources, are the most sought-out tool for learning about
science. Through various forms of digital media--blogs, virtual
spaces, wikis, serious games, RSS feeds, etc.--access to
scientific ideas and information and knowledgeable others has
become, if not pervasive, at least widespread. Arguments about
the transformative power of media for informal science learning
are based on very modest evidence and warrant further
investigation. Research on the impact of media is needed to
understand how the unique features of media can support
different aspects of science learning (e.g., the six strands).
The committee concluded that informal learning
environments may be particularly important for science learning
for diverse groups. Research exists on how specific groups can
come to participate in specific venues, but questions remain
about how to best empower science learning for diverse groups
through informal learning environments. There is variability in
the success of these environments in attracting and engaging
diverse audiences. We believe that a better understanding of
the naturally occurring science learning in historically non-
dominant and dominant cultures is needed to inform basic theory
about learning and to inform the design of learning experiences
that meaningfully attend to the cultural practices of diverse
communities.
Thank you for the opportunity to present to the Subcommittee on
this important set of topics. I look forward to your questions and
comments.
Biography for Philip Bell
Philip Bell pursues a cognitive and cultural program of research
across diverse environments focused on how people learn in ways that
are personally consequential to them. He is an associate professor of
the Learning Sciences at the University of Washington and the Geda and
Phil Condit Professor of Science and Mathematics Education, and he
directs the ethnographic and design-based research of the Everyday
Science and Technology Group (http://everydaycognition.org). He also
directs the University of Washington Institute for Science and
Mathematics Education focused on coordinating P-20 education efforts
across the University. Bell has studied everyday expertise and
cognition in science and health, the design and use of novel learning
technologies in science classrooms, children's argumentation,
culturally responsive science instruction, the use of emerging digital
technologies within youth culture, and new approaches to inquiry
instruction in science. He is a Co-Lead of the Learning in Informal and
Formal Environments (LIFE) Center (http://life-slc.org/) and is a Co-PI
of COSEE-Ocean Learning Communities (http://cosee-olc.org/). Bell
serves as a member of the Board on Science Education with the National
Academy of Sciences and co-chairs the National Research Council
Consensus Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments. He
has a background in human cognition and development, science education,
computer science, and electrical engineering.
Chair Lipinski. Thank you, Dr. Bell, and Ms. Ingram.
STATEMENT OF MS. ANDREA J. INGRAM, VICE PRESIDENT, EDUCATION
AND GUEST SERVICES, MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY, CHICAGO
Ms. Ingram. Thank you, Chairman, and Members of the
Subcommittee, and thank you for inviting us here today to speak
with you. I would also like to thank NSF and Dr. Bell and his
co-authors for investing their time and thoughtfulness in
producing this report that is so important. It informs our
efforts.
As you know, which is why we are here, science and
technology are critically important to human well-being,
economic growth and a sustainable environment. America's social
and economic future depends on new generations of scientists
who can help sustain our legacy of innovation and science
leadership.
Our schools cannot do this alone. Wonderful, inspirational
and important resources exist outside of the classroom in our
national laboratories and our universities and our museums, in
our zoos, and in our libraries.
If we share the objective of supporting science achievement
to create our next generation of innovators, then we must
ensure that these resources are well-aligned to support the
engagement and excellence of our youth in science. When we
adopt this shared objective, the lines distinguishing between
formal and informal education become blurred and lose
relevance. What we have are a variety of learning strategies
and a variety of tools all targeted to ensure broad access,
opportunity and success in the sciences.
At the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, we have
embraced this shared objective and have designed our historic
transformation to reflect this new direction. We are unified in
our commitment as an institution to become an esteemed
educational institution that will play a critical role in the
advancement of science education. And with that recognition, we
have adopted the vision to inspire and motivate children to
achieve their full potential in the fields of science,
technology, medicine, and engineering. And in doing so, we have
recognized that in order to overcome this quiet crisis in our
scientists and engineers in the United States, we must
diversify and broaden those who are engaged and inspired into
careers in the sciences.
So in adopting that vision and taking this new direction,
that means that we have changed our practices in the designs of
our exhibits and how we extend the reach of those exhibitions
through programming, and in our view, of our collaborative
leadership role. In our exhibitions, we have intentionally
adopted an integrated approach in which our education teams
participate in our exhibit design process to ensure that the
content embedded in the exhibitions is aligned with national,
international, and local learning standards and objectives so
that they can be broadly used as tools to enhance science
achievement in the classroom. We have reflected on and embedded
the Atlas of Science Literacy created by the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, Project 2061, and
in doing so, our tools will become world-class instruments to
advance science education.
Through our Center for the Advancement of Science
Education, which we have newly formed as part of this
transformation, we extend the content of our exhibitions to
where our guests and youth are. That means that within our
museum, we have now poised our staff to engage in fun,
inspirational ways with our guests around the content to give
them an opportunity for contextual learning, to have fun, to
provide the inspiration for which we are known, but to provide
them with minds-on, hands-on experiences. These opportunities
are now available for our 1.5 million visitors a year almost
and to the nearly 300,000 students that visit us on field
trips.
Our vision tells us to do more, though, with a series of
community initiatives. We work with 57 community organizations
throughout Chicago. We have developed the Institute for Quality
Science Teaching in which we support the capacity and
competency of our science teachers in our local school
districts, and we have accepted a collaborative leadership role
because none of this happens without partners. So in our
Institute for Quality Teaching, that means we work with our
universities to ensure the ability of our teachers to receive
credit hours and endorsements through Science Chicago, a
collaborative effort with 140 partners throughout the Chicago
area. We have built awareness of the scientific resources in
the region and built connections to them. With this work, we
have the capacity to share with others how to really propel
science education through informal settings.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Ingram follows:]
Prepared Statement of Andrea J. Ingram
Introduction
Science and technology are critically important to human well-
being, economic growth and a sustainable environment. In a technology-
driven world, America's social and economic future depends on new
generations of scientists who can help sustain our legacy of innovation
and science leadership. However, increasing evidence indicates that
education and engagement in science is on the decline. The statistics
are dismal at national, State and local levels. By eighth grade,
American students have fallen behind the leading ten nations in
science. By age 15, these youth are behind 27 other nations in math
skills. In Chicago, nearly two-thirds of fourth graders failed to
display even the most basic level of science knowledge and skills on
the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 2005.
Americans recognize the importance of this issue. ``The State of
Science in America'' \1\ national survey conducted by Harris
Interactive on behalf of the Museum of Science and industry found:
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\1\ Museum of Science and Industry. (2008). The State of Science in
America. Conducted by Harris Interactive. www.stateofscience.org
70 percent believe America has lost its edge in
science, and only 35 percent think the U.S. will be the world
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leader in science in the next 20 years.
87 percent agree that science is important and that
they personally benefit from it every day.
79 percent believe science is not receiving the level
of attention it deserves in our nation's schools.
87 percent agree that, as a nation, we must begin to
devote more funding toward science education.
At a time when schools face shrinking resources and growing
demands, reversing this trend depends on leadership from civic
institutions that partner with families, communities and schools.
Informal learning institutions such as the Museum of Science and
Industry are ideally positioned for this leadership role. Our strategic
vision, robust education programming, and inspirational exhibits linked
to classroom curriculum make our Museum and others like us natural
partners in improving science education. Museums are visited by
millions of schoolchildren every year; at the Museum of Science and
Industry, over 260,000 students came on field trips in 2008, and tens
of thousands more visit with their parents.
Several years ago, the Museum of Science and Industry convened a
group of civic leaders, scientists, educators and national experts from
many disciplines to brainstorm new ways to teach and inspire children,
spark innovation and explore new scientific frontiers. We developed a
bold plan to help us realize our vision, which is to inspire and
motivate our children to reach their full potential in the fields of
science, technology, medicine and engineering. This plan includes three
strategies:
Place educational programming at the heart of the
Museum of Science and Industry experience by developing and
expanding the Museum's Center for the Advancement of Science
Education.
Provide spectacular, transformative exhibitions that
grab attention and lead to learning.
Enhance the experience of Museum guests by presenting
a unique, dynamic visit that engages people in interactive
science experiences that make learning fun.
As a result, the Museum is revolutionizing the way we reach out to
students, teachers, the community and school systems. Our Center for
the Advancement of Science Education works with our local school
systems--especially the Chicago Public Schools--and collaborates with
some of the best minds and institutions focused on science and
education, making the Museum of Science and Industry a laboratory for
the development of science learning and teacher professional
development programs.
The Center's programming aims to shape the attitudes about and
participation in science by minority youth during their middle- and
high-school years. The short-term goal is to increase awareness,
interest, and participation in science, and longer-term goals include
influencing youth to choose STEM careers, sustaining a supportive
climate at the community level for science engagement and
participation, and facilitating high-quality science teaching and
learning in schools. The Museum's approach is multifaceted and targets
students, teachers, community organizations, and families at a
community-wide level. We are also a proving ground, thoroughly
analyzing and evaluating our programs and implementing the best ideas.
Research indicates it's critical to align educational programs for
students and professional development opportunities for teachers to
classroom curriculum to ensure that programs directly impact
learning.\2\ An inquiry-based science curriculum helps bridge school
science and real-world experiences.\3\ Studies show that when this
approach is incorporated in science teaching, students (and
particularly historically under-served minority students) score higher
on science achievement tests, have improved science process skills, and
have more positive attitudes toward science than students taught using
only a traditional approach.\4\,\5\ The Museum of Science
and Industry makes sure the content of our workshops for students and
teachers meets state and national learning standards in science. Using
Illinois Learning Standards in science and the Atlas of Science
Literacy created by the American Association for the Advancement of
Science's Project 2061, we match program content to what students need
to learn as they move from kindergarten through 12th grade. Our efforts
have been recognized by AAAS Project 2061, which enlisted our help to
develop and host an upcoming workshop for science museum staff called
``Using Atlas of Science Literacy in Informal Science Learning
Settings.''
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\2\ ``Teaching Teachers: Professional Development to Improve
Student Achievement,'' Research Points, American Education Research
Association, Summer 2005, Vol. 3 Issue 1.
\3\ National Research Council. (1996). National Science Education
Standards. National Committee on Science Education Standards and
Assessment. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
\4\ Basu, S., and Calabrese-Barton, A. (2007). Developing a
sustained interest in science among urban minority youth. Journal of
Research in Science Teaching, 44(3), 466-489.
\5\ Gibson, H., and Chase, C. (2002). Longitudinal impact of an
inquiry-based science program on middle school students' attitudes
towards science. Science Education, 86(5), 693-705.
Educational Programming Inspires and Informs
The Museum of Science and Industry has placed education at the
center of what we do. We are no longer a museum with an ``education
department''; we are an educational institution. As cross-disciplinary
teams, we develop and implement a variety of strategies to engage and
inspire our audiences through our exhibitions and programming.
We currently have three new permanent exhibitions under design and
development. We have taken a materially different approach by
integrating education experts onto the design teams to ensure the
content is developmentally appropriate for our youth audiences,
includes content that corresponds to classroom learning standards, and
reflects evidence-based practices on learning. For example, Science
Storms, a new exhibition under construction, will use seven iconic
natural phenomena--avalanches, tornadoes, sunlight, tsunamis, atoms in
motion, lightning and fire--to teach principles of physics and
chemistry. One-of-a-kind science experiences--such as measuring wind
speed, humidity and temperature while standing inside a 40-foot tornado
or creating lightning indoors with a 23-foot Tesla coil--will make the
exhibition a living laboratory for students on field trips. The
experiences and exhibitions being created will not only make the Museum
a premier global destination, but will become imperative learning tools
for advancing science education.
The Museum recognizes that teachers, mentors, parents, other
caregivers, and peers all play critical roles in supporting a young
person's access to and enthusiasm for science learning. By taking a
comprehensive approach to science education, we aim to connect the
Museum and the community in a sustainable partnership where learning
takes place in many different locations. To this end, programs offered
by the Museum's Center for the Advancement of Science Education are
designed to extend the content of our exhibitions through strategies
that empower teachers, engage the community, and excite students.
Initiatives reach beyond the Museum walls into schools and community
organizations across the Chicago area. Programs are designed to provide
much-needed support to teachers, reach children in a variety of
settings, and make it easy to participate.
Teacher Professional Development Programs
Effective classroom teaching is critical to helping children
develop the essential thinking skills they need to weigh evidence,
solve problems, balance risks and rewards, and make sense of their
environment. In the Museum's new Institute for Quality Science Teaching
(IQST), middle-school science teachers dive into professional
development workshops where they explore science topics relevant to
their classroom science curriculum and return to the classroom with new
ideas, greater confidence and the resources they need to make science
engaging for their students. Our focus is on enabling teachers who are
in the classroom today and creating a pipeline of quality teachers with
the skills to inspire passion and excitement of about science. More
than 1,000 teachers attend IQST programs each year, ultimately
impacting science education for an estimated 30,000 students
annually.\6\
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\6\ In the 2007-2008 academic year a total of over 300 teachers
participated in IQST programs certified for one to three credit hours
with an additional 450 participating in more targeted half-day to full-
day workshops. Over 250 additional teachers participate in events
designed to inform and deepen the relationship amongst science
teachers.
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Our goal is to provide quality professional development while
working with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) towards placing a
content-qualified teacher in every middle grades science classroom. CPS
recently adopted a policy that will require that all middle-school
teachers who teach science must have a science endorsement. We work in
partnership with CPS to reach that goal and do it in a way that ensures
the endorsement is of a quality that will have an impact on classroom
achievement. For three years the IQST at the Museum's Center for the
Advancement of Science Education has tested and learned from
partnerships with institutions of higher learning to determine what
model works most effectively for the teachers and the achievement of
their students.
a) National Louis University: The College of Education at
National Louis University offers course credit ranging from one
to three credit hours for IQST programs. Participants in summer
institutes offered in partnership with Golden Apple Foundation
can earn one hour while teachers in one of our year-long
workshop series can earn three hours. Credits are widely
transferable. Teachers must register with National Louis and
pay tuition. Even when this was the only option offered in the
2007-2008 academic year, few teachers participated as the
tuition is viewed as prohibitive.
b) Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT): Through this
collaboration, three hours of graduate course credit is offered
at a reduced tuition rate of $100 per credit hour. Nearly one-
third of the teachers in our core teacher professional
development series in 2008-2009 elected to enroll with IIT.
Teacher participants selecting this option are responsible for
paying all tuition costs. IQST and IIT are working towards a
joint endorsement program. The program will enable teachers to
enroll in a combination of IQST programs and IIT courses that
would lead to a science endorsement with an option to add a
middle grades endorsement. The planning for this project will
continue through 2009, with the potential to launch the new
endorsement program during 2010. Upon evaluating the success of
the endorsement program, an option for a joint Master's may be
considered.
c) Loyola University: The Museum is a partner with the Center
for Math and Science Education at Loyola University Chicago in
a planning grant received from the Illinois Board of Higher
Education. Through this partnership, IQST will offer its
professional development programs and other approved courses as
part of new degree programs leading to a Master's in either
Chemistry Education or Earth and Space Science Education.
Loyola will be the first in the area to offer content-specific
science education degrees including content and grade level
endorsements. The Museum's component of the course work is
anticipated to begin in 2010.
d) Other partnerships: In addition, IQST is approved to grant
Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs) through the
Illinois State Board of Education and approved to offer CPS
Lane Placement Credits to teachers participating in its
programs.
Credentials themselves are not enough. With our partners we work to
ensure that our instruction will have an impact on student science
achievement.
The Museum's professional development workshops are designed to
increase teachers' knowledge of science content, improve their teaching
skills and demonstrate how to use museum programs and exhibits to
enhance science curriculum. We offer a year-long workshop series
targeting 4th through 8th grade educators with limited experience
teaching science. Currently we run two concurrent series:
Get Energized! explores concepts related to energy,
such as energy transformation and conversion, electricity,
sound, light, heat and more. Activities include a ball drop
from a three-story balcony to demonstrate potential and kinetic
energy, dissecting flashlights, creating circuit boards from
everyday materials and more.
City Science focuses on topics such as city ecology,
the science behind structures, developing cities of the future
and more. Activities include exploring the school yard
ecosystem, studying types of pollution, constructing buildings
and more.
The menu of topics is being expanded and soon will include five
distinct courses.
Success depends not just on the right content but evidence-based
delivery practices. We focus on building whole school engagement and
teacher communities. Principals must be on board and benefits are
conferred that can extend beyond the individual teachers who are
enrolled. Teachers are recruited in pairs to ensure shared resources
and continuity within schools, and most are from Chicago Public
Schools. The program targets schools most in need of resources--42 of
the 50 schools participating in the 2008-2009 school year largely serve
low-income children.
Teachers attend five day-long sessions a year, where Museum
educators present topic-focused, inquiry-based, hands-on science
activities. To improve accessibility, the Museum has identified and
removed barriers to participation. Workshops are offered at no cost,
content is aligned with Illinois Learning Standards in science,
teachers receive continuing education credit, and the Museum funds the
cost of a substitute teacher for sessions held on school days. Teachers
receive lesson plans, all the materials they need to replicate the
activities in their classrooms, and a class field trip that includes
funding for buses and an educational program for school groups. The
Museum's collaboration with IIT also offers teachers in the workshop
series three hours of graduate course credit at a reduced tuition rate.
Teachers credit the workshops with showing them how to make science
fun and exciting for their students. They say the comprehensive lesson
plans, materials and interactive training sessions provide exactly what
they need to help their students learn science. Here's just some of the
feedback we've received:
``I came into teaching not wanting to touch science with a 10-
foot pole, and not having the know-how to do so anyway. I
really credit your professional development programs with
completely changing that. The training, the materials, the
lesson plans, everything has been exactly what a teacher needs.
I for one have learned to love science (and know a lot more
about teaching inquiry and assessment) and have decided to make
science education my full focus. So again, thank you for
helping inspire and prepare me for this challenge. The museum
is a great resource to the kids in Chicago and I have not seen
any other institution do so much to make its offerings so
available and accessible to the community.''
--Eric Santos, Fulton Elementary School, Chicago
``This is my first year teaching and I'm doing so in areas
that are outside of my original certification. Although I now
see myself as a science teacher, I still lack many tools of the
trade, since I never took a science methods class or student
taught under a science mentor. Because I'm teaching 8th grade
physical science this year, the Get Energized workshops have
been exceedingly valuable in making up for those deficiencies.
The lessons are really approachable and easy to implement, and
the focus on inquiry fits my teaching philosophy . . .. The
supplemental resources have been great as well. I cannot get
over the lab materials we receive after each session. It's
amazing to be able to bring those bins back to school and know
that I can dig into my new lessons starting Monday. It
demonstrates how complete the program is, given that you give
us curricula, guide us during the workshops in how we may teach
many of the lessons, and give us everything we need to put them
to use in the classroom.''
--Melissa Resh, Young Women's Leadership Charter School,
Chicago
Community Initiatives
The Museum of Science and Industry is creating programs that expand
our role in a community. New partnerships with schools and community
organizations are extending science engagement beyond the classroom and
Museum walls into places where students already spend their time after
school. As a result, children and teens from diverse backgrounds get an
opportunity to discover new interests, develop new skills, prepare for
college, and learn about careers in science and engineering. The focus
of the Science Minors series of programs is on children and teens in
the community who are in need of new opportunities. The series includes
three levels of engagement which reach over 5,000 students each year.
The Museum partners with schools and community-based organizations
to offer pre-teen students early, hands-on exposure to science through
after-school Science Minors Clubs. The program aims to increase science
literacy and interest in science in under-served neighborhoods.
Currently, there are 57 sites throughout the Chicago region and
Northwest Indiana that serve about 4,700 students. Participating
organizations receive science curriculum modules, training and on-site
support, materials for hands-on activities, and a field trip and Family
Day at the Museum. The clubs emphasize informal learning that builds
curiosity and encourages teamwork. Out-of-school time science programs
are associated with more positive attitudes toward science and
increased interest in science careers.\7\
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\7\ National Research Council. (2009). Learning Science in Informal
Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. Committee on Learning
Science in Informal Environments. Philip Bell, Bruce Lewenstein, Andrew
W. Shouse, and Michael A. Feder, editors. Board on Science Education,
Center for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and
Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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In the second level, teens in the Science Minors youth development
program attend 10 weeks of science education and training by Museum
staff and outside scientists and volunteer to demonstrate science
experiments for Museum guests. Throughout their work, Science Minors
gain a better understanding of science, a first-hand look at science
career opportunities, and public speaking skills. Since the program's
debut in 2003, about 400 teens have participated.
In the third and most engaging level, Science Achievers deepen
their work with the Museum by pursuing more rigorous science topics and
preparing for college and careers. These teens participate in
internships, mentor new classes of Science Minors and even facilitate
Science Minors Clubs themselves. They have access to more advanced
science experiences and receive additional college and career
readiness. This program is based on research that indicates programs
that incorporate role models, internships, and college-preparation
activities have been shown to increase self-confidence and interest in
STEM courses and careers, as well as improving science knowledge and
skills and graduation rates.\8\,\9\,\10\
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\8\ Darke, K., Clewell, B., & Sevo, R. (2002). Meeting the
challenge: The impact of the National Science Foundation's Program for
Women and Girls. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and
Engineering, 8(3/4), 285-303.
\9\ Degenhart, S.H., Wingenbach, G.J., Dooley, K.E., Lindner, J.R.,
Mowen, D.L., & Johnson, L. (2007). Middle school students' attitudes
toward pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
NACTA Journal, 51(1), 52-60.
\10\ Building Engineering and Science Talent. (2004). What it
takes: Pre-K-12 design principles to broaden participation in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics. Available at
www.bestworkforce.org/publications.htm
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The Museum's community programs are designed as a pipeline that
feed each other. Students in science clubs can join Science Minors as
teens and go on to become Science Achievers, where they have the chance
to go back and facilitate a science club, creating a cycle that
connects to the community. Students credit these programs with showing
them the range of science careers that exist, teaching them to be
effective public speakers and demonstrating the benefits of teamwork.
After-school program providers credit the program with exposing younger
children to new ideas and opportunities. Here's some of the feedback
we've received:
``Science is a challenge for our students, but the moment they
get into it, because it's so fun and hands-on and interactive,
they look forward to it. After school, they expect to have fun,
but this program lets them learn, too. When they love what they
do here, that feeling transfers over to what they're doing in
school.''
--Jose Sanchez, Senior Program Director, Miracle Center,
Chicago
School Group Programs
Children are drawn to engaging, hands-on learning opportunities
that allow them to explore new ideas at their own pace. School groups
visiting the Museum of Science and Industry participate in inquiry-
based Learning Labs, which use the Museum's captivating spaces to
investigate the science behind everyday life.
Learning Labs provide facilitated, focused, engaging learning
experiences for school groups. Over 16,000 students each year in grades
3 through 12 participate in hands-on sessions led by Museum educators
that are aligned with Illinois Learning Standards in science. Learning
Labs have pre- and post-visit activities along with additional
resources to enhance what students learn once they return to their
classroom. Topics include renewable energy (where students build
hydrogen fuel cell cars to discover how some of the latest renewable
energy resources work) and advanced forensics (where students use
techniques such as DNA analysis, forensic anthropology and trace
evidence analysis to solve a crime).
The Museum's popular videoconference program connects an on-site
classroom of students with three other remote locations anywhere in the
world. This technology is a unique way to provide students on field
trips with access to real science professionals. Live . . . from the
Heart, the Museum's premiere videoconferencing program, offers students
in grades 8 through 12 a dramatic exploration of the human heart.
Students watch live open-heart surgery being done at a Chicago-area
hospital and talk to the surgical team, ask questions about the
procedure, get tips on keeping their heart healthy and find out about
exciting careers in medicine. Since the program debuted in 2003, more
than 17,000 students have participated. Demand for the program is high;
all sessions are booked before the school year begins, and more than 40
schools are on the waiting list.
Civic Leadership in Advancing Science Education
Building on its robust set of programs, the Museum of Science and
Industry is leading a collaborative effort to broadly impact science
education. Science Chicago is a collaboration of more than 140 public
and private institutions that have come together to present the world's
largest science celebration. Designed to awaken the inner scientist in
each and every one of us, thousands of dynamic and interactive
activities provide hands-on learning; spur thoughtful debate; enhance
classroom learning; and build enthusiasm for the pursuit of cutting-
edge science while establishing the critical value of science and math
education.
