Inquiry Leadership Seminar
March 5-8, 1997


Participants

 

ALABAMA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Martine Bates
martinegb@aol.com

I am principal of Danville-Neel Elementary, a pre-K through 4th grade school in rural North Alabama. We piloted the Hands-On Activity Science Program for our system and are now in our fourth year of implementation. I also serve on the HASP District Council, which determines which modules are to be taught and at what grade level.


Carolyn Ellinger

My educational career started twenty nine years ago as a science teacher in grades seven through twelve with as many as five preparations per day. Eventually I taught only high school science. My career as a science teacher spanned twenty-two years that were packed with science competitions, workshops, innovations and technologies. I became an assistant principal but continued my involvement in science by developing and implementing new science courses when my school went to a core curriculum. I am currently principal of a kindergarten through eight school where HASP and Integrated Science are the science programs. I am very impressed by the hands-on discovery type science that both programs encourage and I am very interested in creating classroom environments that stimulate inquiry, reasoning and other higher order thinking skills. Education as I once knew it is no more - it is dynamic. If we are to provide our students with the skills they need to be competitive in a global market we must encourage them to think, reason, analyze and act.


Mary Landers-Horton
mlanders@hiwaay.net

I began my educational career as a high school social studies teacher. This only lasted for three years. I returned to school to work on my doctorate in secondary social studies while working as a graduate assistant and fraternity housemother. I wanted to teach at the college level so I did not pursue any educational administration course work. However, my plans changed and I went back to my home school system to work as a district level administrator. My present title is Director of Federal Programs which entails Title I, II, VI and Migrant. I began working with science reform because of the Title II Eisenhower monies. It is very exciting and intellectually stimulating. It not only has impacted elementary science instruction in our system but every other subject as well. Science has been the vehicle for change in all core subjects. As a result, education as we know it in Morgan County, Alabama will never be the same again and neither will staff development. When not working to reform education, I enjoying traveling with my husband and three dogs, and pursuing my hobbies of running, biking, gardening and gourmet cooking.


Randall Murphy
randmurph@ces.acs.k12.al.us

I am principal of James L. Cowart Elementary School in Athens, Alabama. As principal, I feel that it is my responsibility to oversee all curriculum in my school. The principal must initiate new programs and support those programs to be implemented. The Hands-On Activity Science Program has been a joint venture of the University of Alabama at Huntsville and seven other local school districts. As principal, and a former science teacher in one of those seven districts, it is my responsibility to encourage staff development, because it is such a vital key element in HASP's elementary science program. It is imperative to any program that the principal be supportive and take an active role in participating as much as possible in the program. I try to accomplish this commitment daily which has made our program a total success.


BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BUFFALO, NEW YORK

Local Systemic Change, NSF
Center for Urban Science Eduacation Reform, EDC

Marilyn Foote-Kragbe
MFooteKrag@aol.com

I am a second grade teacher in an Early Childhood Center. The Early Childhood Centers only go from grades Pre-K - 2. I teach all subjects plus gym, art and music. I am the Level 1 science mentor in my building and I also facilitate teachers in Level 1 science for Project TEAM in the district.


Janet Siulc
siu7@aol.com

I am a special education resource room and consultant teacher at Buffalo Public School #40, Buffalo, New York. My current students are in kindergarten through grade six. I also "push in" for science in a third grade at my school. From July 1994 - May 1996, I was part of Project TEAM, a program designed to train elementary teachers in hands-on and inquiry based science instruction. TEAM was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the Buffalo Museum of Science and the Buffalo Public Schools and gave teachers experiences with museum curators and experts in various scientific fields. Having completed TEAM, I am now one of the facilitators who trains other Buffalo teachers in the use of hands-on science and inquiry under a new grant called TEAM 2000. The program depends on teachers advising, mentoring and assisting each other as we work to improve science instruction in Buffalo schools.


Mary Jean Syrek
msyrek@mailgate.drew.buffalo.k12.ny.us

I currently hold the following job titles with their responsibilities: District Elementary Science Mentor - responsible for training building science mentors to administer the ESPET test to fourth graders in each building; conduct workshops in elementary PK-6 hands-on science; represent the district at the state level in elementary science; provide resources to district teachers; develop curriculum with the Director of Science. Curriculum Resource Specialist - work 50% with teachers and students grades 5 and 6 at the Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet. Work 50% with TEAM 2000 as Senior Mentor for Grades 5 and 6 in developing and training teachers for changing science approaches in science inquiry, problem solving and new kit programs.


CLARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT LAS VEGAS, NV

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Sue Bernheisel
SBernheise @aol.com

I am an experienced principal, currently at Crestwood Elementary School. We are an inner-city, at-risk school according to district standards. I choose to view us as a needy school, in need of the best physical and human resources. My responsibilities related to district science education reform revolve around being the instructional leader in an identified Science Project School. That translates to being involved in training to stretch and support instructional practices in our school. By building a cadre of strong science teachers in our school, we will then be able to expand into assisting other schools in our district with improved science instruction and instruction in general.


