Professional Development Design Workshop

6-11 October 1997

Participant Biographies

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Traci Caves caves_traci@msmail.asd.k12.ak.us I am a Teacher on Special Assignment working to facilitate the growth of 1,050 elementary teachers toward developing successful pedagogical strategies and comfort with basic content surrounding our recently implemented Earth Systems Elementary Science Program. My responsibilities include collaborating with a team to plan, schedule, coordinate and deliver instruction and hands-on science materials. Our National Science Foundation Grant award is supporting 100 hours of training for each teacher plus many additional hours for a core of 300 support teachers. At the end of two years, forty-two of the 100 hours have been facilitated by my training partner and me. We are excited to be broadening our trainer base by using classroom teachers this coming year. A key component of our training is to model hands-on science instruction and guide teachers in their transition to providing more inquiry rich learning opportunities.

Patricia McRae freemac@arctic.net I am an elementary school principal of a K-6 school of 596 students in the Anchorage School District. My school is the home of both a neighborhood school as well as a magnet Japanese Partial Immersion Program. My career as an educator has included experience in teaching special education in preschool through 12th grade, teaching both K, 1, 2 and 4, 5, 6 multigrades, and as an elementary school principal. I have long been interested in constructivism and the role of inquiry in learning. I have enjoyed and benefited from reading the works of John Dewey (written almost a century ago). I believe that my role as a school principal is to promote a learning environment which fosters the desire to learn, hence my support of the science reform efforts in the Anchorage School District and my excitement as a participant in this upcoming Exploratorium workshop.

ASSET, INC.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Phillip Collins pcollins@aiu-server.aiu.k12.pa.us Presently I am an ASSET Science Resource Teacher who has been released for two years from my third grade teaching assignment in the Upper Saint Clair School District, an ASSET participating school district. I have been a teacher and curriculum coordinator with the school district for thirty-one years. Grade level assignments have included third grade, fourth grade and fifth grade. My curriculum coordinating duties involve coordinating a budget, training teachers, proposing and implementing staff development projects, designing models for curriculum change and model teaching. My areas of responsibility with the ASSET project for systemic reform include providing module specific training with teachers who are preparing to teach hands-on, minds-on units of science. These trainings occur within sixteen Allegheny County school districts that are participating in the project. I also provide teachers with inquiry based training in the various components of the ASSET project. These sessions focus upon: FERA Learning Cycle (Focus, Explore, Reflect, Apply); the Constructivist Theory; Alternative Forms of Assessment; Peer Coaching; and Questioning Strategies. As a resource teacher with the project, professional development is a major component in our systemic reform initiative. Possible applications based on experience at the Institute should assist not only myself but others within our professional development team whose primary goal is to achieve reform in elementary science.

---

Sharon Beddard Hess sbhess@aiu-server.aiu.k12.pa.us Presently I am working as a Science Resource Teacher with ASSET Inc. (Allegheny Schools Science Education and Technology). Prior to this assignment, I worked for Quaker Valley School District as an elementary teacher for 21 years. My district is part of the ASSET initiative providing inquiry based science to the students in our schools. I will be working on loan to ASSET for two years, then I will return to my regular teaching assignment. My current areas of responsibility are with the Professional Development of all teachers involved in the ASSET program. I train teachers from the 16 districts who are preparing to teach hands on units of science using the STC and FOSS programs. I also visit the classrooms and do teacher enhancement projects with the children based on the inquiry approach. Another responsibility is to assist in planning and providing teachers with inquiry based training in various components of the ASSET project. These areas are: FERA Learning Cycle (Focus, Explore, Reflect & Apply), questioning techniques, constructivist theory, and assessment techniques. My experience at the Professional Development Design Workshop should assist me in planning further professional development for all the teachers involved in the ASSET program.