Our vision is to awaken Chicagoans to the wonders of our region's
scientific resources and the importance of science to our future. We
have worked to create a strategic framework connecting people,
organizations, and opportunities to Chicago's wealth of science and
technology resources. Our goal is to accomplish this vision by creating
an organizational and programmatic framework to achieve five
overarching goals:
Engage young people in the fun, excitement and awe of
science and inspire them to consider careers in science and
technology fields.
Raise awareness of the importance of science in
everyday life in the minds of students, their parents and
teachers--and thereby, the public at large.
Enlighten Chicagoans to the region's vast science and
technology assets.
Encourage partnership and collaboration between and
among the science and technology community and our target
audience.
Raise Chicago's profile as a national leader in
science and technology, and promote the message that our city
and region can and will continue to prosper because we are
committed to supporting science and technology.
With the network built by the Museum of Science and Industry and
the over 140 partner institutions that are part of Science Chicago, we
have propelled the richness of our region's scientific resources to the
forefront of public awareness and tapped the advantages of connecting
students and teachers to resources in the real and virtual world
through the web. We share an understanding of the critical importance
of content-prepared teachers in science classrooms and strategies to
improve the prevalence of such teachers in the Chicago Public Schools.
Our opportunity now is to leverage the strength of the Science
Chicago partnerships and resources to enhance the quality of science
instruction in the Chicago Public Schools while continuing to serve as
an important bridge between students, families and communities and the
rich scientific resources of the region. Fundamentally, our goal is to
provide broad opportunity to exceptional science achievement by
ensuring that CPS science curriculum is aligned with national and
international science achievement benchmarks and assessment, supporting
CPS curriculum with quality and well-aligned professional development
programs, and aligning and building access pathways to external
resources.
Assessing Museums' Impact and Role
The Museum of Science and Industry is committed to evaluating the
success of our educational programs. We have partnered with the Chapin
Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago to assess the
real impact our programs are having on student achievement, and Chapin
Hall has submitted a grant to the National Science Foundation to help
fund this effort.
Educational programs provide a platform for museums to provide
credible leadership in addressing the larger issues facing the
advancement of science education. With other museums, educators,
universities and civic leaders, the Museum of Science and industry is
committed to addressing this challenge in a meaningful, sustained
manner. This means that we have committed people and resources to the
policy evaluation and collaboration that will be required to move this
issue of advancing science education from talk to action.
Biography for Andrea J. Ingram
Andrea Ingram, appointed in 2006, serves as Vice President for
Education and Guest Services at the Museum of Science and Industry. Ms.
Ingram is responsible for providing strategic vision and organizational
management of division's four departments: Center for the Advancement
of Science Education, Science Chicago, Guest Experiences and Guest
Operations. All staff, contractors and volunteers responsible for
engaging with guests report to this division. In addition to all
revenue and retail based operations, the division's work includes
developing and delivering experiences grounded in museum content
through professional development of middle school science teachers;
community based initiatives serving 4000 youth throughout Chicago;
Learning Lab experiences targeting nearly 300,000 annual student
guests, and facilitated exhibit and venue based experiences for
Museum's nearly 1.5 million annual guests. The division's programming
also provides a platform for the Museum's leadership role in advancing
science education through public awareness and engagement initiatives
such as Science Chicago as well as partnerships with local school
districts to improve student access and opportunity to science
achievement and careers.
Prior to joining the Museum, Ms. Ingram received an appointment to
the executive management team of the Illinois Department of Children
and Family Services where she played a critical role in major strategic
decisions and was instrumental in the development and implementation of
system wide initiatives. Prior to her appointment at the State, Ingram
worked at Voices for Illinois Children as the Director of the Budget &
Tax Policy Initiative. Ingram joined Voices after a decade of
practicing law in a business law firm in San Francisco in which she
became a partner. She has litigated cases in state and federal court
involving contracts, real estate transactions, intellectual property,
financial fraud, employment law, and bankruptcy and has significant
trial experience.
Ingram holds a J.D. from the University of California, Davis and a
B.A. in Justice from The American University in Washington, D.C. She is
licensed to practice law in both Illinois and California.
Chair Lipinski. Thank you. Ready for Mr. Lippincott.
STATEMENT OF MR. ROBERT M. LIPPINCOTT, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT
FOR EDUCATION, THE PUBLIC BROADCASTING SERVICE (PBS)
Mr. Lippincott. Good morning, Chairman Lipinski, Ranking
Member Ehlers, and esteemed Members of the Subcommittee. My
name is Rob Lippincott, and I am Senior Vice President for
Education at PBS. As a former teacher, I greatly appreciate the
opportunity to address the most effective role of informal
environments in STEM education.
Public Broadcasting was founded to lead in informal
education on the air, online, on the ground, guided by
research, and actively supporting educators. On the air, Public
Broadcasting has been a leader in educational television for
more than 50 years. Available free of charge to 99 percent of
Americans' television households, PBS reaches more than 65
million people, 14 million of them kids, each week, inviting
them to experience the worlds of science, history, and public
affairs.
Informal science education begins with our award-winning
science television programs, some of which you may recognize:
NOVA, Nature, Design Squad, Curious George, and most recently,
Sid the Science Kid. We even have Neil deGrasse Tyson, named
the sexiest astrophysicist alive by People magazine, hosting
our NOVA scienceNow magazine.
However, TV is only a small part of the informal education
story. Broadband access is dramatically changing the
opportunities for the Nation's educators to improve STEM
education. I want to share two examples of how PBS is trying to
use the web to support informal education, PBS Kids GO!, what
we call a broadband channel, and a project we call EDCAR, the
Educational Digital Content Asset Repository.
PBS Kids GO! is an online media portal which includes full-
length TV episodes, clips and games. I believe that this is the
first glimpse of what television may look like for all ages
very soon.
[Video]
As you can see, kids are not just watching TV but playing
with the characters, learning through games, and exploring
ideas. This set of tools is a powerful first step in building
STEM-savvy citizens. We need to give students at every age and
their teachers increased resources to this kind of multi-modal
learning.
EDCAR is a database of video and digital resources created
by public media producers and our partners in museum,
university, and research communities. By collecting and
organizing the resources and then aligning them to learning
standards, we create the best STEM learning tools for use at
home, at school, and in every learning setting.
The first offering that we are creating is based on STEM
for the middle school. A teacher might use this kind of a
lesson structured with an introduction and objectives to select
a learning chunk of video, a small clip that has been cut to
introduce--in this case a lesson on the hydrosphere, a video
called ``Where is the water?'' or the teacher might select a
very different kind of video asset or digital asset, this one
based on two different images, one of the Muir glacier in
August of 1941, the other in August of 2004, which in fact
might lead students to want to look up this map of Arctic ice.
To truly make a difference in informal education efforts,
we have developed a 360-degree approach to children, literally
trying to surround them at home, school, and at play with
learning opportunities in media. We are working to duplicate
this success across STEM disciplines. Recent findings from
rigorous studies on SuperWhy! and Between the Lions show clear
and measurable gains in every area targeted. This shows that
PBS is able to use media to move the needle and improve
abilities of kids to learn. Again, we will be working to
duplicate this success that we have had with literacy across
STEM disciplines. Of course, if we really want to change
learning, both informal and formal in a lasting way, we need to
prepare our teachers and caregivers so they are equipped and
excited about sharing science. Through PBS TeacherLine, an
online professional development program, we are building a how-
to course for caregivers and early preschool and after-school
teachers.
[Video]
The reception of this course has been exceptional. For
example, North Dakota has approved this course for its
childcare providers, and this is working also in Arizona,
Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Tennessee and Texas. This kind
of anywhere, anytime, pajama-compatible professional
development is critical, and the consistent theme across all of
what we are doing is partnership, and I would be happy to
explain more.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Lippincott follows:]
Prepared Statement of Robert M. Lippincott
Good morning, Chairman Lipinski, Ranking Member Ehlers and esteemed
Members of the Subcommittee. My name is Rob Lippincott, and I am Senior
Vice President--Education for PBS--the Public Broadcasting Service. As
a former teacher, I greatly appreciate the opportunity to answer some
of what I consider to be one of the most important questions in
education today--what is the most effective role of informal
environments in STEM Education?
There has never been a more critical time for both formal and
informal science education and the continuing need to improve the
quality of math and science education we provide our young people.
Public broadcasting was founded to lead in the development of
educational media, particularly informal education.
I will use my time today to give you a few digital glimpses of some
of the important work PBS and the public media community is doing with
respect to:
The role of digital and electronic media in educating
students
``on the air'' with our traditional television
programming;
``online'' with some very exciting new media
programming.
The role informal education plays in broadening
participation and promoting diversity in STEM fields
``on the ground'' with a ``360 degree'' approach to
community engagement;
Impact of research to build, deliver and assess
programs;
The importance of teacher professional development
to raise teacher effectiveness.
The role of partnerships with formal and informal
education institutions.
The Role Digital and Electronic Media in STEM Education--On the Air
PBS' best known role in informal education is an open, universally
available broadcast invitation, designed to do exactly what the newest
of the 6 Strands of Science Learning recommends in the recent National
Academies of Science study--Learning Science in Informal Environments:
People, Places, and Pursuits: to ``experience excitement, interest, and
motivation to learn about phenomena in the natural and physical
world.''
We like to say that ``we educate with everything that we do'' and
as a system-wide survey shows, more than 97 percent of the 174 Public
Broadcasting Service licensees use technology to deliver education
services. For instance, Alabama Public television offers every teacher
in the state access to an array of media resources and professional
development in a web service called ``APTPlus.''
There are many more examples as public broadcasting has been a
leader in educational television for more than 50 years. With its 356
member stations and our partnerships with community organizations and
institutions of higher education in virtually every state in the
Nation, PBS offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas
and new worlds through television and online content. Available free of
charge to 99 percent of America's television households, PBS reaches
more than 65 million people each week--14 million of them children--and
invites them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and
public affairs.
Among the many award winning science television programs you may
recognize--NOVA, Nature, Design Squad, Curious George, and, most
recently, Sid the Science Kid--are leaders and models. We even have
Neil deGrasse Tyson, named the ``sexiest astrophysicist alive'' by
People magazine, hosting NOVA scienceNow.
The Role of Digital and Electronic Media in STEM Education--Online
Television and on-air programs, however, are a small part of the
entire informal education story. Online broadband access and digital
media is dramatically changing the opportunities and challenges the
Nation's educators have to improve STEM education.
PBS has two new online initiatives which I find compelling: the PBS
Kids GO! Broadband ``channel'' and a project we call EDCAR, the
Educational Digital Content Asset Repository.
The online sites which collectively comprise www.pbskids.org draw a
growing audience--now over nine million two- to eight-year-olds every
month. The latest experiment with the six- to eight-year-olds in this
audience is called PBS Kids GO!, which presents an online media portal
including full length TV episodes, clips and games. I believe that this
is the first glimpse of what ``television'' will look like for all ages
soon. Let me show you a short sample: (PBS Kids GO! Clip).
As you can see, kids are not just watching TV, but playing with the
characters, learning through games and exploring ideas--this set of
tools is a powerful first step in building STEM savvy citizens!
I believe that we need to give students at every age and their
teachers increased access to this kind of learning resource. EDCAR is
the project to build a comprehensive public media database of the video
and related digital resources that public media producers and our
partners in the museum, university, media and research communities are
creating across the Nation. By collecting, organizing and aligning
these resources to learning standards, we can create the best STEM
learning tools for use in school, at home and in every learning
setting. This project is underway with several dozen PBS stations and
their partners. Let me give a very brief example of some work we are
testing with teachers: (EDCAR clip).
Research has shown the promise of systems like this and PBS is
pursuing a first offering focused on STEM skills for middle school
learners. PBS and stations need a core of national standards--in the
words of the Council of Chief State School Offers--``fewer, higher,
clearer'' academic standards to focus upon. And we need the help of the
educational research community to reveal the most critical goals and
best practices for us to target.
EDCAR will provide a unified reservoir of online content and
services, accessible and relevant to all of America's. These materials
are produced by producers, member stations and partners across the
public media community. The individual media assets and the array of
related media which comprises their educational context, offers every
teacher and student a comprehensive curricular supplement in every
subject from pre-school, to elementary school and through secondary
school. The service is presented locally. It is designed to assist
educators achieve measurable improvements in student achievement and be
consistent and supportive of the standards set by State and local
educators.
With each member station working with the corresponding State
education agency, all of the content will be directed to the most
critical targets of each community's instructional core--with
particular focus on those students at risk in our urban and rural
areas. The State education agencies will provide the standards which
the media addresses and will lead the implementation of the media
services in its schools and classrooms. The learning goals identified
by the State education agencies will specify the digital media produced
by public media providers to fill out the repository, allowing teachers
in every part of the country to find and effectively use the content
that meets their students' learning needs.
Role of Informal Education in Broadening Participation and Promoting
Diversity--On the Ground
But in order to truly make a difference in informal educational
efforts, we also need to go well beyond the ``push'' technologies of
television and online program delivery. Our best example is PBS Kids
Raising Readers which targets early childhood literacy where our best
evidence of learning gains come from what we have called a ``360
degree'' approach to children--literally surrounding them at home,
school and at play with learning opportunities and media. We hope to
duplicate this success across STEM disciplines.
PBS KIDS Raising Readers literacy initiative, generously supported
by the U.S. Department of Education in a partnership with the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting targeted specifically at under-
served populations and minority groups. Appendix A reveals a full
discussion of how PBS stations partner with schools, colleges and
community organizations nationwide (Public Television Stations: A
Trusted Source for Educating America, Jan. 2008).
The long-term goal is to achieve measurable results in improving
literacy skills of children in low-income families. We are working in
20 low socioeconomic strata markets in order to build successful models
that can be replicated across the country. PBS is also eager to spread
this success to STEM--to use these proven best practices in programming
and engagement to broaden participation and promote diversity in every
STEM discipline and field of activity.
The Role of Research
Educational media providers have learned to base all of their
programming on learning research, rigorously testing every part of
broadcast and online offerings. They must also now work with states to
align media with recognized curricula and State standards to ensure
that these materials are suited for use in formal as well as informal
settings.
PBS measures the impact of its children's series to ensure that
they are accomplishing their goals. Very recent findings from key
studies on two children's series designed to teach early literacy
skills--SuperWhy! and Between the Lions--show clear, measurable gains
in every area targeted. The test results show that PBS is able to move
the needle and improve the abilities of kids to learn. Again, we will
be working to duplicate this success with literacy in targeted STEM
disciplines.
The Role of Teacher Professional Development
But if we want to change learning--both formal and informal--in a
lasting way, we need to prepare our teachers and care givers so that
they are equipped and excited about sharing science. We need to invite
them to become guides and coaches for learners and teachers of every
STEM field.
We have some history in teacher professional development, but our
most recent work is what I find the most promising. Most recently, we
are building ``how to'' courses for pre-school and after-school
teachers--caregivers, parents and early educators--to help them make
every environment a learning environment. Let me show you just a moment
of what teachers see: (PBS TeacherLine ``setting up your room'' clip).
PBS TeacherLine, an online professional development program funded
through a U.S. Department of Education Ready to Teach grant, has the
goal of making professional development accessible, affordable and
engaging for teachers and care givers. I believe that this kind of
``anytime/anywhere'' professional development--we have called it
``pajama-compatible'' can help inspire and guide formal and informal
STEM learning at every age and in every discipline.
We offer more than 135 courses--35 in Science disciplines and 35 in
Math. We work with 23 colleges and universities in all 50 states,
through 66 PBS stations. (See Appendix B for a selected list of PBS
TeacherLine partner universities and community organizations). More
than 42,000 educators have taken a course since 2004. Graduate credit-
bearing courses help teachers remain certified. A growing set of tools
support teacher leaders in their professional learning communities.
Recently published research (in the Journal of Computing in Teacher
Education, Fall 2008) attests to the effectiveness of this medium to
build teachers' ``competence and confidence in instructional technology
integration.''
The Role of Partnerships
A consistent theme I hope you have heard is ``partnership.'' PBS
and its member stations are only part of any collective effort to build
a scientifically literate community. The federal partnership is crucial
in this process. PBS has received generous support from the Department
of Education for our Ready to Learn and Ready to Teach initiatives.
Last year the Ready to Compete Act which reauthorizes both of these
programs, was introduced by Congressman John Yarmuth from Kentucky. We
hope it will be introduced again in this new Congress and receive the
strong support we believe it deserves.
The kind of research, truly a scientific discipline and a
burdensome cost to producers, is critical to establishing the
techniques and practices public media producers need to serve
educational goals. We continue to need academic and research partners
in universities and key government agencies, including the National
Science Foundation, the National Institutes for Health, NASA, and NOAA.
We have good working relationships with each of these agencies and
strongly support their programs.
Conclusion
I hope I have helped to make a case today for the importance of the
role informal environments play as well as the urgency of the effort to
target science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning. I see
this as one of the most vital roles the public media community has to
play: on the air, online, on the ground, guided by research, and
actively supporting educators.
There is very promising evidence that media is a powerful way to
facilitate learning in and out of the classroom. We need to apply the
lessons we have learning producing appealing television programs,
effective educational media resources and ``360 degree'' community
engagement for topics like literacy to the urgent problems of STEM
education.
I want to close by once again expressing my appreciation to the
Subcommittee for the opportunity to appear today to discuss the role of
informal science education. The Academies' new report suggests that
there is strong evidence that we are on the right track. But I think we
would all agree that we still have a long way to go to ensure all of
our students have the scientific and technical literacy and know-how
needed to compete in today's highly competitive marketplace. PBS and
its members are committed to playing an appropriate role using our
resources and access via the audiences we serve.
Thank you.
Appendix A
APPENDIX B
PBS TEACHERLINE STATION PARTNERSHIPS
Arizona--ASSET-Eight/KAET, Tempe
Arizona Teachers Excellence Program
School Readiness Council, Maricopa County
CCS Presentation Systems (statewide mobile training labs)
Qwest Foundation in Education
Arkansas Educational Television Network, Conway
Arkansas Department of Education
College Credit Partners:
University of Central Arkansas
Colorado--Rocky Mountain PBS, Denver
Colorado Department of Education, Office of Standards and
Achievement Support
Colorado Department of Education, English Language Acquisition
Unit
Centennial BOCES, Learning Services
Northwest Consortium for Professional Development
Colorado Association of Science Teachers
Pueblo City Schools
Denver Public Schools, ProComp Office
Public Television Stations:
KTSC, Pueblo/Colorado Springs
KRMJ, Grand Junction
College Credit Partners:
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
District of Columbia--WHUT
Howard University, School of Education
WHUR-FM
Florida--WLRN, Miami
Miami-Dade School District
Academica, Inc.
Public Television Station Partners:
WXEL, West Palm Beach, FL
WMTJ, San Juan, Puerto Rico
College Credit Partners:
Nova Southeastern University
Illinois--WSIU, Carbondale
Southern Illinois University, College of Education
Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations/WFYI, Indianapolis
Indianapolis Public Schools
Indiana College Network
Indiana Department of Education
Indiana Humanities Council's Smart Desktop
ISTEM
Indiana Computer Educators
Public Television & Radio Station Partners:
WTIU-TV and WFIU radio, Bloomington
WNIN-TV and WNIN radio, Evansville
WFWA-TV, Fort Wayne
WFYI radio, Indianapolis
WYIN-TV, Merrillville
WIPB-TV, Muncie
WNIT-TV, South Bend/Elkhart
WVUT-TV, Vincennes
WBAA radio, West Lafayette
College Credit Partners:
Marian College
Iowa Public Television, Johnston
College Credit Partners:
Drake University
Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Baton Rouge
Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana
Louisiana Federation of Teachers
Maryland Public Television, Owings Mills
Anne Arundel County Public Schools
St. Mary's County Public Schools
Washington County Public Schools
Baltimore City County Public Schools
Archdiocese of Baltimore Private Schools
Worcester County Department of Professional Development
Allegany County Public School
Massachusetts--WGBY, Springfield
Hampshire Regional School District
Easthampton Public Schools
Massachusetts Department of Education, Office of Instructional
Technology
Public Television Station Partners:
Vermont Public Television
Connecticut Public Television
College Credit Partners:
Merrimack College
Westfield State College
Michigan--WKAR, East Lansing
Michigan Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood
Education and Family Services
Michigan 4-C Association
Ingham County Health Department, Office for Young Children
Ingham Intermediate School District
Capitol Area Community Services Head Start
Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Jackson
Canton Public School District
Leake County School District
South Delta School District
Yazoo County School District
College Credit Partners:
Mississippi College
Nevada--Vegas PBS
Clark County School District, Licensed Personnel Department
Nevada--KNPB, Reno
Washoe County School District
Elko County School District
Western Nevada Regional Training Program
Northwest Regional Professional Development Program
Northern Nevada Mathematics Council
College Credit Partners:
University of Nevada-Reno, College of Education
New Hampshire Public Television, Durham
New Hampshire Department of Education
New Hampshire Local Education Support Center Network
New Hampshire Regional Professional Development Centers
College Credit Partners:
Plymouth State University
New Jersey Network, Trenton
New Jersey Department of Education
New Mexico--KNME, Albuquerque
New Mexico Public Education Department Rural Education Bureau
New Mexico Division of Higher Education
College Credit Partners:
University of New Mexico
North Dakota--Prairie Public Broadcasting, Fargo
North Central Council for School Television
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, State Title I
Office
Lakes and Prairies Child Care Resource and Referral
Children and Family Services Division of the North Dakota
Department of Human Services
College Credit Partners:
North Dakota State University
Minnesota State University, Moorhead
New York--WNED, Buffalo
Science Teachers Association of New York (STANYS)
Reading/Language Arts Association
New York State Mathematics Association
ECLIPSE Science Coordinators
BOCES Model School Coordinators
New York State Teacher Centers
New York State Department of Education
Public Television Station Partners:
WMHT, Albany/Schenectady
WSKG, Binghamton
WLIW, Long Island
WNET, New York
WCFE, Plattsburgh
WXXI, Rochester
WCNY, Syracuse
WPBS, Watertown
Ohio--WVIZ, Cleveland
Tri-County Educational Service Center
Logan County Educational Service Center
Cuyahoga County Educational Service Center
Cuyahoga Special Education Service Center
Greater Cleveland Educational Development Center
Public Television Station Partners:
Think TV, Dayton
WOUB and ETSEO, Athens
WCET, Cincinnati
WGBU, Bowling Green
WOSU/WPBO, Columbus/Portsmouth
WGTE, Toledo
College Credit Partners:
Ashland University
Cleveland State University
The University of Akron
Pennsylvania--WQLN, Erie
Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit
Northwest Regional Key (supports PA Early Learning Keys to
Quality)
Pennsylvania--WITF, Harrisburg
Capital Area Intermediate Unit
South Carolina ETV, Columbia
South Carolina Department of Education
Public Television Station Partners:
Georgia Public Broadcasting, Atlanta
UNC-TV, Research Triangle Park, NC
Tennessee--Nashville Public Television
Tennessee Department of Education, Office of Early Learning
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Public Television Station Partner:
WLJT, West Tennessee State University
College Credit Partner:
Tennessee State University
Texas--KLRU, Austin & KLRN, San Antonio
Texas Computer Education Association
Texas Education Agency, Division of Advanced Academics/Gifted
and Talented
Public Television Station Partners:
KACV, Amarillo
KEDT, Corpus Christi
KERA, Dallas
KMBH, Harlingen
KUHT, Houston
KNOT, Killeen
KTXT, Lubbock
KOCV, Odessa
KWBU, Waco
Virginia--WHRO, Norfolk
Virginia Society for Technology in Education
Virginia Department of Education
Public Television Station Partners:
MHz Networks, Falls Church
WVPT, Harrisonburg
WCVE, Richmond
WBRA, Roanoke
College Credit Providers:
James Madison University
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, Madison
College Credit Partners:
Viterbo University
Biography for Robert M. Lippincott
As PBS Senior Vice President for Education, Mr. Lippincott is
responsible for the development and delivery of public media
educational programming and services to teachers, students and their
parents from PBS through local public television stations. He directs
the PBS Teachers websites and a system-wide digital media repository.