Lynne Dee Shay
76312.3113@compuserv.com

As a Teacher on Special Assignment I am responsible for designing and facilitating professional development for K-5 teachers in Science Project Schools funded by the Mathematical and Science Enhancement II (MASE II) LSC. This involves material-based workshops with teachers from clusters of schools and site-based workshops within a particular school. I also work with teams of teacher leaders to plan workshops and look at issues in learning. During the summer I'm part of the staff for a two-week Inquiry Institute and am now teaching an Animals Inquiry Module developed by CAPSI (Caltech Precollege Science Initiative).


 

Eva Simmons

I currently serve as Area Superintendent, Elementary Education Division, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevada. As Area Superintendent, I oversee the operation and student achievement of 29 diverse elementary schools. Diversity classifications include size (one room school with 34 students up to a 1,200 student year-round school); ethnicity (all white to 95% minority); configuration (Pre K-2 to K-8); and teacher stability (no turnover to 50 turnover this year). Principals are the instructional leaders for the school. I think of myself as the instructional leader for my assigned area. Math and science are selected priorities and I am responsible to oversee the design and implementation of staff development for my assigned schools.


EAST BAY EDUCATIONAL COLLABORATIVE
PORTSMOUTH, RHODE ISLAND

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Ron Defronzo
rdefronz@ride.ri.net

As Program Director for the KITES Project (Kits in Teaching Elementary Science) my responsibilities include coordinating the professional development experiences of over 600 elementary teachers in the 8 school districts which we serve. I also work closely with 20 elementary school principals and their faculty to enhance their school improvement plans in the area of science and assessment. Related activities include working with parent groups and the business and scientific community to raise levels of awareness and support.


Jerry Kowalczyk
kowalczj@ride.ri.net

As Executive Director of Rhode Island's East Bay Educational Collaborative, I share responsibility for science education reform and for other educational reforms among the eight school districts participating in the collaborative. In science reform, I am co-principal investigator of the KITES Project (Kits in Teaching Elementary Science). This 5-year Local Systemic Change initiative began in May 1995. It is bringing inquiry science into 600 classrooms and impacting 13,000 K-6 children in 52 participating schools.


Linda Halliday Moitoza
lmoitoza@ride.ri.net

Linda Halliday Moitoza is currently teaching grade 5 at Cranston Calvert School in Newport, Rhode Island. Linda's school district and seven others are part of the East Bay Educational Collaborate (EBEC). EBEC is currently training teachers and providing materials for the KITES (Kits in Teaching Elementary Science) program. Linda is a third year KITES Specialist for grade 6 teachers. She is also a member of the Newport Science Curriculum Committee and EBEC Frameworks Committee. Linda was a member of the Performance Assessment team for Math and Science for Rhode Island.


Lorraine Rappoport
ride1082@ride.ri.net

I am an elementary ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher at the Orlo Avenue School in East Providence, Rhode Island. My students are first and second graders. I teach English within the Language Arts as well as the Content Areas. Within the East Providence School District, I am a KITES teacher and KITES Kit Specialist for the KITES (Kits In Teaching Elementary Science) Project. KITES is a long term regional project for systemic change in science education. In my capacity as a KITES teacher, I have field tested science kits and served on the selection committee which has chosen the kits to be used in our eight school district region. The purpose of these kits is to provide elementary students with a hands-on, inquiry based school science experience. As a kit specialist, I train classroom teachers in the implementation of a science kit within their classroom. Training includes familiarization with the kit and the notion of inquiry based science, integration of the science topic within the general curriculum and assessment of students' learning. I am also a member of the district Science Curriculum Committee and the Technology Committee. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education Degree from Boston University and a Masters of Education in Reading Degree from Rhode Island College. I live in Cranston, Rhode Island with my husband and I have two sons.


 

KEYSTONE PROJECT
BOZEMAN, MONTANA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Ned Levine
wilevi@hawks.bps.montana.edu

I am a full time principal for Willson Science and Technology in Bozeman. I have several roles that I fulfill in the science reform efforts. For Bozeman Schools, I share the administrator duties for the science and technology committee. In the Keystone LSC project, my responsibility as co-principal investigator is one of implementation specialist in which my capacity is to advise and to help conduct staff development and strategic planning sessions during summer institutes. As a part of my Keystone involvement, I have become an active member of and a presenter for national groups that promote the standards, as well as inquiry science.