---

BAY AREA SCHOOLS FOR EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION (BASEE)

PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Jan Hustler jhustler@basee.org Bay Area Schools for Excellence in Education (BASEE) is a collaborative of eight school districts working with Hewlett-Packard Company to strengthen and sustain the science reform efforts we began in the past five years. BASEE recently received funding from the National Science Foundation to develop five strands of professional development for teachers and administrators along with district level science resource teachers and lead teachers at each school site. Jan Hustler, as the BASEE project director, is working with eleven science resource teachers to develop and implement the project's plans. This is the first of the five year project timeline. Prior to this role, Jan had many years as an elementary classroom teacher. The last four were spent as the Science Resource Teacher for Palo Alto Unified School District to supervise the adoption of new science curriculum and provide a "Morning with the Experts" staff development model. During that time she designed and opened Palo Alto's first science resource center for kit refurbishment.

---

Lindy Mateas Initiative Coordinator, University of Illinois at Chicago All Learn Mathematics (UIC-ALM) Project lmateas@basee.org I am presently out of the classroom as a Teacher on Special Assignment focused on science with connections to the literacy initiative. I have been promoting systemic change in science education since 1992 when I went to the National Science Research Center as a member of Santa Clara Unified's team. The next three years we implemented a Hewlett-Packard Hands On Science grant. We established a summer science academy for K-12 teachers as well as offering a variety of staff development activities. We instituted a science resource center providing consumable items to teachers to support kit use. We created an infrastructure of five science support teachers available to help at school sites, and science liaisons, two from each school, who meet on a monthly basis. My job was created to coordinate the infrastructure and the science efforts. Assessment is our most recent step. We administered district wide performance based assessment at grades 2, 5 and 8 in the physical science strand in Spring 1997. The assessments were written to our district science standards created by our teachers. Teachers were trained in administering and holistically scoring the assessment. Next year we will be working in the life science strand. As a part of the BASEE Collaborative we look forward to strengthening our staff development for new and experienced teachers.

 

---

Dorothy Patzia dpatzia@basee.org I have been a classroom teacher, grades 1-6, for over 20 years - I became more active in Science education through a training program with and at Stanford. That began my involvement in science at the district level - including being on the committee that developed standards and decided on units. At this time I am the Science Resource Teacher. My responsibilities include developing curriculum, organizing and directing science inservices on kits and supporting teachers in the classroom. We are also members of BASEE.

 

---

Louise Wiest wiest_louise@cupertino.k12.ca.us As one of two Science Resource Teachers in Cupertino Union School District, I am a science and health curriculum resource teacher for 19 elementary and 4 junior high schools. My major responsibilities include developing and coordinating science and health curriculum. Another aspect of my duties is to oversee our science kit materials center (Kit Stop). As part of BASEE (Bay Area Schools for Excellence in Education) other duties include developing electronic communication and tracking and reporting progress of Teacher Staff Development. Facilitation and planning for the Science Lead Teacher Network is one more aspect of my role as the Science Resource Teacher.

 

---

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

California Science Project

California Science Advocacy Network

Judi Kusnick kusnickje@csus.edu Internet: http://kusnickj.geology.csus.edu I have taught in the Geology Department at CSUS a total of 17 years as a lecturer and now as an Assistant Professor. My M.S. is in Geology, but my Ph.D. is in Science Education. In my department my specialty is geoscience education. I coordinate courses for preservice teachers as well as teaching courses for general education students and geology majors. The work that is closest to my heart, however, is my work with inservice teachers. I serve on the leadership team of the Sacramento site of the California Science Project (CSP). CSP seeks to develop teacher leaders who can help improve science education throughout the region. To do this, we recruit CSP Fellows who participate in summer and school-year workshops, developing their science knowledge, their knowledge of effective pedagogy in teaching science and their leadership skills. These teachers then become models and mentors for other teachers in their school, in their district, and throughout the State of California. My role on the leadership team of CSP-Sacramento is to teach earth science, to model guided inquiry methods of teaching and to do follow-up research on CSP Fellows. I also work with the California Science Implementation Network (SIN), an effort to educate elementary school teachers in science, to model good teaching, and to encourage schools to develop articulated science curriculum for the elementary grades. I have done direct teacher training for SIN as well as demonstrating constructivist science instruction for SIN cadre members, who then go on to train the teams of teachers participating in SIN. On a more local basis, I am the earth science advisor to SCATS, the CSUS science education outreach program. In that role, I teach workshops and short courses for teachers and I help recruit other earth science presenters for our conferences.