And he oversees national projects and partnerships including federal
grants for PBS TeacherLine, offering online teacher professional
development, and PBS Kids Raising Readers, offering programs on-air,
online and in the classroom to help early learners read.
Before Joining PBS, Rob has served in a wide variety of leadership
positions in schools and businesses building and applying media and
communications technology to education. He has been a classroom
teacher, a member of the faculty of Harvard University, Graduate School
of Education and a pioneer in multi-media and Internet design for K-12
audiences.
Most recently, Mr. Lippincott served as Senior Vice President of
product development for Discovery Education, the newest division of
Discovery Communications, Inc., responsible for the digital video
streaming, online and hard copy products developed for the home and
school markets. He was President and CEO of the early-childhood
assessment company, Children's Progress, Inc. He also served as Senior
Vice President and General Manager for the Pearson Education Company,
Family Education Network. And he was Director of interactive
technologies at WGBH Educational Foundation. Boston's public
broadcasting station.
Rob holds a Bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College in Literature
and a Master's degree in Educational Technology from Harvard
University.
Chair Lipinski. Mr. Lippincott, I assure you, it is not
just children who enjoy the multi-modal learning there. Dr.
Grajal.
STATEMENT OF DR. ALEJANDRO GRAJAL, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR
CONSERVATION, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING, THE CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL
SOCIETY
Dr. Grajal. Mr. Chairman, Members of the Subcommittee, on
behalf of the Chicago Zoological Society, I thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today.
The mission of the Society is to inspire conservation
leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature. The
Chicago Zoological Society operates Brookfield Zoo, one of the
top zoological institutions in North America. In addition to
being recognized as one of the global leaders in conservation
biodiversity, we are a major cultural attraction with 2.1
million visitors a year and over 90,000-member households.
Just as the witnesses in this hearing, our institution is
deeply concerned about the failure of our nation's science
education system to stem the declining performance of American
students. Just in our case, for example, 20 percent of the high
school students in Illinois are below grade level in science.
There are multiple root causes for this underachievement in
science.
I will focus on four major fronts that we are tackling. One
of them is providing science exploration for families and
children as they come and visit our facility. The second one is
a possibility of very strong science education for teaching by
partnering with large school districts, in our case, with the
Chicago Public School System. The third one is developing
science careers for minorities and under-served communities,
and the fourth is the exploration of possibilities to measure
and provide metrics for informal learning.
I will briefly mention that zoos provide unique
opportunities for everybody to explore the natural world
outside the home and outside the classroom. Over two million
people visit our zoos a year. We are providing special inquiry
comparative level for environmental issues such as climate
change and species extinctions.
I also want to mention our education partnerships to build
teacher scientists. One of the main problems is the national
shortage of fully qualified science teachers. In our area, less
than four percent of science teachers actually hold
endorsements in science, and I don't think our area is any
different than nationwide. But surveys have shown that teachers
that have little scientific expertise actually transmit, in
direct or indirect means, that lack of confidence to the
students, making science seem difficult or unexciting. That
problem stems at the very early stages of the classroom life.
We train teachers, and in this case, we tackled a very
creative partnership with the Chicago Public School System
which is one of the largest and most complex school systems in
the country. We have developed extensive teacher training
program that starts with developing the basics of scientific
inquiry from one-credit hour courses to summer institutes, all
the way to science graduate school with several colleges in the
mid-west region. This is a major institutional initiative that
has included thousands of teachers in Illinois and nearby
states in the Great Lakes Region over the last three years, and
it is a source of personal institutional pride that these
teachers are actually inspiring under-served segments, in
particular, school-age Hispanic girls and African American boys
when they are finding that science can be a life call and a
career destination.
I also want to mention how we are developing a Career
Ladder for engagement of minorities and under-served
communities. Our society, as many other in the industry,
requires a highly trained technical workforce. We have
zoologists, engineers, researchers, statisticians, and
geneticists with a very strong background. We as an institution
have identified diversity as one of the institutional strategic
goals, and we decided we cannot take a passive approach in
this. We are developing a science-based, lifelong learning
starting with thousands of families of prominently African
American and Hispanic neighborhoods with a very dedicated
outreach program and developing opportunities for these inner
city families to develop nature and science. A camping trip in
the Indiana Dunes by inner city families is a lifetime
experience that opens new frontiers in developing and
understanding the natural world and inspiring new careers in
science.
Once these children move to high school, we are developing
a youth science conservation leadership program that develops
professional preparation schools that includes a dress code,
engaging the public speaking skills, team building, in addition
to carrying independent science projects. So they actually
carry these projects at the very early age in high school.
We are developing also metrics for measuring informal
science education. As a major provider of informal science
education, we have helped to create the emerging field of
conservation psychology, the scientific study between the
reciprocal relationship between humans and nature. Our research
questions are addressing how humans care about nature and how
do they engage, and psychological factors that affect the
engagement of humans in science.
Perhaps also one of the most pervasive obstacles are the
lack of common standards and benchmarks for measuring informal
science learning and education. Just as other panel members, we
really are really needing these psychological metrics for
developing personal comfort and confidence in applying this
education. We call actively for this partnership to develop
these benchmarks and indicators.
Mr. Chair, thank you again for the opportunity to appear
before this Committee, and I would be happy to answer some
questions. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Grajal follows:]
Prepared Statement of Alejandro Grajal
Executive Summary
The Chicago Zoological Society is a global conservation
organization committed to expanding the role of informal environments
in educating students and the public about Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics. Declines in participation in science
education by students and the public have multiple root causes. To stem
this decline, the Chicago Zoological Society is focusing on three major
fronts:
Providing fun and exciting opportunities for science
exploration by families and children;
Developing strong science training opportunities for
teachers through creative partnerships with formal education
systems, such as the Chicago Public School System; and
Developing a science career ladder for youth and
young professionals for traditional under-served communities
and minorities.
As a result of these efforts, the Chicago Zoological Society has:
Helped raise the competency and confidence of
Chicago-area teachers in the field of science education;
Worked to combat low minority representation in
highly-technical workplaces and the lack of scientific role
models for students in highly-urbanized, economically
distressed areas;
Engaged youth from early childhood through college to
position them for academic and professional growth in science,
mathematics, engineering and technology; and
Developed a new field of study; conservation
psychology.
The need is large and the stakes could not be higher: investing in
informal science education is crucial to maintain the world leadership
position of the United States in science education. Federal funding,
such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, correctly included
some funds to continue innovation for science education. Unfortunately
for the Chicago Zoological Society, the bill also included a provision
prohibiting zoos from accessing or even competing for economic stimulus
funding. As Congress continues its deliberations, please consider the
consequences that zoos across our nation will face if they are unable
to improve and modernize their aging infrastructures. At Brookfield
Zoo, we stand ready with a number of worthy, well-planned and much-
needed infrastructure projects that will create jobs, help local small
business owners and contribute to the economic recovery of our nation.
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of the
Chicago Zoological Society, I thank you for the opportunity to appear
before you today. My name is Alejandro Grajal, and I am Senior Vice
President for Conservation, Education and Training at the Chicago
Zoological Society, based in Brookfield, Illinois.
The mission of the Chicago Zoological Society is to inspire
conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature.
We define ``conservation leaders'' as any person who acts on behalf of
the environment and influences others to do so. Our goal is to create
conservation leaders among our guests, our community members, and
people around the world.
The Chicago Zoological Society operates Brookfield Zoo, one of the
top zoological institutions in North America. In addition to being
recognized as a global leader in the practice of animal care and well-
being, Brookfield Zoo is our state's most popular outdoor cultural
attraction, with 2.1 million annual visitors and 90,000 member
households.
Brookfield Zoo is also an economic engine that pumps more than $150
million a year into the Illinois economy while supporting 2,000 jobs.
While we are certainly proud of our roles as a global conservation
leader, economic engine and top tourism attraction, we are particularly
pleased with the impact that our award-winning conservation programs
have had in the lives of children throughout Chicagoland.
As a leading provider of informal science learning for families,
school districts, and universities in the region, the Chicago
Zoological Society is working with teachers, students, parents and
school administrators to usher in a new era of informal education.
Just as the other witnesses at this hearing, my institution is
deeply concerned about the failure of our nation's science education
system to stem the declining performance of American students. Middle
school and high school students are consistently out-performed by their
peers in other developing nations.\1\ The long-term impact on
individual and national success in the 21st century is imminent: a mere
15 percent of United States undergraduates are majoring in science or
engineering compared to 47 percent in France, 50 percent in China, and
67 percent in Singapore.\2\
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\1\ Toward a Systematic Evidence-Base for Science in Out-of-School
Time: The Role of Assessment, Hussar, Karen, Ed.D, Schwartz, Sarah,
M.Ed., Boiselle, Ellen, Ph.D., Noam, Gil G. Ed. D., Ph.D.
\2\ Augustine, N.R. (Chair). (2005). Rising above the Gathering
Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future.
National Academy of Science, National Academy of Engineering, Institute
of Medicine. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Science literacy is also a significant challenge in Chicago and
Illinois. Although the percent of students participating in public
schools in Illinois has shown gains in performance in science based on
standardized test scores in recent years,\3\ slightly more than 20
percent of public-school students statewide are below grade level in
science as measured in 4th and 7th grades. Furthermore, the percent of
students not reaching grade level far exceeds this percent at many
individual Chicago Public Schools in Illinois.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Illinois State Achievement Test results 2007.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
While student's underachievement in science has multiple root
causes, we at the Chicago Zoological Society are focusing on three
major fronts:
SCIENCE EXPLORATION FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN: Zoo
visits provide an inquiry-driven experience every day, through
a fun and personal exploration of science by families and
children
TEACHERS' SCIENCE CAPACITY AND CONFIDENCE: Developing
creative partnerships with formal education systems, such as
the Chicago Public School System, allows us to focus in
providing science training opportunities for teachers
CAREER BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDER-SERVED
COMMUNITIES AND MINORITIES: Developing a science-based career
ladder for youth and young professionals for traditional under-
served communities and minorities with the specific objective
of increasing the diversity of views about science and the
natural world.
Engaging Zoo Visitors in Scientific Discoveries
Zoos provide unique opportunities for everyone to explore the
natural world, develop inquiries about animals and habitats, and
experience science outside the home or the school. A day at the zoo is
a fun, family experience in a friendly environment. Recent
psychological research has demonstrated that a walk in natural open
settings significantly `resets' higher skills in math and reading
skills.
A family day at the zoo is a personal tour for
active science exploration of major
environmental issues such as climate change and
species extinctions.
Our immersive exhibits with live animals in naturalistic settings
incite exploration and self-paced learning. For example, we provide
more than 300 zoo chats a week by keepers, scientists and interpretive
staff. Applying the latest developments in active inquiry and
comparative science, we are transforming our zoo to become a personal
tour for active science exploration of major environmental issues such
as climate change and species extinctions. However, the science
experience does not end beyond our fence: we continue to communicate
science information to the general public and our members through our
magazine, website, electronic newsletters, and public events.
Innovative Education Partnerships to Build Teacher Scientific
Capacities
A second strong institutional direction is our active partnerships
with formal education systems. One of our partners is the Chicago
Public Schools. Initially a daunting challenge for our institution, our
relationship with the Chicago Public School System has developed into
an exemplary effort because it operates one of our country's largest
and most complex school systems. Chicago mirrors a national shortage of
fully-qualified science teachers: only one percent of Chicago Public
Schools K-12 teachers hold an endorsement in biology and only two
percent hold endorsements in environmental science. Overall, only four
percent of the system's science teachers hold endorsements in
science.\4\ This problem also includes secondary and post-secondary
education.\5\
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\4\ www.learn.niu.edu/ISBE2005
\5\ Raizen, S., & Michelsohn, A.M. (1994). The future of science in
elementary schools: Educating prospective teachers. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
Illinois teachers ranked ``knowledge and
application of scientific inquiry'' and better
application of ``how living things interact
with each other and the environment'' as their
highest priorities for professional development
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
in science.
Limited teacher skills in science go beyond actual content
knowledge: Illinois teachers ranked ``knowledge and application of
scientific inquiry'' and better understanding and application of ``how
living things interact with each other and with their environment'' as
their highest priorities for professional development in science.
Working with Chicago area school districts, we have developed an
extensive teacher-training program in which we provide sequential
levels of engagement in science for these teachers, from one credit-
hour courses, to summer learning institutes, all the way to graduate
school in Advanced Inquiry skills. Our program Levels of Engagement is
an inclusive learning process that emphasizes raising the competency
and confidence of teachers in science education.
One of the great advantages of informal learning institutions is
that we are not bound by rigid assessments of content milestones.
Therefore, we emphasize the measurement of inquiry skills, comparative
scientific method, critical thinking, and competence and confidence in
teaching science. This is major institutional initiative that has
included thousands of teachers in Illinois and nearby states during the
last three years.
The potential impacts in working with a large urban system like
Chicago can be significant. For example, although 78 percent of the
participants were certified by the Illinois Board of Education, less
than eight percent had an endorsement in science. Nearly half of our
participating teachers work at schools with 90 percent or more low-
income students. Furthermore, nearly half of the schools that we work
with were on the 2007-08 State Improvement Status list with at-risk
potential.
These young adults overcame their reluctance
toward science and asked ``What does it take to
work at Brookfield Zoo?'' They realized that a
science-based career can be part of their
future, an important attitude turning point for
this highly diverse group of students.
Beyond the numbers, it is a source of personal and institutional
pride to see traditionally under-served segments, such as high school-
age Hispanic girls or African American boys discovering how science can
be a life call and a career destination. Last Spring 25 students from
Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, one of our partner
Chicago Public Schools, spent a day at Brookfield Zoo shadowing staff
in 11 areas of the zoo, including the genetics, physiology and
nutrition labs, and animal hospital. Several of these young adults
overcame their reluctance toward science and actively engaged in
spirited questions, such as ``What does it take to work at Brookfield
Zoo?'' and ``How do I become one of your professional staff?'' They
realized that a science-based career can be part of their future, a
professional turning point for this highly diverse group of students.
Beyond our engagement with school districts, we also see a fertile
ground for partnerships with colleges and universities. Our university-
level partnerships include programs with Aurora University, Benedictine
University, National Lewis University, Loyola School of Medicine,
University of Illinois, Miami University in Ohio, Chicago State
University, and Morton College.
Chicago Zoological Society's Career Ladder Opportunities for Under-
served Communities and Minorities
A third and pervasive problem in science education is the low
minority representation in the workplace, and lack of scientific role
models for under-served students. The Chicago Zoological Society
requires a highly trained, technical workforce that includes
zoologists, engineers, researchers, statisticians, geneticists, and
other positions requiring strong science backgrounds. The lack of
science-trained professionals in the zoo industry is similar to that
experienced by research labs and science-driven corporations
nationwide. But several years ago we realized that we cannot take the
passive approach of waiting for these professionals to show up in the
marketplace. So we have started a systemic approach at nurturing a
diverse cadre of future science, technology and engineering
professionals, starting at an early age and providing career--building
opportunities at critical life junctions.
We believe that as a cultural institution we should be an active
participant and an agent for change in providing these opportunities.
Our proactive approach is the Career Ladder for Youth program, which
was awarded the prestigious Institute for Museum and Library Services
Medal in 2008. This program starts by developing after school programs
at Chicago Metropolitan Libraries. We engage thousands of families with
young children in predominantly African American and Hispanic
neighborhoods. Families and children experience nature, discover
science skills at the library and we support trips to the zoo, nearby
forest preserves, and the shores of Lake Michigan.
For most of these inner city families, a
camping trip to the Indiana Dunes National Park
is a once in a lifetime experience that opens
new frontiers in understanding the natural
world, and inspiring new careers in science.
Once these children move to high-school age, they are eligible to
participate in our Youth Volunteer program, one of the largest and most
competitive science-driven youth volunteers programs in the state. Our
selection process does not take into consideration school grades alone,
but also weights the value of cultural diverse backgrounds, abilities
in other languages, overcoming social and cultural obstacles,
enthusiasm for science and personal drive. The end result is an
economically and culturally diverse group of over 150 youth every year
that give the zoo over 100 hours of volunteering service.
Career Ladder for Youth participants learn crucial professional
preparation skills that are not taught frequently at school, including
dress code, engaging the public, speaking skills, team building and how
to carry an independent science project. Working with mentors at the
Chicago Zoological Society, youth volunteer science projects include
public perceptions, genetics, animal behaviors and a wide range of
ideas. We also coordinate a meeting with many other cultural
institutions in the greater Chicago region that have active youth
volunteer programs, and this is rapidly becoming the preeminent youth
scientific fair in the region.
Real-life internships and work-study
opportunities, as well as relations with
professional mentors and scientific role
models, are essential stepping stones in the
development of science career paths for
minorities.
Our Career Ladder effort does not stay just at high school. Once a
young person decides to pursue a university education in science, it is
necessary to provide internship opportunities, professional
developments and clear career paths beyond the university system. For
one, it is essential to provide paid internships to continue to attract
minorities that otherwise are shifted away to other careers with
perceived higher financial rewards. We have strengthened our alliances
with over six universities in the region, and particularly with
historically black colleges, such as Chicago State University, and with
colleges with strong Hispanic populations, such as Morton College.
This economic recession has increased the need for these
professional internships, as many young professionals want to remain
engaged in science carriers. Career Ladder internships not only provide
opportunities but also attract role models in the highly technical and
science positions that are needed in our institution.
MEASURING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INFORMAL SCIENCE EDUCATION
As a major provider of informal science education we are taking
deliberate steps in developing good metrics to evaluate informal
environments. The Chicago Zoological Society helped to create the
emerging field of Conservation Psychology, the scientific study of the
reciprocal relationships between humans and the rest of nature. Using
an exciting blend of social and natural sciences, conservation
psychology has a strong mission focus related to biodiversity
conservation and environmental sustainability. Our research questions
address how humans care about nature. We also study how humans behave
towards nature, with the goal of creating durable individual and
collective behavior change. Such approach has allowed us to develop
important metrics that go beyond the traditional measures of scientific
content knowledge. We are currently exploring further into the realm of
personal competence, confidence in science, and how professional skills
lead to behavior changes toward the environment.
Informal science education metrics should go
beyond the traditional measures of scientific
content knowledge and explore measurements of
comparative inquiry skills, problem-solving
abilities, and psychological metrics in
applying science skills to real-life decisions.
But as exciting as this research can be, we are also finding major
barriers to developing metrics for informal learning. Perhaps one
obstacle has been the over-reliance on technology as a metaphor for
scientific progress. We find that informal science instruction tends to
overemphasize the use of complex technical tools, assuming that
advanced apparatus give us better results. But such approaches tend to
overlook that one of the basic components of effective science is the
development of strong inquiring questions that translate into clear
hypothesis and comparative studies. We advocate for a balance in
measuring scientific skills within the realm of comparative inquiry and
problem-solving.
But perhaps one of the most pervasive obstacles is the lack of
common standards or benchmarks in measuring comparative inquiry skills,
problem solving abilities, or psychological metrics to measure level of
comfort and confidence in applying science skills to real-life
decisions. We actively call for partnerships with other institutions of
higher learning and informal science peer institutions to develop case
studies and common benchmarking indicators toward effective science
education.
CONCLUSIONS
Institutions such as the Chicago Zoological Society can play
an important role in STEM because they engage families and
children at an early age. Each day at Brookfield Zoo we help
break early barriers to science education: We make science
exploration and inquiry as a fun, self-learning experience that
can stay for life.
Institutions such as the Chicago Zoological Society can
engage the formal education system through partnerships and
provide crucial inquiry skills for math and science teachers.
The teachers who participate in our programs become science
leaders that are capable of providing innovative and high-
quality lessons to their students.
Institutions such as the Chicago Zoological Society can
actively promote and support science career paths for students
from under-served urban and rural communities by engaging them
early and providing them clear opportunities. We are currently
providing these students with career options and training
through high school, college and professional skills such as
internships and work study opportunities at crucial life
junctures.
The need is large and the stakes could not be higher: Investing in
informal science education is crucial to maintain the world leadership
position of the United States in science education. Federal funding
opportunities through legislation such as the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act correctly included some funds to continue innovation
for, among other things, science education. Unfortunately for the
Chicago Zoological Society, the bill also included a provision
prohibiting zoos from being eligible to even compete for funding. As
Congress continues its deliberations, it should not prohibit or
otherwise restrict any qualified provider from eligibility for federal
funds because the ultimate impact is that such restrictions prevent our
institutions from being part of the solution.
Mr. Chairman, thank you again for the opportunity to appear before
the Subcommittee and I am happy to answer any questions.
Biography for Alejandro Grajal
Dr. Alejandro Grajal is Senior Vice President for Conservation,
Education and Training at the Chicago Zoological Society. In this
position, he oversees a unit that combines the Society's major
conservation programs with education and interpretation initiatives and
develops the capacity of conservation leaders in Chicago and around the
world. He oversees field programs, conservation grants in more than 20
countries, including the development of develops training programs for
Latin-American conservation professionals. He also oversees all aspects
of the Brookfield Zoo education and interpretation programs, which
impact two millions visitors yearly and serve more than 250,000 school
children annually. The unit organizes education programs for families
and children, summer zoo camp, and access programs for people with
disabilities; create exhibit interpretation and messaging throughout
the zoo; manage community outreach ventures, and develop benchmarks as
part of our audience research program, including the innovative field
of Conservation Psychology. In addition, he guides several initiatives
to widen the Society's leadership in programs that build conservation
capacity, such as the Youth Conservation & Science Leadership program.
Prior to joining the Chicago Zoological Society in 2005, he was the
founder and Executive Director of the Latin America and Caribbean
program of the National Audubon Society. While there, he worked with
more than 50 partner organizations in 15 countries around the world.
Prior to that appointment, he was Director of the Latin American
Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York from 1991 to
1998. He was born in Madrid, Spain, and moved as a child to Venezuela.
He received his undergraduate degree in Ecology at Simon Bolfvar
University in Caracas and his Ph.D. in Zoology with a minor in Tropical
Conservation and Development at the University of Florida. He has
participated in protected area planning and conservation programs with
the United States Agency for International Development, the Global
Environmental Fund, the World Bank, and the European Union. His
publications include over 30 peer-reviewed books, chapters, popular
articles, and scientific publications. His scientific interests include
ornithology, biological conservation, environmental education, training
of conservation professionals, and the sustainable use of natural
resources. Dr. Grajal has explored public perceptions, social
psychology, and marketing techniques. He is an accomplished wildlife
artist with over 30 published illustrations in books, calendars,
stamps, posters and limited edition prints. His art has been exhibited
in galleries in Caracas, Miami, Chicago, and New York. He is married to
Dr. Helena Puche and has two children.
Discussion
Chair Lipinski. Thank you. I would like to thank all of you
for your testimony. I am going to open up for the first round
of questions, and it is the Chair's prerogative to go first,
but I am going to recognize Mr. Griffith for five minutes.
Mr. Griffith. Mr. Chair, thank you very much. We appreciate
each and every one of you coming. I would like to make just a
comment. I am a retired oncologist but a tadpole changed my
life, and the transformation, watching the tadpole become a
frog and have my little brother ask me how did it know to do
that, stimulated me into a career of being interested in
science.
One of the things that I think that we sometimes maybe
overlook and probably not overlook but in all fairness to what
we are trying to accomplish here, my great question for America
is that why aren't our children learning to read? Why aren't
they reading at grade level by the third grade? Because they
learn to read and then after the third grade, they read to
learn. And you may be seeing children that your teachers can
teach, but you are not seeing a great many who we have lost
along the wayside. So I commend you. I think that the great
question in America, because we only represent six percent of
the world's population, yet we are number one in space travel,
we are number one in military, we are number one in the
development of drugs, and entrepreneurialship, means that you
have your work cut out for you because the statistics that we
don't think that we are the leaders anymore in some of those
areas are wrong, but we are getting that feeling at times. But
I applaud you and thank you for being here and our Chair for
bringing this subject up. Thank you.
Chair Lipinski. Thank you, Doctor, and we look forward to
your contributions to this subcommittee. I will now recognize
Dr. Ehlers for five minutes.