 

Myra Miller
wimill@hawks.bps.montana.edu

At the present time, I am the principal investigator of the LSC project called Keystone as well as the director of Bozeman Public Schools' STEC Center (Science and Technology Center). I am responsible for: organizing and carrying out staff development plans, workshops and institutes for mentor leaders, participants and administrators in 21 school districts that are geographically wide spread overseeing and advising districts about the expenditure of grant funding visiting and working in schools as a mentor overseeing scheduling, distributing and refurbishing kits for the science center as well as billing schools and maintaining the center's budget administering, collating and reporting Keystone evaluation data performing the duties that are a part of being the science committee chairperson for Bozeman.


Wendy Pierce
cjpier@hawks.bps.montana.edu

I am currently teaching 7th and 8th grade science at Chief Joseph Middle School in Bozeman, Montana. As part of an interdisciplinary team that consists of communication arts, social studies, math, health enhancement and science, I am responsible for teaching both life and physical science to approximately 130 middle school students. In our interdisciplinary team we teach both our core subjects as well as integrated units. For the past two years I have served as a mentor science teacher for the Keystone grant in our district. I work with middle school science teachers as well as teams interested in including a science component in integrated units. My role as a mentor teacher for the Keystone Project involves encouraging and modeling inquiry-based teaching for my colleagues. I have participated in and presented at several workshops through the Keystone Project as well as served on the district science committee which is responsible for writing the district goals and assessments. I am continually looking for ways to improve my teaching and understanding of the best methods of teaching science and to share this knowledge with others.


Donnie Seibel
wiseib@hawks.bps.montana.edu

I am currently teaching in a multi-age (kindergarten-first grade) classroom at Willson Science and Technology School in Bozeman, Montana. The focus of all thematic teaching in my classroom revolves around science, utilizing inquiry based, hands on, integrated science units of study. I have served on the district science committee for the past four years, and have been involved in the development and adoption of our district K-12 science curriculum. We are currently involved in writing the assessment component of the curriculum. I am also active as a Keystone Project mentor science teacher for the district as well as around the state of Montana. My role involves participating in and presenting workshops for peers which model and encourage exemplary science teaching practices.


 

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT
WEST WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
PLAINSBORO, NEW JERSEY

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Bernard Bricketto

I am a principal of a K-3 elementary school. We currently have three sections of each grade level and one special education class. Our district, Lawrence Township Public Schools, has a Science Coordinator and a Science Curriculum Council with representation from our seven schools. Together with two other school districts, we have been awarded an NSF grant that will enable us to provide each teacher with 110 hours of science training over the next four years. This grant has allowed us to move toward inquiry-based science. My role as principal will primarily be to help implement this inquiry approach through staff development and summer institutes.

William Buss

I am currently the principal of the Lawrence Intermediate School, which houses grades 4, 5 and 6 for the Lawrence Township School District. Our enrollment stands at 865 students. I have been principal of the school for thirteen years. I have been working closely with our district science coordinator in the district science educational reform efforts. We have been incorporating science inquiry lab experiences into our science program and we continue to pilot new kits. Our long range goal is to identify and place inquiry-based lab experiences into every grade level science unit taught.

Brian Stevens
Brian_Stevens@wwpvillage.k12.nj.us

I am currently the Assistant Principal of the Village Elementary School which has a K-4 population of 755 students. I serve as an administrative liaison for the K-6 Science Curriculum committee.

Michael Welborn
uesap3@ pluto.njcc.com

Currently I am an Assistant Principal at the Wicoff School (K-4) and the Upper Elementary School (4-6). I serve as an administrative liaison for the K-6 Science Curriculum Committee.


LIFE LAB SCIENCE PROGRAM
SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Barbara Carillo

As the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, I am responsible for the implementation of all content area instruction. With regard to the District Science Education reform efforts we are in the process of assuring all Science reform initiatives within the district are complimentary and enhance our District Science Matrix. Having just completed our District Strategic planning, it is clear that setting the Standard and Assessments for Science Literacy will align with the district's plan. The district is very pleased to have participated in CSIN and presently involved with the scaling-up of LASERS. We look forward to continuing articulation between our District Science Lead Teachers for district-wide access to a meaningful Science Program.


Roberta Jaffe
jaffe@zzyx.ucsc.edu

I am Executive Director of Life Lab Science Program, a nonprofit educational organization affiliated with the University of California, Santa Cruz. Our mission is to improve opportunities for children to learn science using the garden as a Living Laboratory. We work with educators across the nation assisting schools in the development of gardens and the integration of the garden context into the curriculum. Life Lab also develops science curriculum. Currently we are collaborating with seven school districts in a NSF-funded Local Systemic Change Initiative to integrate science education with language acquisition. The seven districts are located in the California central coast agriculture region and all have a high percentage of language minority students. The focus of this project (LASERS) is to integrate science and language development within the agricultural community connect to make science meaningful to the students' lives and to develop models of bilingual science that truly provide science for all students.