---

Thomas Smithson scats@csus.edu For the past seven years I have been Director of the SCATS Center (Schools and Colleges for the Advancement of the Teaching of Science) at California State University, Sacramento and Administrative Director of the California Science Project of Sacramento (CSP-Sac). In both capacities I am responsible for sponsoring and the administration of professional development activities for science educators K-14. The SCATS Center directs CSUS's outreach program for science educators in the Sacramento and surrounding region providing a variety of professional development programs. These include monthly workshop meetings, and short courses on everything from laboratory safety to science and reading literacy. The CSP-Sac program is devoted to the development of teacher leaders in science education through in-depth Summer Institutes and academic year programs. The CSP-Sac program and other grant programs I have administered over the past seven years have provided me with the opportunity to be involved in, and at the cutting edge of, science education reform in California. My office is closely tied to other science reform efforts in the State; the Scope Sequence and Coordination project and the California Science Implementation Network, both of which are housed in the SCATS Center. Prior to taking my current position I worked as a medical entomologist, cytogeneticist and I also taught high school chemistry, general science and biology for 21 years.

 

---

CHARLESTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Carol Tempel ctempel@charleston.k12.sc.us I am the Science Coordinator for the Charleston County School District. As the science instructional leader, I work systemically to improve science education for all children by addressing the critical elements: curriculum and instruction; professional development of educators; assessment; materials and resources; and partnerships with parents, community, higher education, and business and industry. Within each of these areas, we have special projects to meet our goals. I really love my work. Here are a few examples for each area. Curriculum and Instruction: We are implementing new curricula based on the National Standards and the S. C. Science Frameworks in grades K-12. Special projects include: Can Do (an earth-space science project) with NASA including KidSat and the Globe Project. We are very proud of the Can Do Project (National Geographic, August l994) and we will share our work through a web site developed with a Kodak grant. In October, l994 a team of Can Do teachers worked with the Hubble Space Institute while another group of teachers flew aboard the Kuiper from Australia during the impact of Comet Shoemaker Levy 9 into Jupiter. I am also involved with the textbook adoption process, school to work quality curriculum, tech prep science courses, and teacher evaluation. Professional Development: Our professional development program is based on "teachers leading teachers" and developing leadership teams at each school. Each summer we have several week long science institutes (Physical Science, grades 4-9; Elementary Science Institute, grades K-3; An Inquiry Institute). Other programs include FAST I, II, and III for grades 6-8; and a special course Sailing with Math's and Science. Workshops include: SC Maps: the African American Impact; Cooperative Learning for Science Teachers; FOSS and STC workshops; and Operation Chemistry, and many more. We like to try innovative programs....two years ago we planned a sailing course in the Bahamas and last summer teachers visited the rain forest in Belize. Materials and Resources: We are in the initial phases of developing a materials resource center modeled after the National Science Resource Center. We have our site and are building community involvement with parents through a Family FOSS night and presentations to businesses. Community Support and Involvement. There are several projects that require collaboration between higher ed, the business community, and the school district. We have a Saturday Scholars program, grades 6-8 with the Medical University of South Carolina, a Jr. Academy of Science Day, scientists on-line from Bayer Corporation, a rural initiative, science fair, and teacher education program with the College of Charleston, and the World in Motion through the Bosch Corporation. Various organizations and agencies provide contests for students and workshops for teachers. We are participating in the SciNet project to wire our schools for technology. PS....I'm hoping to complete a doctorate by December.