Mr. Ehlers. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I really appreciate your
testimony. It is very interesting. I grew up in a farming
community, and it was amazing how much of the science that
students learn was learned on the farm. Obviously they learned
about pulleys and levers in the farm work, trying to get the
hay in the mound, et cetera. They learned a lot about the life
sciences and the reproductive cycle and genetics in their work
on the farm by watching the animals. And that is missing today.
I am just wondering what--first of all, Dr. Bell, in the
work that you did in the report, did you go back and look at
prior years and see what the difference was today between
informal education and what it was 30 years ago, 70 years ago,
et cetera?
Dr. Bell. Thank you for the question. We went back in the
literature as far as we could. One of the challenges with doing
the consensus studies, informal science education is such a
broad variety of different endeavors as we have been hearing
across the panel, and you can think of community programming
for youth and kind of layer on even more than we have been able
to talk about thus far. We had discussion about generational
shifts from kind of over the last 50 years, and one feature
that is really unique of informal learning environments is that
you get mixed generational groups together engaged in
discussions of science. And so in that sense, people that did
grow up on the farm but now reside in the city can engage in
conversations with their children and grandchildren, and
perhaps they are a docent at a museum and they can engage with
the public more broadly around related aspects of the expertise
they have been developing.
That said, we also were orienting to a number of efforts
that are organized across the country where farming and
subsistence agriculture is still, you know, a focus of
community life and activity. And so we are looking at
evaluation reports of 4-H programs and those sorts of
endeavors.
And so to some degree, we did try to capture that in the
report. What I would say is that we wanted to articulate, as we
looked across the literatures, this shared image of science
learning across six strands that we identify, and two of them
are particularly important to informal learning environments
around the prior interest that get cultivated. And I think we
have already started to hear a number of those stories. The
tadpole story is exactly of that kind. And then over time how
that learning gets sustained by a range of others in your life
and accessed experiences that sustain it and keep it deepening.
And then you come to identify with science and see that you can
learn from it and contribute to it, and those two particular
dimensions are very strong within the work, within the informal
world. So that is a bit of a response.
Mr. Ehlers. Thank you. Dr. Ferrini-Mundy, can you just give
some insight into how informal science education supported
research at the NSF differs from other education and human
services research or human resources research?
Dr. Ferrini-Mundy. Yes, certainly. Thank you very much for
the question. In many ways the research questions that have to
do with informal science learning overlap substantially with
research questions that have to do with learning in a general
sense. Your last question actually caused me to think about a
whole line of research in my own field, in mathematics
education, that looks at everyday uses of mathematics, everyday
mathematics. And sometimes in other countries, children who are
street vendors or candy-sellers, there have been really
interesting studies that have looked at how mathematics gets
used in a day-to-day way in similar studies in science. And so
that's an example of a line of research that bears upon
informal science education, but that doesn't necessarily come
up through the informal science education program. So we have
several programs within EHR and elsewhere in the Foundation
that fund basic research about learning, that fund programs to
look at motivation and engagement which are some of the
fundamental questions here, and then the relationships of
motivation and engagement to learning, to long-term impact and
so forth.
So it is fair to say that both the informal science
education program itself, which includes opportunities for
research on learning, but also the formal learning kinds of
programs like Research and Evaluation on Education in Science
and Engineering, the REESE program, also is a place where there
are a number of studies that bear upon these general cognitive
and affective issues that are of great interest for moving
forward in informal science education, along with the
development of instruments which is, as we have heard from
everyone, a crucial place, and that occurs across programs.
Mr. Ehlers. Yes, well, I admire the work you are doing and
I deeply appreciate it. That is true for all of you, but it
seems to me it is very hard to get a handle on these things.
Part of the problem is the rapid changes in society. You know,
what you are doing, Mr. Lippincott, is a good example of taking
a new technology and using it very well. At the same time, kids
miss out on some other things. I recall in my childhood I
really enjoyed working on the cars, and they were simple enough
that you could work on the car and fix it yourself. I did a
valve job on my car myself. Today, you don't even dare to touch
anything on a car. It will take $1,500 to repair the damage you
did. And similarly, the computers are marvelous things,
wonderful things for kids to use, but they can't take them
apart and see how they work. And so I think we face some real
challenges in trying to address those issues. I see my time is
expired.
Chair Lipinski. Yes, interesting ideas there, and I know
that especially, my background is mechanical engineering, so I
have a much better understanding and I guess more of a love of
mechanics. So I do understand Mr. Ehlers' concerns there about
what we can do now.
I am going to now recognize Mr. Carnahan for five minutes.
Mr. Carnahan. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and Ranking Member. I
come from St. Louis, Missouri, and we are blessed with the
wealth of science and engineering institutions there which we
are always looking for great opportunities to plug kids into
and get them excited at an early age because of the practical
benefit to those kids but also they are the next generation of
people who are going to be those scientists and engineers to
fill in those great public and private institutions that we
have around the St. Louis region. But my question is to the
panel, what are the key factors in really forging a successful
partnership between the informal organizations and formal
educational institutions, and is it hard to quantify those
measurements? Are there metrics out there that exist? Are there
barriers to measure that in terms of how we assess what works
well? And really, to any and all the panel.
Ms. Ingram. May I answer? Thank you for the question. Let
me address at least part of that which is that, and I think
this relates back to the prior discussion, which is how do we
overcome kind of the distance that technology might have
imposed between, you know, the inspiration and inquiry that was
generated in prior generations to propel the interest in
science, and that is the opportunity that we have from that
technology, however, is to better coordinate and align the
external resources that do exist and coordinated efforts like
we have undertaken in Chicago through Science Chicago and
hopefully some additional work to really partner, identify the
resources that exist, identify how those resources align with
the learning standards and the curriculum that our schools are
trying to instill in our youth, and to make those resources
transparent and accessible to the families, communities and
teachers who can access them for the benefit of our youth.
So to the extent that there is a lot of great programs out
there, we have this additional significant barrier of making
sure that people know what those programs are and how to access
those programs. That takes significant coordination and
partnership in and of itself. How you measure that, if you
coordinate that through a website, there are ways of doing
that. You can build in management tools to make sure that it is
being used, that the conversations are happening, that the
connections are being made. But you have to partner, you have
to work closely with your local school districts, you have to
make sure you understand what they are trying to accomplish in
the classroom and that resources are reflective. The one thing
that you can't do is assume that external resources are just
going to immediately adopt the strategic vision of your local
school district. It has to be a shared objective and shared
strategic visions, and we have to build our programs to support
that outcome of science achievement or we won't be able to have
that impact. Thank you.
Mr. Carnahan. Thank you.
Dr. Bell. Within the bounds of the report, we were looking
at a range of different kinds of articulations between schools
and science-rich institutions in the informal sector. The first
point to be made, there was a time and place where the idea
that informal learning was something different than formal
learning, that might have been a conversation. The Committee
didn't end up there. The Committee ended up actually saying
there is a shared set of goals related to science learning that
we can think about what the unique contributions are to be made
in schools versus other places where, you know, within the
informal education sectors. That is kind of more the
centerpiece. We looked at field trip studies because school
groups do make extensive use of museums and botanical gardens
and zoos and aquaria, and you know, the research points to the
important articulation between the goal of those, you know,
experiences outside of school in relation to what is being
learned in school, both before the visit and after the visit.
At the same time, it can be active involvement of the teacher
in planning those efforts. The teacher isn't backing away from
the activity once they show up at the museum.
What was interesting is there is a widespread thing that
museums and informal learning institutions also engage in.
teacher training, but there isn't an empirical peer-reviewed
research literature on how that plays out actually. So we
couldn't speak to the details of the quality of those
experiences, and it is an established gap in the literature.
Mr. Carnahan. Thank you.
Mr. Lippincott. I wanted just to address it if I might. I
think in terms of public television, for instance, I have
talked a little bit about how we kind of are perfectly aligned
with what might be called strand one of Dr. Bell's research
around gathering interest and motivating interest in science.
When we have tried to work much more deeply with teachers and
schools, because of course, the real gold standard is that if
kids are truly interested in it, we can show their achievement
so that for instance our TeacherLine courses required us to
partner because we have to be really relentlessly humble about
really what impact our television or media might have in the
actual classroom. So we partner. We have 23 institutions that
grant credit because of course that is their role, and it is
aligning with their interest that allows us to be effective and
also with hundreds of local organizations in every city in St.
Louis, in Chicago, and across the country who are the point of
service, meaning, really the 4-H Clubs and the Boys and Girls
Clubs as well as in the city schools. The degree to which we
can conform our goals for the program to the goals of learning
achievement that have been set by local standards, that is the
degree to which we are successful. Trying to get that entire
sort of life cycle of an idea understood and measured is the
really tricky part. What we have been trying to do is trying to
talk about how each piece of what we are creating has a set of
research around it and we can prove that it is well-crafted, it
is based on scientific research, and that it will work. We also
want to prove that the way we are using teacher professional
development, the process that we are using, will result in
increased confidence and competence of teachers using media.
And of course, the ultimate test I think of a partnership is
that it continues.
Mr. Carnahan. Thank you.
Dr. Grajal. Just if I may add, we receive almost 250,000
school children in our zoo. I mean, at the season it is a flood
of yellow buses in our facility. We have decided we really need
to focus on teacher training. It is an issue that we can get as
many children in our facility, but truly teachers are one of
the key roles.
And seconding Dr. Bell's testimony is the issue of
competency and confidence in teachers, that it really
percolates through the classroom. A teacher that is unsure
about his or her credentials in science or even exploring
science, it doesn't matter if she is accredited to it, it
transmits that insecurity to the classroom. So one of the
issues that we are measuring with our six partner degree
granting institutions, six colleges and universities that we
are working, is actually developing indicators for that
confidence and that competency in teachers. We believe that
that is one of the stem roles of our facility. And developing
that very basic inquiry, comparative inquiry skills in
teachers. There is grave emphasis now on technology and issues
about advanced science, but we have lost what Mr. Ehlers
presented is that inquiry that happens in the farm, that
comparative issues that happen when you are in the field, and
we believe that that is somewhat lost. We really want to
instill those very early stages of the comparative inquiry in
teachers. And that is the root of many of the training that may
happen for teachers. Thank you.
Mr. Carnahan. Thank you to the panel, and thank you, Mr.
Chair.
Chair Lipinski. Thank you. It certainly is a critical part
of this, is the putting together the informal in the formal
education.
I am now going to recognize myself for five minutes. Plenty
of questions here, but I want to start out, we were just
talking about--a lot of this was relationships, partnerships
with schools. I want to ask about partnerships with institutes
of higher education, partnerships with industry, partnerships
with National labs. Last Congress I introduced a bill, and I am
working again on doing that in this Congress, to authorize
funding for partnerships between science museums and energy
labs so that we can better utilize the resources, the
knowledge, what we are doing putting into energy labs to help
teach STEM education which also will help educate people, not
just educate in STEM education but also educate them about what
is going on and the investments we are making in our DOE labs.
I just wanted to throw that question out there. What other
partnerships do you have or that you know of between these
informal education institutions and some of these other
institutions? Doctor?
Dr. Ferrini-Mundy. Thank you for the question. In many of
our funded projects, there are partnerships with institutions
of higher education, particularly around these research issues
because the involvement of cognitive scientists, STEM
disciplinary education researchers, sometimes sociologists,
anthropologists and so forth, those become a part of this as
well as of course the scientific expertise that is crucial in
these kinds of co-funded efforts. So we have a number of
examples, and I can get back to you with some specific
examples.
We also have examples of some collaborations that are
coming through the National labs and other kinds of settings. I
was just looking at a project today about helping to improve
students' understanding of the scientific experiments at
Fermilab. And so we have examples in many cases where these
partnerships are crucial because this field is so broad in its
span that it requires lots of kinds of experts to move it
forward well.
Chair Lipinski. Dr. Bell.
Dr. Bell. I can give one personal example, so I am kind of
taking off the Committee hat in terms of the consensus report,
but we have funding from the National Science Foundation
through the COSEE program, the Centers for Ocean Sciences
Education Excellence, that has brought together, at the
University of Washington's Seattle area, scientists in ocean
sciences together with folks like myself that are learning
scientists together with informal education experts at the
aquarium to engage the broader citizenry in citizen science
activities related to issues that are kind of local but
scientifically rich questions about land-water interaction, and
kind of our individual behaviors that we make choices in daily
life and how that impacts the environment. Through a sustained,
multi-year effort, these different groups have been able to
productively collaborate, and how do you engage a broad network
of citizens in helping better understand this issue by
collecting data and samples from across a broader variety of
places that then come to the University of Washington to be
analyzed more directly. So there is a ripple effect there as
well where I have learned a lot more about science through that
endeavor. Our collaborators in ocean sciences have changed the
way that they do their teaching on the campus in relation to
knowing more about how people learn as well, and I think that
is kind of a concrete instance of what can be done in those
sorts of partnerships.
Ms. Ingram. In addition to the generalized type of
partnership and coordination that I mentioned earlier as being
imperative, let me share with you a couple of specific examples
where the museum and the youth that we serve have benefited
from coordinating with higher learning and our National
laboratories. One is in our Institute for Quality Science
Teaching. It is important to our school district that their
science teachers become credentialed, and it is important to us
and to our youth and to the teachers that they become
credentialed in a quality manner so that their performance
actually has an impact on the student achievement. So in
helping the Chicago Public Schools reach their goal of having
every teacher subject matter credentialed in science in the
middle grades within the next two years, we have had the
advantage of having partnered for the last two years with a
couple different universities to try out what programs might
work to support teacher professional development.
So we have worked with National-Louis University, Loyola
University Chicago, as well as the Illinois Institute of
Technology. IIT, by way of example, we are building a jointly
credentialed program. Our programs target teachers who are not
comfortable teaching science but find themselves in science
classrooms. You can't learn or inspire youth if you yourself
have no confidence in the subject matter. So we focus on
building that confidence and the competency and the content as
well as the teaching strategies. So we have a pool of teachers,
128 annually, who are with us in a program that can earn them
three credit hours, and these are teachers that would not sign
up with IIT for a science credentialing program because frankly
they never had it in their professional future to be science
teachers. But because we have built the access, we have
partnered with IIT to offer low-cost credit hours, they find
themselves moving from not touching it with a 10-foot pole to
having three hours toward an 18-hour credential by the end of
the year. And then they get to sign up for another workshop
with us the next year, and all of a sudden they have six. So
what we are trying to do is to build access to that pool of
teachers that don't even dream of themselves as being science
but find themselves teaching it anyway and to build that pool
toward being the competent subject matter science teachers.
The other quick example in partnership is with Argonne
National Laboratories. In our Fab Lab which is a really great,
hands on where the kids can come in and design and fabricate
all sorts of different things from furniture to electronics to
key chains, and in doing that, we don't necessarily have the
technical competency around the software and the evolution that
our MIT partners would require but Argonne does, and they have
been a partner from the beginning with us. So we get to have
youth from our youth development program, the science
achievers, participate every Saturday morning with the support
from volunteers from Argonne National Laboratories who now have
taken ownership of that vision, the work, that can be done, to
extend access to that technological and engineering learning in
the museum. So there are a lot of opportunities, but it takes
working together to find where your common interests are so
that we can access the scientific competencies of Argonne
scientists but then help bridge it to the youth that want to be
inspired by it.
Chair Lipinski. I would like to come there and use the Fab
Lab. Sounds like a lot of fun.
Ms. Ingram. You are more than welcome, and it really is.
Chair Lipinski. Mr. Lippincott.
Mr. Lippincott. Just as a quick example, I showed you a
little bit, just a smidgen, of STEM science resources that we
are trying to gather as part of EDCAR. We started on that
project by trying to figure out where we could contribute the
most, and we asked that question of a broad variety of students
and teachers and school systems and universities. And most
people said STEM, and in fact, most people said within the
STEM, they wanted Earth science which is such a pivotal part of
the sequence of learning science in school and a bump in the
road for a lot of kids. Within Earth science, climate science.
And we asked why, and it is because kids are so excited, they
are so interested in climate science. They all know about
weather, and they all hear about things on the news and they
are all interested but also puzzled. The more we looked at
this, the more we needed partners. And so we went certainly to
the NSF who have been a great partner for us in many ways. The
STEM digital library is an outstanding collection of materials
that now we think we can help present. But we needed the
curriculum, so we went to NOAA which has produced a very
carefully mapped strands of the science curriculum for climate
science, and of course, we went to school systems where in fact
school systems in every state have standards and have exact
standards about which part of the science curriculum they need
to learn. We have been actually working with the CCSSO, the
Council of Chief States School Officers, who are after what
they call fewer, higher, clearer, maybe perhaps national
standards at some point about this.
But clearly, in order to get to kids in the area that they
said they are most interested, we have to help teachers because
they told us even if they have advanced degrees in science, let
alone are challenged by not thinking of themselves as
scientists, they don't know how to teach this science. They
don't really know what this science--and they don't have the
resources. They look in their textbooks and there is not very
much in that chapter. And so we felt like that was a place to
start. So by working through partners like this, we can go to
where the science is best, we can really help science teachers
where they really need it the most and where we think actually
media has a really appropriate role to play, not substituting
for field experience but really amplifying what teachers need.
Chair Lipinski. Thank you.
Dr. Grajal. Just one, simple example is that we are now
launching our second graduate degree, Master's degree, for
science teachers actually. Many of the graduate programs for
teachers have been in education. We are trying to develop these
science degrees for teachers, and there is quite a market for
that. Teachers are truly interested in this.
Our first experiment was a consortium between Fermilab,
Morton Arboretum, Brookfield Zoo, and Benedictine University,
and now we are launching a national program with Miami
University in Ohio that is bringing five zoos in the country.
It is an advanced inquiry program that develops basic
scientific inquiry skills for teachers that really want to jump
into that level of scientific training. And it is about
teaching science but also pedagogical tools for teaching
science. Thank you.
Chair Lipinski. Thank you. Thank you for your extensive
answers. I think the partnerships are really critical in
forming those, and all of you head over a lot of different
areas and a lot of different partners, and I think that is
something we need to work on also on the federal level and see
what we can do to encourage more of that.
We are joined by another new Member on the Subcommittee,
and I will recognize Ms. Fudge for five minutes.
Ms. Fudge. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would like to thank all
of you for being here today, and I do have just a couple of
questions after I make a brief comment. I want to first share
with you that on Friday of last week I had the opportunity to
attend the grand opening of our first STEM school in the city
of Cleveland. It is called MC2 STEM. The thing that is exciting
about it is that it is actually housed in General Electric's
lighting division, Nela Park Campus. Obviously, the setting of
the school creates some of just what we are talking about
today, I mean, because the young people will have an
opportunity to, on a weekly basis, have lunch with engineers,
with scientists, they will have hands-on experience. So we are
talking about the same kinds of things that you are talking
about today. But I guess my question really becomes that, in
the City of Cleveland if you are not familiar with our area, it
has been deemed the number one or two poorest city in America
for the last three years. What happens to the young people who
don't have the resources to attend the zoo or to go to the
science center or to go to museums if their schools do not take
them? And most of the schools don't have the resources either.
So I am really looking at how we address the issue of under-
served youth. MC2 STEM is wonderful, but it is a very small
group of children. How do we get to the rest of them? That is
my first question, and that is for anyone on the panel.
Ms. Ingram. If I may briefly answer that question, I think
part of what the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago has
done is reflect on how to leverage what we do in the
inspiration that we have built in our exhibitions as well as
our expertise and inquiry based science teaching and thought
about how to extend that into our communities and to build
partnerships with our communities. So we have designed a set of
community initiatives that is intended to build an ecosystem
where the ultimate outcome in my mind is that youth and
community organizations are getting their first taste of
science from the coolest, hippest communicators of science,
their brother's best friend who is in one of our other
programs. So we start that with the science club approach where
we don't have to replicate after-school programs. There are
hundreds of community organizations throughout our urban areas
that are with kids every day after school. What they need is
help in developing sound subject matter, curriculum that is fun
and engaging and that the kids can relate to in their
organizations after school. So we develop the curriculum, we
provide the materials, we train them on the delivery of it, but
we do more than that. We do this as an entry to a relationship,
not just with the community organizations but also with the
children and their families.
So we bring them on buses that we provide back to the
museum. On family days, the kids deliver their activities on
the floor of the museum to our guests to help develop in them a
sense of ownership over our institution and invite their
parents in, many of whom have never been to any museum. And we
want them to not only--sometimes you have to do more than just
invite. You have to take the hand and show them through the
door and say, this is your place, we are here to support you.
This is the intention of this set of programs. Then we have
from that extended service learning, youth development that is
all grounded in the science content, building the public
speaking skills and the confidence of the youth from these
organizations, and then bridging them into universities.
Last year of the approximately 100 kids that participated
in the highest level of this series of programs, the science
achievers, 26 of them were seniors in high school. These are
regular kids who were not screened from the Chicago Public
Schools. Of those kids, every one of them ended up graduating
from high school, every one of them ended getting into a four-
year college, and 60 percent of them ended up getting
scholarships that we had advocated for them for and supported
them in applying for. These kids need access, opportunity and a
bridge to engage in science to the full extent. And unless we
build these well-structured commitments to our communities, it
is not going to be enough. We have to help, invite them in, and
hold their hand and have conversations about what is going to
work where they are.
Ms. Fudge. Thank you.
Mr. Lippincott. I would like to add just a little bit to
that. We have actually some very important experiences in what
we have been calling a 360-degree because it is exactly what
you suggest, that you need to go well outside, in our case, of
any sort of television or media approach actually into the
community and really understand how that works. Where we have
had the most success is where we have had the most funding from
the Department of Education. That has to do with early literacy
because there are kids coming to school with 800 words where
they should have 10,000. And so starting that kind of problem
set, how do you help parents in their homes and around their
homes, in every part of their lives, use the grocery store as
the way to understand language. Show them billboards that
invite them to try new kinds of language learning, and you do
that through all kinds of pieces of the community as it stands
now. Obviously, your best friend's older brother would be a
great ambassador for science or for literacy. But we have had
to go and we targeted twenty specifically low socioeconomic
stratus markets in the United States over the last two years to
really experiment. We got the San Diego Chargers to go on the
radio and television and endorse and really help kids get
invited. We have put billboards, we have done all kinds of
alternative activities. We have wrapped the resource and
referral vans in southern Illinois in Carbondale with our logos
and driven around, giving free DVDs targeted to parents. We
have tried things that public television has never done before
but really need to be done in order to get inside the
community. And by proving that we can make a difference in a
few communities, we get other communities to pay attention. And
therefore, we play this kind of beginning role. But it really
is a 360 approach.
Dr. Bell. Thank you for the question, and I have kind of
two----
Chair Lipinski. I just wanted to say, we are going to be
having a vote probably in 10 minutes or less but we never know
if it is more or less. So I just want to keep this going but if
we can--I know there are some more questions, so I just want to
make you aware of that. I want to hear the rest of the response
to the question, but just be aware of that.
Dr. Bell. Very quickly. So there is a line of research
within my field of science education that tries to orient to
the expertise that children develop in their life around their
interest. So you can think of some of the examples we have been
hearing about, these pockets of expertise that kids orient to.
And it is something that teachers can orient to as well but
often they don't, kind of stopped to do that. So we have a lot
of efforts in the curriculum to build on prior knowledge but
not to build on prior interests or developing identities of
children. And so within the culturally responsive instruction
approach, there are efforts to try to take the interests and
particular circumstances of everyday life as something to be
brought kind of into a science-related learning experience. So
that is kind of one response.
Within the Committee report that we did for the NRC, there
are a range of partnerships that we have been hearing about
between science-rich institutions and communities to try to
figure out how to kind of be bringing access to phenomena and
engaging experiences to a broader set of populations who tend
to be marginalized in school settings just from the research
point of view. And those partnerships require active engagement
from both sides, between the science-rich institution and the
community representation to try to figure out how to broker the
experience in relation to the local interest and needs of the
communities, the way they talk, the way they engage in
particular ways of sense-making to try to negotiate the design
of those programs. And when that is done, learning outcomes do
represent kind of growth in science knowledge and deeper
participation engagement in science-related activity.
Chair Lipinski. Dr. Grajal.