METRO NASHVILLE AREA LOCAL SYSTEMIC CHANGE PROJECT
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Barbara Nye
BNYE@Picard.TNTSTATE.EDU

This LSC is a partnership between four school districts (Metro-Nashville, Rutherford, Sumner and Williamson Counties) and Tennessee State University (TSU). TSU is the fiscal agent and manages the Teacher Enhancement and Material Management (TEMM) Center. The districts have 3,000 elementary teachers and 129 schools. Our consortium partners have worked together since 1991 to begin the transition from text-based to inquiry-based science. We received our National Science Foundation grant in 1996. As Principal Investigator at the University my key roles include:

  1. Working with districts on district/consortium policies to promote and sustain systemic change in curriculum and professional development policies/practices resource allocation, etc.
  2. Assuring and providing the necessary quality professional development including building district infrastructure of teacher and principal leadership.
  3. Identifying new and promoting the use of current resources (University, NSF, District Community) to support and sustain change.
  4. Facilitating community involvement.
  5. Working on K-6 change and transition.
  6. Assessing best practice research and information for decision making.
  7. Supporting formative and summative evaluation, etc.


Emily Stinson
BNYE@Picard.TNTSTATE.EDU

This LSC is a partnership between four school districts (Metro-Nashville, Rutherford, Sumner and Williamson Counties) and Tennessee State University (TSU). TSU is the fiscal agent and manages the Teacher Enhancement and Material Management (TEMM) Center. The districts have 3,000 elementary teachers and 129 schools. Our consortium partners have worked together since 1991 to begin the transition from text-based to inquiry-based science. We received our National Science Foundation grant in 1996. As Project Director at the University my key roles include: appoints NSF funded positions; meets NSF reporting requirements; mentors teachers-in-residence; plans and conducts learning activities for teachers-in-residence and school facilitators; gives general supervision to all project enhancement activities; manages day-to-day operations; and chairs monthly meetings with district Elementary Directors.


Jeanne Tuschl
BNYE@Picard.TNTSTATE.EDU

This LSC is a partnership between four school districts (Metro-Nashville, Rutherford, Sumner and Williamson Counties) and Tennessee State University (TSU). TSU is the fiscal agent and manages the Teacher Enhancement and Material Management (TEMM) Center. The districts have 3,000 elementary teachers and 129 schools. Our consortium partners have worked together since 1991 to begin the transition from text-based to inquiry-based science. We received our National Science Foundation grant in 1996. As a Teacher-in-Residence at the University my key roles include: reporting to and assisting the Project Director full-time in planning, scheduling and conducting learning activities for school facilitators; conduct across-school activities for peer teachers; assist with in-school activities; and assist in planning module distribution schedule each year.


STARK COUNTY EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER
SCIENCE EDUCATION ENHANCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS (SEEDS) PROJECT
CANTON, OHIO

Local Systemic Change, NSF

 

Mike Daulbaugh
daulbaughm@aviators.stark.k12.ohio.us

Mike is a fifth grade teacher on sabbatical from the Alliance City Schools facilitating the SEEDS Project (Science Education Enhancing the Development of Schools) full time. His focus is the integration of Math and Science and has recently completed training and is an AIMS national trainer. Mike is also a Program Management Team (PMT) member (one of six) with the SEEDS Project.


Dave Lewis
del2sd@seedsnet.stark.k12.oh.us

Dave Lewis is a 21 year veteran high school biology teacher. Dave holds a bachelors degree in biology and a masters degree in physical anthropology as well as being certified as a cytotechnologist. He is a member of the project management team of the Science Education Enhancing the Development of Skills (SEEDS) Project in Stark County, Ohio and shares duties with six other members. This five year project deals with the introduction of hands-on, minds-on science units into the elementary classroom as well as training elementary teachers in authentic assessment, science content areas, cooperative learning, constructivism and technology. Mr. Lewis' major responsibilities in the project deal with the technology areas. He is responsible for the design and implementation of technology training for the 1,000 faculty members involved in the project as well as the systems administrator for the SEEDSnet computer network. Mr. Lewis is responsible for the design and implementing teacher inservice as well as serving as technology consultant to the seventeen lead teachers and their leadership teams. He teaches numerous courses in multimedia, internet training and the integration of computers into the elementary classroom. Mr. Lewis also serves as lead teacher for his district directing the reform activities of almost 100 elementary teachers.


David Miller
dlm2sd@seedsnet.stark.k12.oh.us

My position can be divided into three areas of responsibility even though they are all interwoven. The first area is that of a grade eight "Science Teacher" on a released time schedule. This is an arena for reform efforts. The second area is that of "Lead Teacher" for the local school district facilitators of change. The third area is that of "Program Management Team" for the county wide, NSF funded SEEDS (Science Education Enhancing the Development of Skills) Project. Part of the goal of this project is to "provide an intensive series of professional growth opportunities and options for teachers to stimulate systemic change."


 

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