Ellen Vaughan evaughan@awod.com I am the technology teacher at James Island Middle School in Charleston, South Carolina. Currently I teach two classes of eighth grade keyboarding, two computer literacy classes (one sixth grade and one seventh grade), an advanced Internet course for KidSat, and one period of open computer lab where I work with individual students and teachers or with whole classes of students with their teacher. Outside the classroom, it is my responsibility to keep teachers up dated with the technology available in the school. I help train them in the use of this technology or software and encourage them to use this information in the classroom with their students. I have assisted teachers in learning ClarisWorks and the Internet and will be giving after school training in Adobe Photoshop and Power Point later this school year. I am the lead teacher for KidSat which is a NASA and Johns Hopkins program where students track the space shuttle, pick targets on the earth and have the astronauts take pictures of the targets with digital cameras. The students download the images and use them in their academic areas such as science and social studies. I sponsor a computer club and am co-sponsor of the JIMS Science Club. This club is unique in that parents and students both attend. At the county level I am a member of the CAN DO team which is a group of teachers involved in all aspects of science. We take on many varied and exciting experiences to help us in the quest to keep science alive for our students. Some of my experiences in this area include sending passive experiments in space, traveling to Washington DC with CAN DO teachers as "Ambassadors", a marine course taught in the classroom and in the Bahamas, trips to Kennedy Space Center, and exploring the space shuttle Endeavor. With this kind of background members of this team have become a primary source for county teacher training which includes Summer Science Institutes. Even though I have participated in some county inservice days during the school year, I have not been an active participant in these summer institutes since I stay so busy with other science and leadership activities. My summer activities include being a participant in NEWEST at Langely Research Center (1991), representing CAN DO in the Washington DC area with other CAN DO teachers (1992), being coordinator for NEWEST at Largely Research Center (1993-1994), being a participant in The Curriculum Leadership Insatiate I & II (1995-1996), and traveling to Australia and New Zealand this summer (1997).

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT #5

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Center for Urban Science Education Reform, EDC

Carmen Williamson My current job title is Teacher Facilitator, PS 30/31, District Five. The major responsibilities of the Teacher Facilitator as they relate to the District's science education reform efforts, are as follows: Provide professional staff development, school-wide to teachers Grades K-6 Train Grade 6 teachers, district-wide, in the use of the "Insights" science modules Model and co-teach science lessons in the classroom to teachers Grades K-6 Articulate with teachers (Grades K-6) on a weekly basis, the progress of science in their classrooms with a view to making relevant adjustments and modifications Coordinate the school's science program.

Larry Wilson The SMART (Science, Mathematics and Related Technology) Process is a National Science Foundation grant-funded initiative intended to enhance science instruction in K-6 classrooms. As Staff Developer my major responsibility up to now has been to facilitate training sessions for classroom teachers using kit-based, guided inquiry science modules developed by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). This year however, District #5 teachers were trained during a two-week summer institute. Now my responsibility is to visit those teachers in their classrooms with their students as they do science.

COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT #6
NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Center for Urban Science Education Reform, EDC

John Cafarella syyentz@aol.com John Cafarella has been in education as a teacher and supervisor for twenty-nine years. He has taught grades 4, 5, and 6 on the elementary level and Earth Science in grade 8 at the middle school level. For eight years he directed a school based planetarium in P.S. 85 in the Bronx working with grades K-12. In 1984 he was appointed Science Coordinator for Community School District 10 in the Bronx. During his tenure in District 10 he also supervised the Media and Health Programs. In 1985 he began writing and editing Science Gnus, a monthly newsletter that highlights district, state and national science education news, science calendars, trivia and terrible puns. Mr. Cafarella left District 10 and became Supervisor of Mathematics and Science for the Clarkstown Central School District in 1993. In 1994, he accepted his current position and returned to New York City as Principal Investigator for a $3,500,000 National Science Foundation Grant for Restructuring Elementary Science and Director of Mathematics and Science for Community School District Six in Manhattan. Mr. Cafarella has been elected president of the New York City Science Coordinators Network, beginning his two year term in September 1997. As Director of Science for Community School District Six, Mr. Cafarella has responsibility for all aspects of the program; curriculum, staff development, and assessment, as well as connections with informal science institutions. District Six is also a partner district in the Center for Urban Science Education Reform and Mr. Cafarella is liaison for all conferences and seminars. Mr. Cafarella has received the 1989 School and Culture Award sponsored by the Alliance for the Arts and the Leadership in Science Education as NYS Science Supervisor of the Year for 1995.