Dr. Grajal. It is essential to engage, and in our case in
Chicago has been with community councils. We actually work with
almost 11 community councils, and we have programs in the
libraries very similar to one other panelist. It really
requires a lot of dedication from the councils and from us. We
have to actually pay for the buses for the kids to come to the
zoo, we actually have to engage those community councils. We
have breakfast with the local churches, with the local
minister's association. We really need to engage them to get
that kind of involvement. We believe that for example we have a
library pass system. Every family can go to any library in the
metropolitan area and check out four free passes to the zoo,
and those are very, very heavily used, particularly in these
communities. Every culture institution has a variation of that,
and it really requires that very, very active engagement.
Chair Lipinski. Dr. Ferrini-Mundy.
Dr. Ferrini-Mundy. Yes, just very, very briefly, in
addition to these wonderful and exciting ways of engaging the
parts of the informal science education community directly with
community organizations, youth-serving organizations, I would
underscore also the importance of the connections to the formal
education community, to leverage the enormous knowledge base
within the informal science education community and to find
ways to replicate at least pieces of what the school in
Cleveland is able to deliver. So lunch with scientists, there
are other ways that the informal science education community
connects wonderfully with schools. And I think emphasis on
playing those out more fully is another way to be sure that we
are reaching broadly.
Chair Lipinski. I thank Ms. Fudge for her excellent
question. I look forward to your contributions to our
subcommittee.
Ms. Fudge. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Chair Lipinski. I would like to recognize Dr. Ehlers for
five minutes.
Mr. Ehlers. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you very much.
You have thrown out a lot of good ideas, and I am very excited
about this and the progress that you have made, in particular
the point about educating the teachers, professional
development, and that is why I played quite a role in setting
of the Math-Science Partnership Program in the Department of Ed
and similar program in NSF. And it is crucial that we do this.
Personally, when I was still a professor I did a couple of
summer institutes trying to develop new science programs in the
local schools, and it became clear to me immediately the
problem is not the teachers in the sense that they are
incompetent. The problem is that we have competent teachers who
desperately want to teach science and math well and who never
learned it themselves because they have never been taught it
properly and have not been taught how to teach properly. So
thank for you what you are doing on that.
I just have something sort of off the wall about this type
of education, informal education. We have done some work in
nanotechnology legislation, and there are some concerns about
the social implications of nanotechnology, in particular, the
products. And we heard from many groups that the general public
has to be better informed on this issue. Well, I could write a
long list of things like that, you know, high-powered power
lines for distribution of the grid. There is a longstanding
belief that somehow living near one of those can cause cancer
in your children. Similarly, vaccinations. There are a number
of parents, a growing number of parents, who are refusing to
have their children vaccinated because there is a belief out
there that somehow vaccinations cause autism. And yet, there
are other areas where things that should happen but aren't
because the public really doesn't understand it. A good example
is weight and obesity. I just cringe at some people I see
walking down the sidewalk, and I can just lay out for them
their life path, what it is going to be in terms of diabetes
and other diseases as a result of their weight. I think we need
a lot more informal education for adults as well as for
children. Obviously PBS could play a major role there. But
there are a lot of other things that could happen, too.
Involving parents on field trips for example, saying we would
like your kids to go on this field trip. It is very, very
important, but we would really like to have you come along so
that you can discuss it at home afterward or you can even mask
it and say we just need you to control this bus full of kids.
You know, we need 15 parents to go along with these 20 kids.
So I hope you will put that in your thinking and try to
figure out some way to really educate the general public about
science as well. I would appreciate any comments you would care
to make on that.
Dr. Bell. One thing it makes me think of, in the report
there is a chapter on media and its kind of growing prevalence
in different forms, and Mr. Lippincott was already kind of
giving us a sense of that. In terms of the research base on
what people learn from engaging media, so kind of the broader
communication of science, the research is pretty clear around
educational television and the science learning that goes on
around that in ways that you can measure directly. Although,
you know, access to other digital media blogs, virtual spaces,
and Wiki's and serious games and all these new emergent
technologies, people are engaging with scientific information
in radically new ways. And we don't necessarily understand the
details of what science they are learning in those moments
because we don't have those research literatures to really
guide us. So that is kind of the one kind of insight that the
Committee developed related to your question which is really a
foundational, important question related to science literacy in
the broadest sense.
Mr. Ehlers. Now, if we can just get people to watch public
television, it might help. Dr. Ferrini-Mundy.
Dr. Ferrini-Mundy. Yes, thank you for the question and of
course, our programs do invite proposals that span the range
and are concerned with public understanding at all levels. One
quick example, the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network
is a model for how it is possible with partnerships of museums,
laboratories, universities, and so on to bring attention to a
particular topic for all age ranges, including a number of
public forums based on European models for communicating and
engaging the public in science. We have several examples, and I
agree it is a very important area.
Mr. Ehlers. Yes, I thought I saw one other hand. Yes?
Mr. Lippincott. I would like to say, we think we are onto
something with the media that I tried to show you a little bit
about. The fact that kids--not only can we put it in the
television programs, but you pointed out what my daughter has
said to me which is Dad, if you wanted me to watch it, why did
you put it on public television? I guess she doesn't watch
public television. But in fact, she is 17 so that is a
difficult audience to reach. But our programs do attract broad
audiences, and in fact, these online services, just as Dr. Bell
has said, we know we are doing something right, but in many
cases we don't even know yet what we are doing right. The first
week that the service that I showed you last September was made
available, we didn't even publicize it and we had a million
streams a week, and ever since then we have had a million
streams a week. Kids who are 6 to 8 years old are coming to get
information. They are exploring it actively in a way that they
can't do on television. There is something wonderful happening,
but the foundational questions of what is really going on, just
as with television, we know they are learning. The question is,
what are they learning? And we really need to really understand
that as media professionals so that we can do a better job of
what you are saying.
Mr. Ehlers. I totally agree, and I think you should tell
your daughter that you can't give her an allowance because not
enough people watch public television so you don't get paid
enough.
Dr. Bell. I will try that.
Mr. Ehlers. Dr. Grajal.
Dr. Grajal. The one thing we are finding is that the
competition is for leisure time and how people can become
active practitioners. One of the things, to consume science
information is different than practicing science. One of the
issues that we are facing is not enough time outside, the
initiative No Child Left Inside, the issue of not--this is the
most sedentary generation and we are finding linkages between
overweight, Attention Deficit Disorder, and enough time being
outside and exploring nature. The fact that you as a farm boy
were doing with your animals and so on is an experience that
almost no children have these days.
So we believe that one of the main issues for scientific
discoveries by scientific discovery by itself and actually
promoting more time exploring science as active actors. It can
be in the classroom, but informal settings are unique to
provide that experience. So that partnership between being
active players of science instead of passive consumers is a
really relevant issue here for formal and informal education.
Mr. Ehlers. Ms. Ingram, you get a chance to close it out.
Ms. Ingram. Just briefly, we recognize that families are
critical to whether or not children are going to excel and
continue on in their sense of wonder and inspiration in
science.
We talk a lot about youth and how to engage because it is a
particular problem that exists in advancing science education
for our students in K through 8, but families need to be
integrated. When we build our exhibitions, we make sure they
are accessible for our youth, but they are really designed for
the whole family so that they can talk together. It inspires
conversation amongst them. It is not a singular experience, it
is a shared communal experience. And all the community
initiatives we talked about earlier, family days programs need
to be embedded in all of that. We truly have to have this be
something that the family understands is an opportunity for
their youth and an opportunity for them to participate in.
Mr. Ehlers. Thank you very much.
Chair Lipinski. Thank you, and we are about seven minutes
left in the vote, although we might have a little more time
because not many Members have gotten down there. But I just
wanted to--one thing I was going to ask, I was just going to
throw out there quickly, Dr. Ferrini-Mundy had talked about the
Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network Initiative. I am
not going to ask you to do it here for lack of time, but I
would certainly like to hear more about that and how it was
developed and the ongoing work with that because I really am a
strong supporter. I really believe, I have said many times that
I have drunk the Kool-Aid and believe nanotechnology is the
next Industrial Revolution. I truly believe that, and I think
it is something that people ought to be educated more about.
But I want to thank all the witnesses for their testimony
today. I had mentioned how I had always been excited by science
engineering, going to the Museum of Science and Industry. I
certainly watched PBS an awful lot. I probably would have been
better off if I would have watched more, maybe, and I was a
member of the Brookfield Zoo when I was a kid and spent a lot
of time there at the zoo and learned a lot there.
So I appreciate very much the importance of informal
science education. I think we need to continue to do more. It
is good to hear your testimony, but to anything further down
the line that you can recommend to us that we can do here on
the federal level to help with this, we certainly do want to
hear from you. And I just want to say the record will remain
open for additional statements from the Members and for answers
to any follow-up questions the Committee may ask of the
witnesses, and with that, the witnesses are excused and the
hearing is now adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:33 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
Appendix 1:
----------
Answers to Post-Hearing Questions
Answers to Post-Hearing Questions
Responses by Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Director, Division of Research on
Learning in Formal and Informal Settings, Directorate for
Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation
Questions submitted by Chair Daniel Lipinski
Q1. In your testimony you discussed the challenge of appropriately
assessing arid evaluating learning in informal environments, Please
elaborate on the standards and benchmarks currently used to evaluate
the impact of informal STEM education programs funded by the NSF. What
is NSF doing to continue to develop anti improve metrics for
evaluation?
A1. The NSF has assumed a lead role--drawing on the expertise ire its
Informal Science Education (ISE) program--in creating a framework of
broad categories of potential project impact. In 2008, NSF published an
online guidebook, Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science
Education Projects (http://www.informalscience.org/research/show/3643).
The guidebook helps Principal Investigators (PIs) develop appropriate
research designs for the evaluation of their projects.
Five impact categories for the assessment of informal education and
outreach are discussed in the guidebook (pp. 22-23):
Awareness, knowledge, or understanding of STEM
concepts, processes, or careers
Engagement or interest in STEM concepts, processes,
or careers
Attitude towards STEM-related topics or capabilities
Behavior resulting from experience
Skills based on experience.
These categories represent the types of impacts that are desirable
as a result of informal science education activities, and provide a
possible framework for standards and benchmarks in the field. The
guidebook provides detail about the elements of each of these types of
impacts; for example, ``engagement or interest'' is elaborated for
public audiences as ``measurable demonstration of assessment of, change
in, or exercise of engagement/interest in a particular scientific
topic, concept, phenomena, theory, or careers central to the project.''
(p. 21). An impact relative to engagement ``could be supported by
evidence that a project deliverable has evoked short-term interest, or
has strengthened prior longer-term interest, in a topic or area of
STEM.'' (p. 22).
The guidebook also includes recommendations on study designs,
assessment strategies, examples, and resources to help potential
awardees who may be unfamiliar with evaluation of learning in informal
settings. The NSF solicitation for the ISE program points directly to
this document. Also, project-level evaluation was a primary focus of
the 2009 conference for all PIs supported under the ISE program. As
projects reach completion, information about their outcomes is captured
in an online project monitoring system for future analysis and
synthesis. Some projects provide self-generated quantitative benchmarks
for the analysis of their outcomes, though this has not been mandatory
because the idiosyncratic nature of impacts and audiences makes for
large, inherent variability in expected outcomes.
The NSF-funded National Research Council report, Learning Science
in Informal Environments (2009) includes a ``strands of science
learning'' framework that proposes the types of science-specific
outcomes that might be sought through informal learning environments.
According to this framework, learners in informal environments:
1. Experience excitement, interest, and motivation to learn
about phenomena in the natural and physical world.
2. Come to generate, understand, remember, and use concepts,
explanations, arguments, models, and facts related to science.
3. Manipulate, test, explore, predict, question, observe, and
make sense of the natural and physical world.
4. Reflect on science as a way of knowing; on processes,
concepts, and institutions of science, and on their own process
of learning about phenomena.
5. Participate in scientific activities and learning practices
with others, using scientific language and tools.
6. Think about themselves as science learners and develop an
identity as someone who knows about; uses, and sometimes
contributes to science. (p. ES-3, Prepublication Copy).
Together, the framework and the strands provide the basis for the
development of more specific standards and benchmarks.
The NRC report also includes a chapter on contemporary evaluation
issues, approaches, and methods to help move the field forward.
Synthesis documents such as this provide us with the information we
need in order to advance the field of evaluation of informal science
education/outreach.
The Foundation also utilizes online resources to improve evaluation
of informal science education activities. For example, the NSF
Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)
program sponsors a Learning Resource Center web site where ITEST
project staff can share information and explore evaluation and
assessment practices. It is hoped this type of online community will
encourage evaluators to collaborate in the development of standard
instruments. Several DRL program solicitations include invitations for
proposals to explore assessment methods.
Q2. In your testimony, you used the Nanoscale Informal Science
Education (NISE) Net initiative as an example of a collaborative effort
at the Foundation to broaden participation through informal STEM
education. Could you elaborate on the development and ongoing work of
NISE Net? Has the NISE Net program been evaluated yet? If so, what are
tire findings?
A2. The Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net) was
funded by NSF in FY 2005 through a five-year cooperative agreement with
the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts in partnership with the
San Francisco-based Exploratorium and the Science Museum of Minnesota,
along with many other organizations. Its purpose is to increase public
awareness and understanding of, and engagement with, nanoscale science
and technology through formation of a national network consisting of
science museums linked with nanoresearch centers. Through its growing
number of partners, NISE Net has been developing a ``catalog'' of
exhibit units, demonstrations, programs, forums, media, and other
resources, as well as a community of practice around their development
and use (see www.nisenet.org). For example, NanoDays was established
last year as a rational week-long series of educational activities
supported by the NISE Network. This year, during the period March 28
through April 5, more than 200 sites in 48 states, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia are expected to take part.
Evaluation is integral to NISE Network activities. To guide
educational efforts, front-end studies were developed in order to
gather initial data on public awareness and understanding. Resources in
the ``catalog'' mentioned above were developed and are being improved
through ongoing collaborative, formative evaluation. Since the project
is not yet in its final year, summative evaluations have not been
completed; however, some initial findings are available. For example,
based on a sample of museum visitors exposed to nano-topic programs,
exhibits, forums and activities, significantly more of the treatment
group than the control group reported an awareness of benefits and
risks of nanotechnology [Multi-media Research (Bellport, New York,
September 2008) Summative Evaluation of Awareness of Nanotechnology by
the Museum Public]. Participants in another study who were engaged in a
public forum on the potential societal impacts of nanotechnology showed
gains in knowledge and awareness of viewpoints other than their own
[Multi-media Research (Bellport, New York, September 2008) Summative
Evaluation of NISE Network's Public Forum: Nanotechnology in Health
Care]. This study also demonstrated the multiplier effort of inspiring
significant portions of attendees to discuss with others what is
nanotechnology and its associated benefits and risks. Additional
studies are being carried out, including an evaluation of the
effectiveness of the Network itself.
Questions submitted by Representative Vernon J. Ehlers
Q1. What are the biggest research questions in need of answers in the
field of informal science education?
A1. Little formal research has been conducted on the relationship
between largely voluntary activities and their consequent impacts on
STEM learning and continued engagement with science. There are
questions and issues in several areas that deserve study and research.
The most pressing questions have to do with the effectiveness of
learning in the intersection of formal and informal learning
environments:
What is the optimal relationship between institutions of
informal learning and institutions of formal learning,
particularly in anticipation of dynamic shifts due to cyber-
learning? What are better models of formal-informal
collaboration than just good field trips or teacher
professional development, and what do we know about their
effectiveness? What are the key elements of effective models
for coupling the strengths of the formal environments (emphasis
on abstractions, symbolic learning, and reflection aided by a
knowledgeable guide) with the strengths of the informal
learning environments (direct access to phenomena, self-
directed learning, affective components)? How can the informal
education community's strong understanding of motivation and
audience needs be more accessible and useful in the formal
education environment?
In addition, questions about outcome measures and the nature
of learning in informal settings also need to be addressed:
As noted in the NRC study (Learning Science in Informal
Environments), learning can comprise multiple strands. How are
they woven together in informal settings? For example, how does
affective learning (learning that is emotion-based and often
driven by curiosity) relate to cognitive understanding or
building a science-related identity?
Finally, ongoing work is needed to address learning over the
lifespan, the role of technology, and the creation of a
theoretical base:
How do people maintain and gain new knowledge of modem and
emerging science throughout their lives? Do informal science
institutions play a major role in increasing the science
knowledge of learners as they age and participate in the
activities and requirements of democracy? What other
information sources and settings provide lifelong learning
opportunities in science, and what features are most effective?
How do learners currently transition across settings/media/
communities as they learn science throughout their lives? What
are the barriers to creating a sustainable, custom-designed
trajectory of life-long learning of science?
How can new technologies and participatory models (like Web
2.0, simulations and virtual activities) be harnessed to create
a K-to-gray environment where all people play the roles of
teachers and learners in their lives? What are the essential
design principles of this kind of cyber-enhanced learning
infrastructure?
What kinds of intellectual infrastructures will be effective
for building knowledge in the field of informal learning? What
kind of structure will support accumulation of results of
research and evaluation, building on the wisdom of practice,
and involving both researchers and practitioners in a common
endeavor? How do we effectively utilize cyber-learning
technologies so that the field creates, maintains its own truly
useful knowledge base?
Q2. How is the existing research made available to the diverse group
of informal science practitioners?
A2. The NSF sponsors and supports a major online resource
[InformalScience.org] to promote and advance the field of informal
learning in science and other domains. This site is a place to share
knowledge and support a community of learners to inform informal
science learning theory, evaluation, standards and practices. The web
site was redesigned in September 2008 and, subsequent to the site
renovation, log server data is now collected. Based on Google Analytics
reports for September 2008-March 2009 (seven months), the site received
16,294 unique visits (avg. 2327/month). It served 84,328 individual
page views (avg. 12,046/per month) with an average of 5.18 pages viewed
per visit. The site sustained a healthy 00:04:18 average time-on-site
and over 70 percent were new site visits with a unique IP address. The
most heavily used sections of the site ordered by content type were
Member Pages, Research, Projects, Evaluation and Events. As of 30 March
2009, the site has 218 members, a searchable/downloadable repository of
168 evaluation reports (summative, formative, and front-end) that are
largely NSF/ISE funded. The research literature database contains 7,628
references relevant to the field of informal learning and science
education and the site maintains a calendar of important events,
conferences, seminars, and funding deadlines.
The NSF-funded Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education
(CAISE) provides online tools and resources that connect the informal
science education community by stimulating conversation and
collaboration across the entire field--including broadcast media,
science centers and museums, zoos, and aquariums; botanical gardens and
nature centers, digital media and gaming, science journalism, youth,
community and after-school programs. CAISE is a partnership among NSF,
the Association of Science-Technology Centers, Oregon State University,
the University of Pittsburgh Center for Learning in Out-of-School
Environments, and the Visitor Studies Association. Inverness Research
Associates serves as evaluator.
NSF-funded reports (i.e., the NRC Learning Science in Informal
Environments and the Frameworks for Evaluating informal Science
Education Projects) contribute to the dissemination of new knowledge,
as well as scholarly contributions to professional journals such as the
Journal of Museum Education, Curator, Science Education, and the
Journal of Research in Science Teaching. NSF program staff lead and
participate in regional and national conferences such as the American
Educational Research Association, the Association of Science and
Technology Centers, the Visitors Studies Association, National Science
Teachers Association, and the National Association of Research in
Science Teaching.
Answers to Post-Hearing Questions
Responses by Philip Bell, The Geda and Phil Condit Professor of Science
and Math Education, Associate Professor of the Learning
Sciences; Director, Institute for Science and Mathematics
Education, University of Washington, Seattle; Co-Chair,
Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments, Board
on Science Education, National Academy of Sciences, The
National Academies
Questions submitted by Representative Vernon J. Ehlers
Q1. What are the reasonable outcomes/goals for informal science
learning environments on which evaluations should be based? How can the
controversy over defining such outcomes be removed? Are the ``six
strands'' formatted in a user-friendly way for informal science
programs to utilize?
A1. The NRC Learning Science in Informal Environments report advances
the six strands of science learning (introduced in Chapter 2) as the
set of comprehensive outcomes that relate to the educational
opportunities associated with informal environments and experiences.
The summaries and findings of research and evaluation studies included
in the report are largely framed in terms of the six strands in a way
that we hope allows informal science researchers, evaluators,
developers and informal staff to see how the six theoretically-grounded
strands relate to their activities. The follow-on NRC volume that is
currently in development called Surrounded by Science is intended for
the practitioner audiences. It is designed to make the six strands--and
the findings of the research report, more generally--accessible to a
broader audience by documenting in a more practical way how they relate
to a set of case studies from informal science education.
One of the main challenges at present in the informal science
education field is the development of means for assessing participants'
learning across the range of experiences. Currently, studies that
measure similar constructs often include unique measures, scales, or
observation protocols. The NRC committee believed more attention should
be given to the development of systematic, shared measures and methods
for understanding and assessing learning in evaluation and research
studies, especially if researchers and evaluators are to attempt
assessment of cumulative learning across different episodes and in
different settings. Evaluations do need to attend to unique program
elements and local contextual features, but the committee was convinced
that there were many benefits to be gained from evaluation activities
being more explicit about their theoretical foundations. We proposed
the six strands as the core dimensions of learning to attend to in
those efforts.
It should also be said that the committee was convinced that
researchers and evaluators should use assessment methods that do not
violate participants' expectations about learning in informal settings.
Learners in informal environments are often motivated by a range of
factors, including entertainment, family care, tourism, etc. and so
engage in these settings with related expectations (e.g., enjoyment,
family bonding, etc.). The educational measures and methods associated
with formal academic learning experiences are frequently problematic in
this regard. Methods should address the science strands, provide valid
evidence across topics and venues, and be designed in ways that allow
educators and learners alike to reflect on the learning taking place in
these environments. Chapter 3 of the NRC report provides significant
detail on state-of-the-art assessment methods related to the six
science learning strands.
Q2. Where do you go to find research when developing ISE programs?
Have you used NSF-funded or other federal agency-funded research? Are
you aware of the 2008 Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal
Science Education Projects mentioned by Dr. Ferrini-Mundy? And can you
provide examples of how federally-sponsored educational research has
been applied to existing programs?
A2. The NRC committee found that the literature on learning science in
informal environments is vast, but the quality of the research is
uneven, at least in part due to limited publication outlets (i.e.,
dedicated journals and special editions) and a lack of incentives to
publish for many researchers and evaluators in non-academic positions.
We recommended that researchers, evaluators, and other leaders in
informal education should broaden opportunities for publication of
peer-reviewed research and evaluation, and provide incentives for
investigators in nonacademic positions to publish their work in these
outlets.
The committee concluded that further development of common
frameworks, standards of evidence, language and values will require new
ways to share knowledge and expertise. Several leading thinkers have
recognized this need. Journal special issues, the new Center for
Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE), and 2008 framework
from the National Science Foundation on evaluating the impact of
informal science education have initiated and furthered this work, with
the goal of contributing to better knowledge integration. We are not
aware of a systematic comparison of our NRC Learning Science in
Informal Environments consensus volume and the 2008 Framework for
Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects (mentioned by
Dr. Ferrini-Mundy during the hearing). However, two of the NRC
committee members also served on the committee that authored the
Framework report. They have stated to me that the two reports are
intellectually compatible and mutually informative. It seems to me that
the NRC report provides a theoretical framing for how to conceptualize
and approach evaluation work for different purposes and points to
state-of-the-art assessment methods while the Framework report provides
more extended treatment of the specific measures and methods that could
used for different venues and configurations for informal science
activities.
When the NSF funded the NRC Learning Science in Informal
Environments consensus volume, one of its goals was to compile the
high-quality research from informal science education together into one
volume so that it could serve as a guiding resource for that quickly
developing field. The committee hopes that this research report and the
follow-on practitioner volume, Surrounded by Science, serve that
function to a useful degree. Much of the initial reaction from
practitioners to the NRC report has been in this direction; they say
that it captures in words much of the wisdom of practice as they
understand it. Researchers have reported that the volume will help
frame productive discussions within the field that will help guide its
development.
Beyond the NRC volume, the NSF has been developing resources that
allow the work of the informal science education field to be
increasingly cumulative and impactful. The online portals,
InformalScience.org and the ExhibitFiles.org, as well as the more
recently funded Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education
(CAISE), a coordinating effort for the field, are leading examples in
this regard. My personal sense as a learning scientist is that
InformalScience.org is heavily used by researchers, program and exhibit
developers, and evaluators looking to build upon prior projects, much
of which is federally funded work. In fact, recently funded projects
under NSF's informal science program are required to post project
evaluations to InformalScience.org. Clearly, the results of prior
federal investment are being used in significant ways to inform new
developments in the field. Program officers within the NSF's Informal
Science Education program would have a detailed sense of these
historical lineages in the work.
Answers to Post-Hearing Questions
Responses by Andrea J. Ingram, Vice President, Education and Guest
Services, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Questions submitted by Representative Ralph M. Hall
Q1. Your teacher professional development workshops sound very
successful. I am impressed that you offer these workshops, lesson plans
and follow-up materials to these teachers at no cost AND fund their
substitute teacher while they attend AND provide a class field trip
afterwards. How long have you been doing these? How many teachers have
participated? How are they selected? And, how is this program funded?
A1. The Museum's Institute for Quality Science Teaching has offered a
year-long teacher professional development workshop series since the
2006-07 school year, making this the third year of the program. Since
the program began, 320 teachers have participated in the year-long
series. We also work with an additional 700 teachers annually in other
workshops ranging from half-day sessions to three-day programs. Our
entire scope of professional development programs cost $565,000
annually and are supported with funds raised by the Museum from
individuals, corporations, and foundations.
The workshop series uses an application-based process to select
participants. We consider how many years an applicant has taught
science, his comfort with teaching science, grades taught (we target
4th through 8th grade), and previous professional development
experience in science. Our goal is to enable teachers who most need our
help. We aim to work with teachers who are new to the profession as
well as those who are more seasoned but are new to teaching science. We
consider an applicant's school to help ensure that we work with high-
need schools largely in the Chicago Public Schools system but also from
high-need suburban and parochial schools. Teachers are required to
apply in pairs from schools--to ensure shared resources and continuity
within a school--and principals are required to indicate their support
of their teachers participating in this program.
Q2. Could you expand a bit on your Community Initiative programs,
specifically the Science Minors youth development program and Science
Achievers program. I am especially interested to know if you are
following these students after they finish high school to see if they
continue their education and, if so, choose to pursue a STEM major? If
not, I would certainly encourage you to do so, as I believe this would
be a real measure of the programs' success. As the program matures, it
would be interesting to see if they continue with a career in a STEM
field.
A2. The focus of the Science Minors series of programs is on children
and teens in the community who are in need of new opportunities. The
series includes three levels of engagement which reach over 5,000
students each year. Teens in the Science Minors youth development
program attend 10 weeks of science education and training by Museum
staff and outside scientists and volunteer to demonstrate science
experiments for Museum guests. Throughout their work, Science Minors
gain a better understanding of science, a first-hand look at science
career opportunities, and public speaking skills. Since the program's
debut in 2003, about 400 teens have participated.
In the most engaging level, Science Achievers pursue more rigorous
science topics and prepare for college and careers. These teens
participate in internships, mentor new classes of Science Minors and
even facilitate Science Minors Clubs. They have access to more advanced
science experiences and receive additional college and career
readiness. This program is based on research that indicates programs
that incorporate role models, internships, and college-preparation
activities have been shown to increase self-confidence and interest in
STEM courses and careers, as well as improving science knowledge and
skills and graduation rates. About 100 students participate each year.
We have built a network to provide ongoing support to and
communications with our students who have gone on to college. Through
social networking sites like Facebook, Museum staff members maintain
relationships with grads and invite them back for programs held
throughout the year. Last year, 20 of the 24 participants who were
seniors received full or partial scholarships. We know at least half of
last year's graduates are currently interested in STEM majors.
To fully understand the impact of our programs, we are working with
the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago on a
project to collect longitudinal data on our students. Chapin Hall has
submitted a grant to the National Science Foundation to help fund this
effort.
Q3. The House recently reauthorized the National Nanotechnology
Initiative. During consideration of this measure in the last Congress,
we heard from many groups that the general public needs to be better
informed on the pros and cons of the use of nanotechnology. What role
do, or could, your organizations play in public awareness campaigns
such as this?
A3. The Museum has several initiatives related to this issue. We are
connected with NISE-NET and are participating in their NanoDays
program--a week-long series of hands-on activities for the public about
nanoscience and technology. Museum staff members as well as
Northwestern University graduate students are conducting these
activities for Museum guests March 28-April 4, 2009. We will continue
this program in subsequent years.
The Museum also is in the process of developing a permanent
exhibition on nanotechnology that will feature basic information as
well as new developments in nanoresearch and applications.
The Museum produced a symposium on ``Innovations in
Nanotechnology'' on Jan. 26, 2008. This event was supported by the
American Academy for the Advancement of Science as a sub-award from an
NSF grant. The audience was middle- and high school students, their
parents, teachers, and Museum of Science and Industry members. The
symposium was done in collaboration with the University of Chicago and
Northwestern University. We produced a DVD with education
demonstrations which will be posted on the Museum's website.
The Museum also was the location for an episode of PBS's
``Dragonfly TV'' science show that featured nanoscience. The episode,
``Small is Different,'' was filmed in summer 2008 and aired in fall
2008 on PBS stations across the country. In the episode, the young
stars, Chicagoans Alettie and Yvonne, learn that nanoparticles are
responsible for the colors in some medieval stained glass and see that
nanogold makes glass red.
Questions submitted by Representative Vernon J. Ehlers
Q1. Where do you go to find research when developing ISE programs?
Have you used NSF-funded or other federal agency-funded research? Are
you aware of the 2008 Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal
Science Education Projects mentioned by Dr. Ferrini-Mundy? And can you
provide examples of how federally-sponsored educational research has
been applied to existing programs?
A1. When developing ISE programs, we utilize publications and resources
from a variety of resources including the National Research Council,
U.S. Department of Education, Illinois State Board of Education,
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Project
2061, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA),
Informalscience.org, the Association of Science and Technology Centers
(ASTC), the Education Development Center (EDC) and the Coalition for
Science After School to inform our practices. The 2008 Framework for
Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects has been
reviewed and we have started integrating the framework into our
planning and development efforts.
Staff with our Center for the Advancement of Science Education use
federally funded research to develop programs for teachers and school
groups. This includes our year-long professional development workshops
series and our hands-on Learning Lab programs for school groups
visiting the Museum. We use a range of materials from AAAS Project
2061, including the Atlas for Science Literacy, Benchmarks for Science
Literacy, and Science for All Americans, to match program content to
what students need to learn as they move from kindergarten through 12th
grade. By identifying key ideas, the connections between those ideas,
and the ages at which students are most ready to learn them, these
tools provide a framework for effective science instruction. For
example, in our Get Energized! teacher professional development
workshop series, we use the Atlas to select which energy topic to cover
at what time. Our curriculum introduces mechanical energy before moving
on to electrical energy, thermal and sound energy, and light energy.
Our efforts have been recognized by AAAS Project 2061, which
enlisted our help to develop and host a recent workshop for science
museum staff called ``Using Atlas of Science Literacy in Informal
Science Learning Settings.'' This workshop was the first time the
materials were presented specifically for an informal science
institution audience.
Answers to Post-Hearing Questions
Responses by Robert M. Lippincott, Senior Vice President for Education,
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
Questions submitted by Representative Ralph M. Hall
Q1. Who developed the content for the lesson plans, interactive
resources and classroom activities for PBS Teachers, your web service
for pre-K-12 educators, and for PBS TeacherLine, your professional
development of teachers service? How are these products reviewed and
assessed and how are they correlated to state standards, given the
broadness of these standards?
A1. PBS Teachers and the associated websites on PBS.org, including PBS
TeacherLine, have been designed and developed by educators, educational
consultants and public media producers working with PBS and local PBS
stations. Each has its own advisory group (see attachment).
The kinds of resources sought, and the topics needed for PBS
Teachers are specified by the Teacher Advisory Group, a select team of
educators who meet monthly by phone and annually in Washington, DC, to
review and guide the development of the PBS Teachers sites.
PBS TeacherLine has a national advisory group of educational
leaders who oversee the professional development services offered and
how these services are correlated to state needs. The group meets via
webinar four times per year to review iterative formative product
research and to provide guidance on development. The research and
evaluation of the services that are most needed and that prove most
effective begin with formative research and include longitudinal
studies. The evaluation components of our services are critical to
maintaining their educational quality and are supported by
approximately one-quarter of the total budget.
Each resource submitted is carefully reviewed for accuracy and
utility by PBS education content managers. It is then assigned a grade
level and tagged with the metadata that will allow it to be more
precisely searched by users. The fields of metadata include standard
descriptors, including the title and type of resources. We are
currently working with teachers to ensure that the resources are
aligned to the state standards from each of the 50 states.
PBS will use the services of a nationally recognized vendor
competitively selected for quality of service and utility of alignment
to encode the state educational standards alignment. Each of these
alignments are reviewed by PBS editors, and the materials are
commissioned by PBS or contributed by stations and producers. As I
mentioned in my testimony, with the launch of our new project we call
EDCAR, the Educational Digital Content Asset Repository, these
standards-based lesson plans will be available to educators nationwide
later this year.
Q2. You testified that less than 20 percent of PBS funding is federal
dollars. Approximately what percentage of that federal money is spent
on STEM education activities, and which federal entities are the
sources of the funds? In what other ways are PBS STEM education
activities supported? How closely do you work with industry, and please
describe some of those partnerships?
A2. Technically, PBS itself does not receive any federal dollars
specifically dedicated to STEM activities. However, PBS' online and on-
air content constitutes a wide array of informal learning resources,
many of which focus on the areas of science, technology, engineering
and mathematics. All sources of funding are invested by PBS for the
public media production community, according to the programming
interest and educational needs of our member stations and the American
public.
The money that we receive from CPB and other federal sources, such
as the Department of Education, are invested in content that spans many
genres and individual projects such as our interconnection system--the
infrastructure that allows PBS to distribute programming to local
public television stations--as well as Ready To Learn and TeacherLine.
Our system-wide Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) Collaborative is creating digital education resources that will
ensure that students and educators have access to high-quality,
standards-based digital education content--in each of the STEM areas.
Within the first stage of the EDCAR launch, we are primed to have a
significant pool of digital content focused on topics such as climate
science and other STEM-related areas. We understand that television and
on-air programs are a just one part of the entire informal learning
environment approach. Online broadband access and digital media are
dramatically changing the opportunities and challenges the Nation's
educators have to improve STEM education. As one educator noted to us
when describing her classroom:
``I have found both video and lessons very helpful. The
website is also fun for students. I use the videos as focuses
in some of the classes and the lessons are pretty awesome.
Other than videos students completed an interactive activity
called Building Big, which helped them understand many concepts
that go into the construction of buildings. They used this
knowledge to construct their own earthquake proof building
which was later tested.'' --Sally from Texas, PBS Teacher
Several of our stations are partnering with education organizations
to determine the key needs of STEM awareness and how to engage people
in the subject. Currently, 74 percent of our stations offer education
services that address STEM content. There are plans to create half-hour
and hour-long programs; feature STEM related content on existing
magazine programs; and run interstitial programming--30-to-60 second
programs that air between our longer shows--with enough frequency to
impact the viewer.
We continue to work very closely with higher education
institutions. Nearly 70 percent of our stations have established
partnerships with universities. For example, for the past three years,
WFSU in Tallahassee has partnered with Florida State University's
laboratory to develop a two-week, hands-on science camp for 80 seventh
and eighth grade girls with support from local engineering firms. The
camp had tremendous success and has become a signature event for WFSU.
PBS TeacherLine partners with 23 colleges and universities in all
50 states (see attachment) to provide professional development on STEM-
related topics. PBS develops its TeacherLine online professional
development courses through collaborations with organizations such as
the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the Concord
Consortium. PBS Teachers also provides free STEM-based webinars to
educators, hosted by educational experts, authors and program
producers.
As previously noted, many of our award-winning science and math
television programs--NOVA, CYBERCHASE, DRAGONFLYTV and DESIGN SQUAD--
are leaders and models, and many of these programs are funded by
industry partners, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF):
NOVA, which receives funding from several
organizations, including ExxonMobil, has consistently been the
#1 most-used video resource in all U.S. high school classrooms,
including all public, cable and network programs, according to
studies conducted by Grunwald Associates over the past several
years.
CYBERCHASE--the only math series for children on
American TV--reaches five million viewers weekly and receives
major funding from NSF, Northrop Grumman and Ernst & Young. The
program's companion website, CYBERCHASE Online, has had more
than 1.7 billion page views. According to a study conducted by
MediaKidz Research & Consulting, students who watched
CYBERCHASE found solutions to math problems that were
mathematically more sophisticated than students who did not
watch the series.
DRAGONFLYTV--the only all-science television show for
elementary and middle-school kids--receives major funding from
NSF and Best Buy Children Foundation. Because the show
encourages students to pursue careers in science, each episode,
along with its website, features a ``Real Scientist'' segment,
which highlights scientists discussing their chosen career.
This is noteworthy, considering that ``75 percent of Nobel
Prize winners in the sciences report that their passion for
science was first sparked in an out-of-school environment.''
DESIGN SQUAD is a show in which kids compete in a
series of engineering challenges for a chance at a college
scholarship. The show receives major funding from the Intel
Foundation and additional funding from the National Council of
Examiners for Engineering and Surveying, United Engineering
Foundation (which comprises ASCE, ASME, AIChE, IEEE, AIME),
Noyce Foundation, Northrop Grumman, the IEEE and the Intel
Corporation. The show has worked to address a critical need in
engineering education and children's television. Since 2007,
DESIGN SQUAD and its partners have held 75 trainings for 2,900
engineers and educators and involved 94,805 kids and families
in engineering activities.
With additional investment, PBS could do even more to advance STEM
education in informal learning environments.
Q3. The House recently reauthorized the National Nanotechnology
Initiative. During consideration of this measure in the last Congress,
we heard from many groups that the general public needs to be better
informed on the pros and cons of the use of nanotechnology. What role
does, or could, your organization play in public awareness such as
this?
A3. Nanotechnology, as you might recall, was the subject seen during
the audio-visual part of my testimony highlighting our website
pbskidsgo.org, which is aimed at elementary school-aged children. The
site allows a user to find video clips that focus on a particular
subject--in this case, nanotechnology--send the clip to a friend, play
the full episode of the program that contained that clip and even play
a game that relates to the video. This video was just one of the many
multi-media interactive features of DRAGONFLYTV's website. DRAGONFLYTV
is the only all-science show for elementary and middle-school kids on
television today.
In November 2008, DRAGONFLYTV focused its entire seventh season on
nanotechnology, with the premiere of DRAGONFLYTV as part of a special
grant-initiative funded by NSF. The series was among the first
television science series to explore this subject area and informed a
mass audience about the revolutionary advances taking place in
nanoscience and nanotechnology. The series is seen by more than one
million people each week and airs on nearly 200 public television
stations nationwide. And because 14 million children compose our
audience, our award-winning programs such as DRAGONFLYTV and NOVA have
educated children, adults and educators on this emerging field.
Nanotechnology is a topic covered by PBS for nearly a decade,
currently reaching more than 65 million people weekly, our news and
public affair programs, such as NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, NEWSHOUR WITH
JIM LEHRER and CHARLIE ROSE, have all highlighted the benefits and
issues of concern raised by nanotechnology.
With adequate funding, our vast reach, strong partnerships,
innovative producers and high-quality programs leave us well-positioned
to successfully address a range of timely and relevant topics from
science to literacy. PBS continues to bring a 360-degree approach to
address topics that affect all Americans.
Questions submitted by Representative Vernon J. Ehlers
Q1. Could you elaborate on your discussion of the need for national
academic standards so that broadcasters, too, have a clearer target
upon which to focus?
A1. As I noted in my testimony, PBS is in full agreement with the
Council of Chief State School Officers, that it would be more useful
and powerful to have a single set of national statements (in the words
of a Gates Foundation report) that are ``fewer, higher, and clearer''
standards shared by all 50 states. This would allow public media and
other educational producers to focus more efficiently their creativity
and innovation on the shared goals of the Nation's educators. Not
incidentally, it would also serve the Nation's educators and students,
allowing a stronger, fairer basis for each learner, teacher, school and
state to chart and track progress and achievement.
PBS and its production community pride themselves on creativity and
effectiveness as educational media producers. We have traditionally
been focused on the appeal and the ability of media to attract and to
hold the attention of the learning audience. In service to school
populations, it is critical that we have aligned ourselves to the tasks
teachers need to accomplish. There is no more powerful statement of
those tasks than the state standards that every state has articulated.
However, the detailed nature of these standards, the sheer number of
different--similar, but not the same--statements of goals, benchmarks
and milestones reflects the individuality of every state (indeed,
Kentucky has three sets of such standards). This makes for a burdensome
task, absorbing financial resources well beyond the costs of design and
production, of aligning media and teaching resources to such a database
and further, for maintaining that alignment as standards are revised.
Q2. Where do you go to find research when developing ISE programs?
Have you used NSF-funded or other federal agency-funded research? Are
you aware of the 2008 Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal
Science Education Projects mentioned by Dr. Ferrini-Mundy? And can you
provide examples of how federally sponsored educational research has
been applied to existing programs?
A2. The producers of PBS informal science television program and online
content are well-versed in NSF research and use this knowledge when
developing programs. In some cases, we have benefited from having
leading experts host our shows for example, Neil deGrasse Tyson, host
of NOVA scienceNOW. He is a renowned astrophysicist who has served on
several presidential science-based commissions and often provides his
insight and knowledge to the program.
The PBS staff includes former teachers in both our education and
programming departments. PBS KIDS content begins with curriculum, and
series are created to build knowledge, critical thinking, imagination
and curiosity. For example, SID THE SCIENCE KID, which debuted in
September 2008, is based in national science learning standards,
cognitive learning theory and on the preschool science curriculum,
Preschool Pathways to Science.
I am aware of the 2008 Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal
Science Education Projects; many of our producers apply it when
creating programs. NSF continues to be a major funder of many of our
award winning science and math television programs, including
CYBERCHASE, the only math series for children on American TV, and
DRAGONFLYTV, the only all-science show for elementary and middle-school
kids on television today.
In late 2007, DRAGONFLYTV started an interesting experiment in
informal science education. This experiment involved the collaboration
between DRAGONFLYTV and a total of 30 science museums. This
collaboration resulted in putting science museums on television for the
first time in an ongoing childrens series. Each episode was based on
students visits to science museums, carrying out science inquiry and
then continuing that inquiry outside the institution, as well as
learning about careers in STEM. As required by NSF-affiliated ISE
programs, the summative evaluations of this experiment and other NSF-
funded programs such as CYBERCHASE are all posted on the website
informalscience.org.
In the case of DRAGONFLYTV's evaluations, students were generally
positive about replicating the science investigations they saw modeled
on television. As a result, DRAGONFLYTV continued its collaboration
with science museums for the next season.
We have also received feedback from educators on informal science
education such as:
``We enjoy programs that combine math and science skills to
promote learning. One of our favorite ways of learning is
through TV science and animal programs and Internet sites. The
kids love to watch educational programs on TV and then play
related online games and search for more related information on
what they have learned.'' --Terri from South Carolina, PBS
Teacher
As I mentioned in my testimony, we continue to engage academic and
research partners in universities and key government agencies,
including NSF, the National Institutes for Health, NASA and NOAA.
Appendix A
PBS TEACHERLINE ADVISORY GROUP
Our Advisory Board includes leaders from educational institutions
and professional organizations.
Chris Dede is the Timothy E. Wirth Professor of Learning Technologies
at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Barry Fishman is an Associate Professor of Learning Technologies in the
University of Michigan School of Education.
Rob Ramsdell founded FreshPond Education in 1996 and has spent the past
10 years leading the development of professional development programs
for K-12 educators.
Margaret Riel is a Senior Researcher at SRI, International, and
Visiting Professor at Pepperdine University's online Master in
Educational Technology program.
Dr. Mark Schlager is Associate Director of Learning Communities in SRI
International's Center for Technology in Learning (http://ctl.sri.com).
Claudette Rasmussen is a Senior Professional Development Associate with
the Professional Services Group of Learning Point Associates.
JoEllen Killion is the National Staff Development Council's Director of
Special Projects.
Raymond M. Rose is the President of Rose & Smith Associates.
PBS TEACHERS ADVISORY GROUP, 2008-2009
Anthony J. Augustin
Now in his 25th year of teaching, Anthony Augustin has spent more
than half of his life serving the students of his rural Tennessee
school system. During his tenure with the Lawrence County school
system, Anthony has taught students in grades 7-12. He holds a Master
of Arts in Education degree from the University of North Alabama and is
currently working toward an Educational Specialist degree in
Educational Leadership. Throughout his career as an educator, Anthony
has focused on putting technology into the hands of his students. He
has been recognized at local, State, and national levels for his
excellence in teaching, and in 2006, he was named a Joseph B. Whitehead
Educator of Distinction by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and
honored with the Foundation for Rural Education and Development's Rural
Teacher of the Year Award. He currently teaches physical, Earth and
environmental sciences at Loretto High School in Loretto, Tennessee.
Babs L. Bengtson, Ph.D.
Babs L. Bengtson, Ph.D., is the Director of Educational Services at
Penn State Public Broadcasting (PSPB). Bengtson comes to PSPB with 20
years experience in education, winning national awards in instructional
design and one national award for her research. She has worked for a
variety of companies, including U.S. Airways and Ford Motor Company,
where she gained international instructional design experience.
Bengtson created and managed her own company, Bridge Builders, for
several years before joining Penn State University full time. After
joining Penn State in 1998, Bengtson developed professional development
programs for K-12 teachers, and has taught several courses for pre-
service teachers, helping them learn how to incorporate multimedia in
the classroom. Bengtson earned her Ph.D. in Workforce Education/
Training and Development from Penn State in 1994 and a Master's of
Education in Adult Education, also from Penn State. Her Bachelor of
Arts degree in History and English is from Geneva College, a small,
liberal arts college in Beaver Falls, PA.
Kevin Clark
Dr. Kevin Clark is an Associate Professor and Instructional
Technology Program Coordinator at George Mason University in Virginia.
He received his Bachelor's and Master's degree in computer science from
North Carolina State University, and a Ph.D. in instructional systems
from Pennsylvania State University. Prior to George Mason University,
Dr. Clark worked for an educational software company and was a faculty
member at San Jose State University. Dr. Clark's corporate experience
included positions as a software tester, consultant, content designer,
program manager, and founder/director of a non-profit youth program.
Dr. Clark's research interests include the application of instructional
design principles and learning theories to the design and development
of online learning environments. Dr. Clark is also interested in the
integration of technology into non-formal learning environments as well
as issues related to digital equity. For more information, please visit
his homepage.
Traci Feldhousen
Traci Feldhousen is beginning her fourth year home-schooling her
two children, currently a third grader and a kindergartener. She
graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia with
a double degree in history and Russian language. Over the past few
years, she has been a participant in several educational cooperatives
and is currently one of the leaders of her local home-school support
group.
Jane Ching Fung
Jane Ching Fung has over 24 years of experience in the field of
teaching and learning. She is in her 21st year of teaching for the Los
Angeles Unified School District and currently teaches full-day
kindergarten at the Alexander Science Center School in Exposition Park.
She has facilitated professional development in Early Literacy at the
school, district, and State level. Jane is an active member of the
Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning (www.cftl.org), serves
on the board of the National Commission on Teaching and America's
Future (www.nctaf.org) and The Larchmont Charter School in Los Angeles
(www.Iarchmontcharter.org). She is a 2002 Milken Educator, National
Board Certified, and holds a Master's degree in Curriculum and
Instruction (Reading and Language Arts). In 2001, Jane served on
Governor Guinn's Education Commission of the States' Early Literacy
Council and was a member of the Independent Citizens for California's
Children Committee. Her research with Teachers Network Leadership
Institute (www.teachersnetwork.org/tnli/index.htm) on new teacher
collaboration is included in TNLI's book: Taking Action with Teacher
Research.
Mary Henton
Since joining National Middle School Association in 1999, Mary
Henton has had several positions with the Association, from Director of
Professional Development to Director of Integrated Media Initiatives
(current). Mary is responsible for providing direction about leveraging
technology and media to benefit the Association and its stakeholders.
Mary's entire career has been in education. She has been an English
teacher, outdoor education teacher, adventure and experiential
education trainer and curriculum developer, and consultant in team
development and learning. She has a B.A. in English (Gordon College)
and an Ed.M. (Harvard University, Graduate School of Education).
Eric Hoefler
Eric Hoefler taught English and creative writing at Woodbridge
Senior High School's Center for the Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) in
Woodbridge, Virginia for the past nine years. While there, he helped to
design and implement the CFPA program and the Center's four-year
creative writing program. In 1999, he created a community-based website
for teachers of English and creative writing at the school, which
originally connected students through forum discussions but grew to
include profiles, blogs, and file sharing. During that time, Eric also
helped to develop and teach an online creative writing course as part
of the county's Virtual High School initiative. In 2001, Eric became
the Technology Liaison for the Northern Virginia Writing Project
(NVWP), housed at George Mason University. Through that service, he has
helped to integrate online technologies into the Project's work and has
led numerous workshops that help teachers to understand how emerging
online technologies can further improve the teaching of writing.
Currently, Eric is working with a contracting agency for the Children's
Bureau to help bring online solutions to the Child Welfare Reform
Project, and he continues to work with teachers through his role with
NVWP.
Don Jepsen-Minyard
Don Jepsen-Minyard has taught at Crescent Valley High School in
Corvallis, Oregon since 1990. Currently, he designs and teaches courses
relating to images: Graphic Design, Interactive Design, Photography and
a new, team taught English course, Story and Film. Throughout his
career, He has maintained an interest both in designing instruction and
in personal development. He created a video class for high school
students in conjunction with the Journalism department at Oregon State
University and the Northwest Film Center. He completed the Film
Center's Media Arts for Teachers program. For two academic years, he
collaborated with Bob Madar, winner of the Christine McAuliffe grant,
to design and implement project-based curriculum. Two of his students
produced ``People of the Walamala,'' a video about the ethnobotany of
the Kalapuya Indians, which has been added to many University library
collections in the Pacific Northwest. He worked briefly as a consultant
for JD Hoye, formerly the National Director of the Federal School to
Work program, to design video-based training materials.
Gregg Legutki
Gregg Legutki is currently a Lead Project Specialist for California
Technology Assistance Project (CTAP) in Southern California, covering
Riverside, Inyo, Mono, and San Bernardino Counties. Prior to working
for CTAP, Gregg was a classroom teacher for over 25 years, mostly in
special education. Gregg started out using technology in the classroom
with the original Apple for the Teacher Program in the early '80s. He
was a technology mentor both at the district and school site level.
Gregg has been involved with technology integration for classroom use
for well over 20 years. In his current position, Gregg works with
schools and districts developing workshops for teachers and site
administrators on effective classroom technology integration. He also
teaches a teacher prep class for Chapman University on technology
integration.
Marnie Lewis
Mamie Lewis received a B.S. in elementary education from
Northeastern University in 1994 and in 2002 completed graduate work in
instructional technology through George Mason University. She has
taught in third, fifth and eighth grade classrooms over the past 10
years. She is currently entering her third year as an Instructional
Technology Coordinator for Arlington Public Schools in Virginia. Her
role affords her the opportunity to review and evaluate educational
sites and software to enhance instruction. She works directly with
staff on a daily basis designing and teaching technology infused
lessons.
Dan McDowell
Dan McDowell has spent the last eleven years teaching social
studies at West Hills. During that time, he has actively been involved
in technology integration at the local, State, and national levels,
giving numerous workshops and presentations on variety of topics
including WebQuests, blogs, wikis, and digital video. Most recently
McDowell presented at the National Education Computing Conference in
San Diego. In 2002 he was named Classroom Connect's Internet Educator
for the Year for the Western United States. In Spring 2006, he
completed his MA in Educational Technology at San Diego State
University and was award the privilege of representing the graduating
class as the honor graduate for the department. This fall he was hired
by SDSU to teach a graduate level seminar on digital video. At http://
www.ahistoryteacher.com/wordpress, McDowell blogs about issues related
to his day-to-day experiences as a classroom teacher and educational
technologist. His online portfolio may be accessed at http://
ahistoryteacher.com/.
Susim Munshi
Susim Munshi is a Senior Analyst, Technology Planning and
Integration, Office of Technology Services-eLearning, Chicago Public
Schools. Susim has over 20 years of experience working with students,
teachers and administrators. In his current position Susim assists
schools with professional development, curriculum design, technology
planning, and grant writing. Susim has presented at numerous State and
national conferences on cutting edge technology integration solutions
in classrooms.
Alicia Narvaez
Alicia Narvaez is Creator/Director of the ``Virtual Pre-K & K''
program, a national multi-media parent involvement initiative based out
of the Chicago Public Schools Office of Early Childhood Education. She
is responsible for overall program development and implementation in
Chicago and with school districts in Illinois, Texas, California,
Colorado and Nevada. In May 2006, the Virtual K program was awarded the
Codie Award for ``Best Instructional Solution: Students at Home.''
Prior to her current work in public education, Alicia spent a decade in
educational television and media production. Her credits include work
for the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Television, CBS News,
NOVA, and the BBC.
Sara Reibman
Sara Reibman is a librarian at Biblioteca Las Americas where she
works with the staff and students of the Science Academy and the South
Texas High School for Health Professions, both magnet schools in the
Rio Grande Valley. Sara works on the BLA web site (http://
bla.stisd.net), the VIVA! Peer Tutor Program (http://bla.stisd.net/
viva.htm), online services, and photo classes. In 2006, her library won
the National School Library Media Program of the Year award from the
American Association of School Librarians and she received the
Information Technology Pathfinder of the Year award from the same
institution. Sara received her B.A. from the University of Maryland in
1975 and her M.L.I.S. from Texas Woman's University in 2000.
Annie Schleicher
Annie Schleicher is an Associate Editor for NewsHour Extra, the
teen site for the Online NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Prior to joining the
NewsHour she was a high school English teacher and Peace Corps
volunteer in Mongolia. She lives in Washington, DC.
Bob Sprankle
Bob Sprankle is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine. He
has been a 3/4 Multi-age teacher in Wells, ME for ten years and now
serves as the school's Technology Integrator. He was involved with the
SEED group in Maine as a Technology Learning Leader and helped train
the first wave of teachers using laptops for the seventh and eighth
grader MLTI project. Bob was awarded Maine's Technology Teacher of the
Year in 2006 from ACTEM. His students have received world-wide
recognition for their ``Room 208 Podcast,'' and have appeared in
numerous articles, including The New York Times and Apple's Education
Site. Bob has his own podcast (``Bit by Bit'') to help teachers
incorporate technology into their classrooms. Both podcasts can be
found at http://www.bobsprankle.com/
Sandy St. Louis
Sandy St. Louis is educational outreach manager for FRONTLINE where
she develops content for the FRONTLINE Teacher Center, an online
destination that offers lesson plans and activities to teachers. Prior
to joining FRONTLINE, she worked for nearly a decade in documentary
film and video distribution to the educational marketplace.
Ceit Zweil
Ceit Zweil is a producer of kids' Web sites at WGBH in Boston.
After five years at the helm of the highly-acclaimed ARTHUR web site,
she is currently producing the companion site for the new kids
engineering series DESIGN SQUAD. She has worked with PBS to pilot new
Parents & Teachers editorial guidelines on ARTHUR (and continued
efforts to deliver rich supporting online content for grown-ups as
producer of the CURIOUS GEORGE Parents & Teachers area. Ceit has served
as Project Manager and Content Producer for several other WGBH-produced
sites, including ZOOM, TIME WARP TRIO, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE's WAYBACK,
and the ARTHUR/Children's Hospital Boston portal for kids. She has a BA
in European History from Smith College, and a MA in Theatre Education
(with a focus on interdisciplinary education through the arts) from
Emerson College. Prior to WGBH, Ceit developed an interdisciplinary
arts/science curriculum for a local education company. She is a
performer and dance teacher in the Boston area.
APPENDIX B
PBS TEACHERLINE STATION PARTNERSHIPS
Arizona--ASSET-Eight/KAET, Tempe
Arizona Teachers Excellence Program
School Readiness Council, Maricopa County
CCS Presentation Systems (statewide mobile training labs)
Qwest Foundation in Education
Arkansas Educational Television Network, Conway
Arkansas Department of Education
College Credit Partners:
University of Central Arkansas
Colorado--Rocky Mountain PBS, Denver
Colorado Department of Education, Office of Standards and
Achievement Support
Colorado Department of Education, English Language Acquisition
Unit
Centennial BOCES, Learning Services
Northwest Consortium for Professional Development
Colorado Association of Science Teachers
Pueblo City Schools
Denver Public Schools, ProComp Office
Public Television Stations:
KTSC, Pueblo/Colorado Springs
KRMJ, Grand Junction
College Credit Partners:
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
District of Columbia--WHUT
Howard University, School of Education
WHUR-FM
Florida--WLRN, Miami
Miami-Dade School District
Academica, Inc.
Public Television Station Partners:
WXEL, West Palm Beach, FL
WMTJ, San Juan, Puerto Rico
College Credit Partners:
Nova Southeastern University
Illinois--WSIU, Carbondale
Southern Illinois University, College of Education
Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations/WFYI, Indianapolis
Indianapolis Public Schools
Indiana College Network
Indiana Department of Education
Indiana Humanities Council's Smart Desktop
ISTEM
Indiana Computer Educators
Public Television & Radio Station Partners:
WTIU-TV and WFIU radio, Bloomington
WNIN-TV and WNIN radio, Evansville
WFWA-TV, Fort Wayne
WFYI radio, Indianapolis
WYIN-TV, Merrillville
WIPB-TV, Muncie
WNIT-TV, South Bend/Elkhart
WVUT-TV, Vincennes
WBAA radio, West Lafayette
College Credit Partners:
Marian College
Iowa Public Television, Johnston
College Credit Partners:
Drake University
Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Baton Rouge
Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana
Louisiana Federation of Teachers
Maryland Public Television, Owings Mills
Anne Arundel County Public Schools
St. Mary's County Public Schools
Washington County Public Schools
Baltimore City County Public Schools
Archdiocese of Baltimore Private Schools
Worcester County Department of Professional Development
Allegany County Public School
Massachusetts--WGBY, Springfield
Hampshire Regional School District
Easthampton Public Schools
Massachusetts Department of Education, Office of Instructional
Technology
Public Television Station Partners:
Vermont Public Television
Connecticut Public Television
College Credit Partners:
Merrimack College
Westfield State College
Michigan--WKAR, East Lansing
Michigan Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood
Education and Family Services
Michigan 4-C Association
Ingham County Health Department, Office for Young Children
Ingham Intermediate School District
Capitol Area Community Services Head Start
Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Jackson
Canton Public School District
Leake County School District
South Delta School District
Yazoo County School District
College Credit Partners:
Mississippi College
Nevada--Vegas PBS
Clark County School District, Licensed Personnel Department
Nevada--KNPB, Reno
Washoe County School District
Elko County School District
Western Nevada Regional Training Program
Northwest Regional Professional Development Program
Northern Nevada Mathematics Council
College Credit Partners:
University of Nevada-Reno, College of Education
New Hampshire Public Television, Durham
New Hampshire Department of Education
New Hampshire Local Education Support Center Network
New Hampshire Regional Professional Development Centers
College Credit Partners:
Plymouth State University
New Jersey Network, Trenton
New Jersey Department of Education
New Mexico--KNME, Albuquerque
New Mexico Public Education Department Rural Education Bureau
New Mexico Division of Higher Education
College Credit Partners:
University of New Mexico
North Dakota--Prairie Public Broadcasting, Fargo
North Central Council for School Television
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, State Title I
Office
Lakes and Prairies Child Care Resource and Referral
Children and Family Services Division of the North Dakota
Department of Human Services
College Credit Partners:
North Dakota State University
Minnesota State University, Moorhead
New York--WNED, Buffalo
Science Teachers Association of New York (STANYS)
Reading/Language Arts Association
New York State Mathematics Association
ECLIPSE Science Coordinators
BOCES Model School Coordinators
New York State Teacher Centers
New York State Department of Education
Public Television Station Partners:
WMHT, Albany/Schenectady
WSKG, Binghamton
WLIW, Long Island
WNET, New York
WCFE, Plattsburgh
WXXI, Rochester
WCNY, Syracuse
WPBS, Watertown
Ohio--WVIZ, Cleveland
Tri-County Educational Service Center
Logan County Educational Service Center
Cuyahoga County Educational Service Center
Cuyahoga Special Education Service Center
Greater Cleveland Educational Development Center
Public Television Station Partners:
Think TV, Dayton
WOUB and ETSEO, Athens
WCET, Cincinnati
WGBU, Bowling Green
WOSU/WPBO, Columbus/Portsmouth
WGTE, Toledo
College Credit Partners:
Ashland University
Cleveland State University
The University of Akron
Pennsylvania--WQLN, Erie
Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit
Northwest Regional Key (supports PA Early Learning Keys to
Quality)
Pennsylvania--WITF, Harrisburg
Capital Area Intermediate Unit
South Carolina ETV, Columbia
South Carolina Department of Education
Public Television Station Partners:
Georgia Public Broadcasting, Atlanta
UNC-TV, Research Triangle Park, NC
Tennessee--Nashville Public Television
Tennessee Department of Education, Office of Early Learning
Metro Nashville Public Schools
Public Television Station Partner:
WLJT, West Tennessee State University
College Credit Partner:
Tennessee State University
Texas--KLRU, Austin & KLRN, San Antonio
Texas Computer Education Association
Texas Education Agency, Division of Advanced Academics/Gifted
and Talented
Public Television Station Partners:
KACV, Amarillo
KEDT, Corpus Christi
KERA, Dallas
KMBH, Harlingen
KUHT, Houston
KNOT, Killeen
KTXT, Lubbock
KOCV, Odessa
KWBU, Waco
Virginia--WHRO, Norfolk
Virginia Society for Technology in Education
Virginia Department of Education
Public Television Station Partners:
MHz Networks, Falls Church
WVPT, Harrisonburg
WCVE, Richmond
WBRA, Roanoke
College Credit Providers:
James Madison University
Wisconsin Educational Communications Board, Madison
College Credit Partners:
Viterbo University
Answers to Post-Hearing Questions
Responses by Alejandro Grajal, Senior Vice President for Conservation,
Education, and Training, The Chicago Zoological Society
Questions submitted by Representative Vernon J. Ehlers
Q1. Where do you go to find research when developing ISE programs?
Have you used NSF-funded or other federal agency funded research? Are
you aware of the 2008 Framework for Evaluating Impacts on Informal
Science Education Projects mentioned by Dr. Ferrini-Mundy? And can you
provide example of how federal sponsored educational research has been
applied to existing programs?
A1. To develop informal science education programs, we seek research
papers in various publications, both scientific and non-scientific.
Some of our top sources are Science Magazine (by AAAS) and Nature
Magazine. Science Magazine prints a regular science education feature
that provides good and timely reporting on major trends in ISE. Another
good source is the NTSA magazine (published by the National Science
Teacher Association). Although this is a popular-type publication, it
brings research results in an accessible way.
We have used some NSF-funded research for Informal Science
Education, but I would not consider that our main source of
information. We have found that a significant portion on that most of
the ISE research is focused on methods to provide scientific content
with less emphasis on the process of how the scientific method is
acquired and applied by students.
In that regard, the 2008 Framework for Evaluating Impacts on
Informal Science Education Projects mentioned by Dr. Ferrini-Mundy is
an important part of establishing standards for evaluating impacts in
ISE, particularly by providing the ``Six Strands of Science Learning,''
which we believe will become the reference standards for all future ISE
evaluation efforts.
In the case of the Chicago Zoological Society, our main source of
federal sponsored educational research has been the IMLS (Institute for
Museum and Library Services), which has funded some of our programs,
including research and evaluation. Our evaluation research is now
focused on several important ISE objectives. One of our most recent
interests addresses how learners view themselves with respect to
science. In particular how minorities and women develop personal images
of how they can use science to solve real-life problems.
As we mentioned in our testimony, we find that some research has
been hampered by the over-reliance on technology or scientific facts as
a metaphor for scientific progress. Those approaches with heavy
emphasis on technology or science results tend to overlook that one of
the basic components of effective science is the development of
personal confidence and strong scientific skills.
Appendix 2:
----------
Additional Material for the Record
Statement of loannis Miaoulis
President and Director
Museum of Science, Boston
and Founding Director
National Center for Technological Literacy
On behalf of the Museum of Science, Boston and our National Center
for Technological Literacy, I applaud Chairman Lipinski and the Members
of the Subcommittee for holding this hearing on the importance of
informal science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
education and the opportunity to contribute to it.
ENGINEERING CHANGE: Achieving STEM Literacy and Innovation
With an economy in crisis and a workforce at risk, educating the
Nation's future scientists and engineers and advancing technological
literacy are more important than ever. And, while there are no easy
``fixes,'' informal education centers can help ensure that future
Americans are prepared to make the informed decisions life in a complex
technological world requires and to create the products and services
that will enable our economy to thrive.
Informal Environments Play a Vital Role in Public and K-12 STEM
Education.
According to the January 2009 National Research Council (NRC)
report, Learning Science in Informal Environments: Places, People, and
Pursuits, ``tens of millions of Americans, young and old, choose to
learn about science in informal ways--by visiting museums and
aquariums, attending after-school programs, pursuing personal hobbies,
and watching TV documentaries, for example.'' The report also notes
that informal teaming experiences can significantly improve outcomes
for individuals from groups historically under-represented in science.
Science centers and museums in particular can spark life-long
interest in and understanding of science, engineering, mathematics, and
technology. Non-threatening, friendly environments where adults and
children can explore without fear of being wrong, museums have
resources that many schools do not and offer informal, often
interactive, activities that complement the school curriculum. By
helping the public investigate the natural world and why and how the
human-made world works, science museums help equip young people to live
and work in the 21st century, while also increasing the public's
ability to make educated decisions. Many of the complex issues that
shape our lives require an understanding of basic science, technology,
engineering, and math.
The Museum of Science, Boston is one of the world's largest science
centers an New England's most attended cultural institution. We work to
bring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics alive for about
1.5 million visitors a year through our interactive exhibits and
programs, serving 100,000 more in traveling and overnight programs. Our
landmark, long-range exhibits plan ``Science Is an Activity''
encourages visitors to practice scientific thinking skills. ``Science
Is an Activity'' has been awarded many National Science Foundation
grants and influenced exhibit development at other science centers. The
Museum of Science also partners with school districts to bring the
excitement of the Museum to the classroom, while providing support and
resources for teachers through field trip workshops, pre- and post-
visit activities, teacher professional development, outreach, and
linking resources to state and national learning standards.
For example, the Museum's Eye Opener Program has served 80,000
children from disadvantaged city neighborhoods in the last 40 years.
Supported by the Germeshausen Family Foundation and others, 2,500 to
3,000 second graders a year from 45 to 60 Boston public schools explore
science and engineering for free and share their experiences with
dedicated Museum volunteers. An Eye Opener visit is not just a field
trip, but an all-in-one learning experience that begins the week before
with a visit by Museum staff. When the children pour out of the buses,
they are primed to marvel at a live alligator, climb on a seesaw to
learn balance, and more. Meanwhile, as the youngsters tour the Museum,
their teachers learn how to use the Museum's resources in their
classrooms. The Eye Opener program is also a career and academic
learning opportunity for urban high school youth. Duci Goncalves, 28,
reported that when she was an Eye Opener teen volunteer, the Museum
``opened my eyes and expanded my world. Now, I feel I can do
anything.'' A 2002 graduate of Boston University with a Northeastern
University law degree, she works as an attorney with the Youth Advocacy
Project in Roxbury.
Each year, the Museum hosts 20,000 youngsters in grades 1-6 and
their adult chaperones in a unique overnight field trip for a very
different kind of learning experience. Since 1985, years before the
popular movie, ``Night at the Museum,'' the Museum of Science has
hosted about 435,000 overnighters who can sleep beneath a life-sized
model of Tyrannosaurus Rex, after engaging in hands-on activities
focusing on science, technology, engineering and math.
Museums can also be a valuable community resource. In addition to
on-site visitors, the Museum of Science serves others through outreach
programs, K-12 engineering curricula, partnerships, traveling exhibits,
and web-based media. Since 1995, the Museum has welcomed under-
represented cultural, ethnic, and disabled communities via partnerships
with over 3,500 organizations in Greater Boston and surrounding areas.
In the last 10 years, over 207,000 under-represented visitors have
enjoyed free and/or discounted admission to the Museum and/or
participated in Museum or neighborhood-based community events.
When, with the support of the Hearst Endowment, the Museum of
Science traveling program was able to bring free presentations
featuring live animals to 400 public school fifth graders in Holyoke,
Massachusetts to spark their interest in biology, Dr. Helen Gibson,
Holyoke's K-8 science academic coordinator, said, ``A lot of our
children are from homes where poverty is an issue. Having high-quality,
hands-on programs from the Museum's inspiring educators, is
wonderful.''
Each year, in over 100 learning environments across the globe,
modeled on the Museum's flagship Computer Clubhouse, 25,000 under-
served youths worldwide are changing their lives through the creative
use of technology and support of adult mentors via the Intel Computer
Clubhouse Network. Its ``Girls Day'' program builds confidence and life
skills of girls, using technology to create projects related to their
interests.
Connecting Math and Science to Innovation via Technology and
Engineering in Formal and Informal Education
Settings.
We greatly appreciate that K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) education in the United States has received
significant attention, in response to international competition,
national security, and the need for a well-informed citizenry, however,
we are concerned that K-12 technology and engineering education has
been largely overlooked. We hope for different results, while following
an age-old model of instruction.
Much of our science curricula was established in the nineteenth
century, when our society was largely agrarian, and focused on the
natural world. There were no cell phones, automobiles, video games,
nuclear power plants or space stations. Obviously, our world has
dramatically changed but most curricula have not, leaving a huge gap in
learning. Teachers and students learn little of the human-made world
(i.e., technologies) or of the process in which technologies are
created--engineering. While most people spend 95 percent of their time
interacting with the technologies of the engineered world, few know
that these products, systems and services are created via the
engineering design process. Despite the exponential growth and
influence of technology in our lives, much of our core curricula remain
largely unchanged and only address the human-made world in elective
courses or vocational programs. Only in rare instances is engineering
discussed or taught.
We need to add technology and engineering as standard content in
U.S. public schools and modernize our teaching to reflect our
technological world--our widely diverse and technologically rich world.
We are not simply referring to computers in the classroom. We advocate
and educate for a broader understanding and appreciation of the wide
array of technologies, that we often take for granted, like clean water
and air technologies, simple and complex transportation technologies,
energy technologies, production and distribution technologies, waste
disposal technologies, and other engineered solutions that respond to
our human needs and sustain our planet.
The key to educating students to thrive in today's competitive
global economy is introducing them to the engineering design skills and
concepts that will engage them in applying their math and science
knowledge to solve real problems. This is the way to harness the
creativity of young minds. This is also the process that fuels
innovation of new technologies.
Engaging students in engineering skills--identifying a problem,
designing a solution, testing, and improving the design--can offer a
platform for applied and integrated learning in math, science, English
language arts, and history and social studies. Allowing for failure and
hands-on activities, engineering can also open doors for different
kinds of learners.
Introducing engineering in K-12 learning opens career opportunities
for children of all backgrounds. More than 70 percent of U.S.-born
engineers are influenced by a relative to become an engineer. Children
from ethnic groups under-represented in technology and engineering most
often do not have the relatives or counselors to guide them to pursue
these fields. As minority groups become majority groups, we may see a
parallel decrease in U.S.-born engineers. To maintain our country's
vitality and security and diversify our workforce, we must expand
teacher and student understanding of technology and engineering.
We need to make the ``technology'' and ``engineering'' in STEM
education as important as the ``science'' and ``math'' in all policy-
making, funding, K-12 standards and curricula, teacher professional
development and certification, and student programs and assessments.
Understanding the importance of scientific and technological
literacy and the need for trained scientists and engineers, the Museum
of Science launched the National Center for Technological Literacy
(NCTL) in 2004 to enhance knowledge of engineering and technology for
people of all ages and to inspire the next generation of engineers and
scientists. Through the NCTL, the Museum is working to integrate
engineering as a new discipline in schools nationwide via standards
revisions, assessment items, research and standards-based K-12
curricula development, pre-service and in-service teacher professional
development, and new technology and engineering museum exhibits and
programs. The Museum strives to introduce engineering and technology to
schools and at least one science center or informal education
organization in every state by 2015. The Museum of Science is the only
science museum in the country with a comprehensive strategy and
infrastructure to foster technological literacy in both science museums
and schools nationwide.
An early initiative of the NCTL was to examine and enhance K-12
engineering curricula. The Museum's online Technology and Engineering
Curriculum Review includes instructional materials in a searchable
database (www.mos.orc/TEC). The Museum offers educators and students
nationwide 2,600 science, technology, math, and engineering curriculum
resources and links the Museum's exhibits and programs to state and
national standards.
The NCTL is now helping states modify their educational standards
and assessments to include engineering, developing standards- and
research-based K-12 engineering curricula, and offering educators
support and professional development. Involving students in
engineering, before stereotyping about math and science discourages
them, the our curricula projects are geared to both genders and people
of all colors, backgrounds, and cultures. Our Engineering is Elementary
(EiE) curriculum, for example, integrates engineering and technology
with science, language arts, social studies, and mathematics via
storybooks and hands-on design activities for 1st-5th graders. Each
unit includes an illustrated storybook with a child from a different
country and culture who uses the engineering design process to solve a
community-based problem. The curriculum has reached over 13,300
teachers and 935,800 students in 50 states and Washington, DC.
This program incorporates research, evaluation, and assessment into
its design. On more than 75 percent of questions, students performed
significantly better on the post-assessment than on the pre-assessment.
In most cases, EKE students performed significantly better than the
control. This was true for both genders and all racial/ethnic groups.
Students demonstrated, among other things: a better understanding that
engineering involves design and teamwork; a better understanding of the
engineering design process; and, an increased likelihood of
understanding science content related to the unit. Teachers reported
gains in their knowledge and understanding of the range of engineering
disciplines, what engineers do, and the pervasiveness of engineering.
Engineering is Elementary also shows promising preliminary results
in narrowing the achievement gap in a national controlled study of
thousands of students who participated in an BE unit and related
science instruction, and who participated as the control group in only
the related science instruction. In two of the three units studied, the
performance gap between low and high socioeconomic students was
significantly smaller after participation in an EiE unit.
The Museum of Science's informal education efforts involve
prototyping museum exhibits and programs that will inspire people to
become technologically literate by exploring: 1) what technology is; 2)
how it is created and used; and 3) how to make informed decisions about
its development, use, and impact. Among the Museum's educational
approaches are: 1) a ``showcase'' presenting new technologies and the
latest research, 2) a ``creativity workshop'' for hands-on problem-
solving with technology and invention, and 3) a ``forum'' focusing on
developing critical thinking skills about science and technology
issues. The goal is to help the public understand the innovation
process--the skills of designing, building, and using technology-and
the impact of science and technology. Since 2003, for example, Museum
of Science educators have engaged 76,000 young visitors (47 percent
boys) and (53 percent girls) in Design Challenges involving the
engineering design cycle and intended to appeal to girls and boys.
Well-Managed Partnerships Create Opportunities.
Science centers, particularly those with a focus on technology and
innovation, are well positioned to form partnerships with the private
sector. It's critical to manage them well. Perhaps most important is
setting expectations up front and ensuring that the plan of action will
meet both organizations' goals. These partnerships can provide science
centers with financial, intellectual, and marketing support. Financial
support is the traditional model; firms view this support as part of
their marketing, community relations or long-term workforce
development, and/or philanthropy. Intellectual support ranges from
employee participation in museum programs as presenters, advisors, and
conveners of other potential partners to lending or donating artifacts,
images, and video.
In addressing STEM advances, the Museum of Science often features
the work and knowledge of the world-class science and technology
companies, laboratories, hospitals, and universities that surround it.
In addition in 1984, the Museum of Science created the Science Museum
Exhibit Collaborative to develop and share exhibits with other museums
across the country. In one case, the Museum collaborated with Lucasfilm
Ltd. to create Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, a national
touring exhibit which has promoted technological literacy since 2005.
For the Museum of Science, intellectual partnerships are critical
to supporting a program that reflects current research and advances.
Firms offer marketing support, too, as advisors, through co-promotion
and communication with employees about the Museum's events.
Partnerships can revolve around specific programs or the Museum as a
whole. Firms value partnerships. Associating with a science center
provide benefits for their employees from free Museum admission and a
sense of pride to opportunities for volunteerism, and helping
development of well-informed consumers or voters and a science-and-
technology-literate workforce. The Museum of Science has developed
corporate partnering guidelines to address important issues like
content integrity, ethics, and conflict of interest.
The Beyond the X-Ray exhibit involved extensive intellectual
collaboration between Philips Medical Systems and the Museum, featuring
their name and images and engaging their people in Museum activities,
including compelling presentations of live 3-D cardiac ultrasound. In
this challenging economy, sponsorship from companies also helps reach
communities unable to afford a visit as with the Museum's partnering in
2009 with the MathWorks to bring programs on physics, chemistry,
astronomy, and animal sciences into the Natick, Massachusetts, public
schools.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts, biotechnology company Genzyme has
donated hundreds of Museum passes enabling non-profits and schools to
visit. A 2006 $2 million gift to the Museum to create the Genzyme
Biotechnology Education Initiative supports programs to educate the
public about the rapid discoveries in biotechnology and how these
advances affect their lives. The programs will include interactive
exhibits and educational forums, teacher professional development,
presentations for school groups, lectures, Web-based resources, and K-
12 science and technology curricula. Genzyme also supports the Museum's
model teacher sabbatical program enabling educators to step out of
their classrooms and become students at the Museum for five days.
For partnerships between informal science educators and formal
education institutions, common mission, aligned approaches, funding,
and synergistic strengths are key. Successful partnerships have a
shared sense of accountability, preferably with written agreements, to
deliver on projects and programs. Examples include:
The Museum's Building Mathematics curriculum
development projects, created with Tufts University, provides
innovative practices for integrating engineering with math to
help middle school students develop algebraic thinking.
To address the national shortage of technology
educators, Closing the Technology & Engineering Teaching Gap, a
new K-12 initiative, is integrating NCTL materials into the
fully accredited online technology education programs of Valley
City State University (VCSU), North Dakota. The goal is to
improve the technological literacy of K-12 teachers and prepare
qualified teachers. The NCTL will make its curriculum materials
and training available to VCSU via this innovative online
teacher certification program.
The Museum is also working with three Massachusetts
community colleges to help educate future elementary teachers
via its three-year Advancing Technological Literacy and Skills
project (ATLAS). It involves the community colleges in
developing their understanding of technology and engineering
content and teaching tools. Faculty engage in engineering
design challenges, connect technology and engineering concepts
with science, mathematics, literacy, and other subjects, learn
about technical career options, and modify courses to include
technology and engineering. The project will also include
outreach to four-year colleges and high schools working with
the community colleges to ensure continuity and create a cadre
of faculty to introduce this model to colleagues across the
state.
The Museum launched its first school textbook
publishing partnership in 2007 with Key Curriculum Press. The
standards-based Engineering the Future (EtF) curriculum
engages high school students in hands-on design and building
challenges reflecting real engineering problems and encourages
them to explore what engineering and technology are and how
they influence our society. Preliminary studies show that
students increase their understanding in all four Engineering
the Future units. The textbook is narrated by practicing
engineers--female and male--from various ethnic and cultural
backgrounds.
Research on Informal Learning is Invaluable
Since 2004, the Museum of Science, Boston has conducted over 50
research, evaluation and literature review studies on informal science
education, addressing how the Museum engages the public in STEM
learning. The Museum has focused on these four areas:
1) Museum-led teacher professional development: The Museum is
exploring ways to enhance the capacity of teachers to engage their
students in STEM learning. Early evaluation findings suggest that, in
addition to increased knowledge, teachers participating in the programs
report feeling ``renewed enthusiasm'' and ``rejuvenation'' for teaching
and learning about science. This suggests that the ability for informal
science learning to enable learners to ``experience excitement,
interest, and motivation to learn about phenomena in the natural and
physical world'' may extend not only to children but also to the adults
who play a critical role in educating their children. Future research
could explore the longitudinal impacts of such programs for teacher
interest and motivation for teaching and learning about science, as
well as the impact on increased teacher retention.
2) Universal design for museum learning: Recent Museum of Science
studies have found that people with physical, sensory, and learning
disabilities can engage in and learn from museum experiences that
include multi-sensory interactions and multi-modal interpretations.
Some studies also found that people with disabilities report feeling
positively about themselves as learners when they can fully participate
in and learn from the experience on their own, and report intense
negative feelings when a design presents a barrier to learning. Further
research could examine the relationship between independent learning
and people with disabilities' identities as science learners.
3) Adult forums: The Museum of Science has studied the implementation
of over 50 events across the country that engage adults in discussing
the relationship between science, technology, and society. The Museum
has found that adults: attend Forum discussions based on their interest
in the topic; highly value the opportunity to engage in these
discussions; learn about science and technology content and about the
relationship between science, technology and society through these
programs. These studies also demonstrate that program participants
continue learning about the topic afterwards. Examination of the
potential causal relationship between program participation and
continued learning is a potential area for further research.
4) Engineering design challenges: Early studies by the Museum
demonstrated that most children complete most steps in the engineering
design process when engaged in existing activities, but that children
need more help during certain phases of the design cycle than others.
Recent research efforts have focused on how exhibit designs and adult
involvement can increase children's engagement in the engineering
design process by providing supports and scaffolds that structure the
child's engagement and increase learning through multiple iterations.
Challenges of metrics: The Museum uses many tools cited in the recent
NRC report: self-reported learning through surveys and interviews,
conversational analysis of videotape data, and observations. The Museum
triangulates findings across instruments to reduce reliance on any one
instrument. When possible, the Museum uses existing validated
instruments to collect data. The availability of validated instruments
is limited, however, especially in the above described areas.
Museums' self-directed, open-ended learning experiences which vary
from participant-to-participant are hard to measure, using standardized
tests that measure specific constructs, even for our self-contained
programs, such as teacher professional development and adult forums. In
these programs, adults direct their own learning process, a practice
participants report as one of the most valued aspects of these
programs. This makes it difficult, however, to study these programs as
controlled ``treatments.'' A formalized test would also detract from
the self-directed nature of the programs. This is why the Museum relies
on self-reported learning to measure learning in adult programs,
triangulated with additional instruments such as journals or videotaped
conversations.
Another challenge of conducting research and evaluation studies in
museums is developing instruments that capture the learning of its
diverse visitors, especially in research on universal design. The tools
need to be flexible and allow for differences in how individuals
receive and convey information. It is important to make sure that
regardless of the delivery and collection method, similar constructs or
ideas can be elicited from the users.
Major Challenges and Opportunities in Informal Science Learning
Exhibit development: For nearly all science-technology centers, the
principal challenges are financial. Drawing support from corporate and
individual donors, governmental agencies, and visitors who pay
admission, science centers are in jeopardy when the economy is down.
With the rising costs of utilities and basic functions, science centers
turn to cutting educational programs and deferring maintenance of their
facilities in order to stay open. They also turn to program activities
that may have a record or expectation of drawing large numbers of
visitors, even if those activities do not offer the high level of
educational impact to which the NRC report aspires. Science museums can
create exhibits that draw large numbers of visitors and address
important learning goals, but not without the financial resources. The
Museum of Science was fortunate to win an award from the National
Science Foundation (NSF) for Star Wars: Where Science Meets
Imagination, an exhibit that drew over a million and a half visitors in
its first eight U.S. venues, with learning experiences focused on
engineering design. Future opportunities exist and funding to support
imaginative educational exhibit development would be beneficial.
Relevance: Science museums have been so successful at engaging family
audiences in science learning experiences that they are under-developed
in meeting other community needs, in particular those of adults faced
with decisions about how to use science and technology in their lives.
That's one reason the Museum launched its National Center for
Technological Literacy.
The 5th World Congress of Science Centers recently challenged
science museums to pull people together ``to create a better future for
all through global engagement with issues of local, national, and
global relevance.'' The Museum of Science has also been fortunate to
have an NSF grant to establish the Nanoscale Informal Science Education
Network (www.NISENet.ora). The Network is building partnerships between
university research centers and science museums to raise public
awareness, understanding, and engagement with nanoscale science,
engineering, and technology. This is an area of significant current
research with future impact upon jobs and STEM careers, as well as
possible societal benefits and risks. Over 100 science museums are
working with university researchers to address the needs of youth and
adults. Funding to support similar network-wide approaches to other
topics would further raise the capacity of the public to engage with
the larger enterprises of science and engineering that relate directly
to their lives. Funding for activities that support public engagement
and foster dialogue between experts and lay people also represent an
opportunity to bridge important socio-scientific issues.
Two final challenges: First the challenge of inclusion--broadening the
reach of informal science education to under-represented audiences,
ethnic and racial minorities, people with disabilities, and those in
rural communities. Existing programs could be strengthened and
disseminated more broadly. The second challenge is professional
development. Informal science education is a complex field with only a
few opportunities for directly relevant formal education and so in-
service professional development is essential.
Recommendations
Key federal agencies such as the Department of Education, National
Science Foundation, and NASA can make the ``technology'' and
``engineering'' in STEM education as important as the ``science'' and
``math'' in all policy-making, funding, K-12 standards and curricula,
teacher professional development and certification, and student
programs and assessments. NASA is uniquely positioned to champion the
technology and engineering components of STEM, inspiring children to
pursue careers in these areas. NASA can focus more of its grant
activity on the technology and engineering curriculum, teacher
professional development, and support the development of informal
science education programs, such as museum exhibits and television
programs. NASA can again become the main driver for STEM education as
it was after Sputnik.
As you pursue education and innovation policies and legislation,
please also consider the following:
Remember science museums are excellent providers of
teacher professional development and make sure they can
participate in such programs;
Expand and rename the Math/Science Partnerships to
STEM Partnerships to include technology and engineering
educators in teacher professional development opportunities;
Support after-school programs that include technology
and engineering activities as well as math and science
activities;
Encourage states to adopt technology and engineering
standards and assessments;
Encourage states to include technology and
engineering in the definition of ``rigorous curricula'' for
high school graduation; and
Expand the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) definition and
requirement for ``technology literacy'' to go beyond the use of
computers to include the engineering design process.
Thank you for your efforts to highlight the role of informal
science education in STEM learning. For more information on our museum
programs and services, visit www.mos.org and the work of the NCTL,
visit www.nctl.org. If we can provide any additional information,
please let me know.
Statement of the Girl Scouts of the USA
Introduction
Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is the world's preeminent
organization dedicated solely to girls, serving three million girl
members in every corner of the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, and ninety-five countries worldwide. Girl Scouts has a long-
standing commitment to girls' education and continues to be an
authority on their educational needs. Girl Scouts is committed to
girls' exploration and pursuit of education and careers in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in order to increase the number
of girls pursuing careers in STEM-related fields. We are deeply
invested in supporting girls' involvement in STEM education and add a
unique voice and proven solutions for Congress to consider while
forming policy to assist informal education networks in developing STEM
programming.
Girl Scouts applauds the Science and Technology Committee's
commitment to ensuring that we have an adequately trained STEM
workforce, and submits the following testimony for its review. As the
Committee continues to explore the role of informal education in
preparing our next generation of engineers, scientists, and
mathematicians, please know that Girl Scouts of the USA can provide
resources, information, and guidance in shaping public policies that
will promote these fields, especially among our nation's girls.
Scope of the Problem
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs requiring
science, technology engineering, or math training will increase 24
percent between 2004 and 2014 to 6.3 million. Unfortunately, students'
interest in these subjects is decreasing. At the same time, instruction
devoted to these subjects has declined due to an increased focus on
reading and literacy. Time magazine's report card for No Child Left
Behind found that national average class instruction time for math and
science in grades 1 through 6 had decreased by 17 and 23 minutes per
week, respectively.\1\
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\1\ TIME Magazine. 2007. How to fix No Child Left Behind. Time
Magazine (May 24, 2007).
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Girls especially begin to lose interest in STEM early in their
education; the percentage of girls who say they would not study math
anymore given the choice increases in 4th, 8th, and 12th grade from
nine percent to fifteen percent to 50 percent respectively.\2\ While
girls consistently match or surpass boys' achievements in science and
math in scholastic aptitude tests, achievement tests, and classroom
grades, high school girls are less likely than boys to take AP physics
or computer science exams.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Educational Equity of Girls and Women, National Center for
Education Statistics, 2000.
\3\ The College Board, Advanced Placement Report to the Nation:
2006 (February 2006).
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This weak academic pipeline, along with other factors, is causing
fewer women to pursue careers in STEM fields. According to the National
Science Foundation, women represent 46 percent of the total workforce
in America, but only 25 percent of the workforce in the fields of
science and engineering.\4\ This gender gap holds serious consequences
for the future of our country and its girls. A Bayer Corporation Survey
of Fortune 1000 STEM executives found that roughly nine-in-ten (89
percent) agree that bringing more women and minorities into STEM fields
will help solve U.S. manpower shortages. If our nation is to maintain a
competitive advantage in the global economy, we need to ensure that the
entire population of young minds is encouraged to explore STEM fields.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources
Statistics, Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science
and Engineering: 2004, NSF 04-317 (updated May 2004). Available at
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd
History of Girl Scouts and STEM
Girl Scouts is committed to girls' pursuit of education and careers
in STEM to achieve parity for girls in STEM-related fields. With over
70 badges and patches in STEM-related activities for Girl Scouts at all
levels ages 5-17, girls are encouraged to explore the many ways in
which STEM fields relate to their lives. GSUSA brings girls the highest
level of STEM opportunities through research-based programming and
collaboration with academic and industry leaders. By developing an
early interest in STEM fields within a supportive network of caring
adults and peers, Girl Scouts are poised to become future world
scientists, engineers and scholars.
Girl Scouts STEM programming is provided in a safe, fun, girl-
centered environment. Our STEM programming is designed to strategically
engage girls in age-appropriate activities that make STEM approachable
and fun. Our programs promote gender equality by encouraging girls to
explore career and educational opportunities in fields where women are
under-represented, while encouraging girls to undertake activities that
are girl-led, collaborative, and hands-on. Our past and current efforts
emphasize a number of different approaches, including public education
campaigns, partnerships, mentorship programs, traditional badges and
activities, and innovative new programming.
For example, in order to highlight the need to encourage girls'
interest in STEM, Girl Scouts partnered with the Ad Council in 2003 to
produce a three-year public service announcement campaign. This
campaign, aimed at girls, their parents and caregivers, and educators,
was launched on television, radio, online, and in print media.
Girl Scouts programming also encourages girls to reach for the
stars--literally. Through our partnership with NASA, Girl Scouts can
access some of NASA's cutting-edge robotics technology and one-of-a-
kind internships. Girl Scouts are able to attend solar science
trainings and are given the opportunity to meet NASA scientists
themselves.
Our NASA partnership also highlights the importance of role models
for girls, whether they are astronauts or engineers. Our Fair Play
program is a proven, successful initiative run in partnership with the
Department of Education and the Intel Corporation that teaches girls
about the fields of science, technology, engineering and math through
extracurricular experiences. This innovative program features day camp,
resident camp, after-school time and university-based implementation
models, and includes women who are currently experts in physics, math,
design, technology and computer engineering. Hands-on learning and
mentoring with adult role models appeals to girls already interested in
STEM, as well as those for whom math and science were formerly daunting
topics.
Long before these innovative programs existed, however, Girl Scouts
offered an array of badges and activities related to nature and other
biological sciences. Beyond traditional badges such as ``Wildlife,''
Girl Scout programming includes badges in math, chemistry, computers,
and engineering, with badges such as ``Build a Better Future,'' in
which girls experiment with engineering design problems while
connecting them to their desire to create positive change in their
world.
Against this strong history and experience, Girl Scouts is poised
to vastly expand our STEM outreach through creation and launch of a new
Girl Scout ``journey'' titled It's Your Planet, Love It! A ``journey''
represents a new way that girls experience Girl Scouting. Rather than
pursuing discrete activities and earning individual badges, girls take
part in a ``journey'' along a designated, multi-disciplinary theme.
It's Your Planet, Love It! uses girls' concern for the environment as a
way to bolster their interest in STEM fields. This program focuses on
career exploration, hands-on activities, mentoring, and project-based
learning in a girl-centric, supportive environment. By increasing STEM
literacy among girls, Girl Scouts is preparing a new generation of
leaders to tackle the environmental issues of tomorrow.
Policy Recommendations
Girl Scouts strongly supports federal, State and local policies
that improve our focus on both the formal and informal STEM education
sectors. Informal education organizations especially have a crucial
roll to play in the shaping of policy that will positively impact the
next generation of the STEM workforce. As the Science and Technology
Committee moves forward on this effort, we strongly encourage you to
support the expansion of programs that help non-profit organizations--
such as Girl Scouts--to promote STEM education and complement formal
education. Girl Scouts is looking for opportunities to assist Congress
in improving how we as a country promote STEM education in our nation's
youth, especially at those points where girls tend to lose interest in
STEM: 4th, 8th, and 12th grade. In order to best meet the needs of
girls and youth, we recommend the Committee consider and implement
policies that encourage:
Diverse Learning Environments: We will not be
successful in increasing the number of individuals engaging in
STEM fields if we rely solely on the traditional educational
setting. Congress must expand efforts to teach STEM fields
outside the classroom, in diverse settings. Specifically,
spaces must be created for girls where they can explore,
investigate, and experiment without fear. Efforts should be
made to pilot ``girl-only'' demonstration projects to engage
girls in STEM activities in safe, girl-only environments.
Hands-on/Real World Learning: Limited instruction
time, competing priorities, and insufficient resources reduce
the availability of hands-on experimentation in the classroom.
Our research demonstrates, however, that girls interest in STEM
is increased when it is provided in a hands-on, experiential,
student-led environment. Furthermore, hands-on learning must be
tied to practical, real world applications. To ensure that we
are engaging students in ways that capture their imaginations
and interests, Congress should support efforts to expand hands-
on, real world, collaborative learning in the informal
educational setting.
Role Models: Access to strong and inspiring role
models and mentors is a critical way to engage more girls in
STEM fields. Congress should create a mentoring program to
encourage young women to become involved in STEM education and
careers. Such programs should promote the work of non-profit
organizations, collaborations with business and industry,
partnerships with institutions of higher learning, and other
activities that bring together the efforts of the public,
private and non-profit sectors. Special emphasis should be
placed on programs that serve women, minorities, and people
with disabilities.
Stigma: Stigma and stereotypes about STEM fields
often keep girls from pursuing these educational opportunities.
The desire for social acceptance in school, along with the
perception that STEM activities are solitary and uninteresting,
discourages young women from pursuing their early interest in
STEM. Congress should promote efforts of federal agencies,
informal and formal educational partners, and private industry
to combat this stigma through public education campaigns. As a
leading authority on girls' interests and thinking, Girl Scouts
is well-positioned to assist the government in reframing girls'
perception of STEM to encourage more girls to engage in STEM
fields.
Consistent standards: To ensure the quality of
education in the informal setting, Congress should develop
nationally consistent learning standards that allow the
country's informal sector to provide meaningful resources to
teachers around the country and map to national standards.
Conclusions
It is imperative that our nation meet the challenge of educating
the next generation of STEM leaders. While formal educational
initiatives such as No Child Left Behind have renewed our country's
focus on basics such as reading, writing, and math, other STEM-related
fields have received less attention in order to accommodate these
changes. Although gaps in formal education are increasing, the informal
education sector is ideally suited to fill those gaps. Organizations
that run after-school programming in conjunction with year-round
initiatives, such as Girl Scouts, can help STEM resonate with girls who
may have previously found STEM fields uninteresting or irrelevant.
Listening to the voices of girls has informed Girl Scouts STEM
programming and provides significant and important lessons for
Congress' consideration.
Girl Scouts would like to thank the Subcommittee on Research and
Science Education for its willingness to investigate the importance of
informal STEM education, and looks forward to working with the
Committee on these important issues.