EL CENTRO SCHOOL DISTRICT
EL CENTRO, CALIFORNIA

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Sarah Quinn sarahequin@aol.com Sarah Quinn is presently the Science Resource Teacher for the El Centro (elementary) School District. During the last two years, she has trained forty-eight teachers in the three pilot school programs implementing inquiry-based science in our district. Other job responsibilities include science kit ordering, receiving, distribution and refurbishment. She also coordinates Scientist Training with community science professionals in order to acquaint them with our inquiry science program. These science partners participate in the teacher training sessions. Ms. Quinn has been actively involved in the teacher leadership training program supported through the linkage of the El Centro pilot program with the NSF funded California Institute of Technology, Pasadena Center Program which has resulted in her leadership in teacher training programs sponsored through the Center. Ms. Quinn has received advanced training in inquiry through the Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry's Leadership Seminar. She is also the instructor of the Teacher Education course "Teaching Science in Elementary School" at the San Diego State University-Imperial Valley Campus.

Laurie Thompson ljmallory@aol.com Pasadena Center Coordinator Maintains on-going communication with Pilot School Coordinators (PSCs), Master Resource Teachers (MRTs), Scientist Partners, Policy Committee through: Sending an updated monthly calendar to each of the above Scheduling of regular and special policy meetings with all Master Resource Teachers and the Pasadena Science Coordinator Attendance of events planned by the Leadership Teams in all districts that do not conflict with regular visits Provides on extra day a month as a MRT to El Centro and Desert Sands Visits the new cohort 4 districts once a month to mentor and peer coach the PSC's, and to meet with the principal and scientist partner Compiles an annual report for submission to the NSF, National Advisory Committee and Policy Committee Schedules and invites the National Advisory Committee to meet the last Friday and Saturday of February, establishes the agenda, facilitates the process and gathers and distributes feedback Assists the PSC's to schedule staff development and co-facilitates and leads these sessions with the MRT's Provides guidance to the PSC's regarding the development of agendas for the Leadership Team Meetings and meeting summaries Coordinates the scheduling and planning of the Mid-Winter Conference and the Summer Institute with the Pasadena Science Coordinator and all those in leadership roles for those conferences Updates the Center's database with regards to staff development in all districts, address and personnel changes, and scientist orientations.

FAYETTE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

FAYETTE COUNTY, KENTUCKY

Center for Urban Science Education Reform, EDC

Johanna Strange jstrange@msmail.fayette.k12.ky.us I am the K-12 Science Resource Teacher for the Fayette County Public Schools in Lexington, Kentucky. My immediate supervisor is David Taylor, the Science Coordinator. These two positions operate out of the Central Office. I have responsibilities to the Fayette School District, Science Coordinator, Science Representatives and for planning Staff Development and the Resouce Lab.

David Taylor Coordinator of Science, K-12 dtaylor@msmail.fayette.k12.ky.us I directly supervise the activities and schedules of the Science Resource Teacher and the Life Science Center Clerk and work directly with Elementary Building representatives, the middle school science representatives and the high school department chairs. The Coordinator and Resource Teacher work together with classroom teachers in developing model curricula for science and providing professional development opportunities. In addition, I develop and maintain a budget for district level science initiatives which include the Live Materials Center, text book adoption, science fair, program evaluation, and science reform issues.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA

Urban Systemic Change, NSF

Karen Engelman kengelm@ roosevelteld.k12.az.us I am a Collaborative Peer Teacher employed by the Roosevelt School District in Phoenix, Arizona. My current position was created as a result of a grant received from the National Science Foundation called the Phoenix Urban Systemic Initiative. I attended Arizona State University, where I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education. I am currently pursuing my Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Northern Arizona University. Prior to becoming a CPT, I taught sixth grade and junior high science. I now work with K-8 teachers in the areas of Hands-On Mathematics and Science. Under the grant, I also facilitate professional development academies for teachers in the hands-on approach. I have been a member of the USI Science Curriculum Committee for the past two years compiling a unitary Science curriculum for the nine districts involved in the grant, aligning it to the National Science Standards.

Gloria Garino-Spencer ggarino@phoenixusi.k12.az.us I am a Collaborative Peer Teacher/Instructional Specialist with the Phoenix Urban Systemic Initiative (USI). I work for the Isaac School District which is one of nine school districts in the USI. My district responsibilities consist of: Working with K-8 teachers implementing our Unitary Science and Unitary Math curriculum. Teacher training using constructivist approaches. Teaching science academies for USI participants. Conducting parent workshops. Conducting workshops for district administrators. Working with teachers developing and implementing various assessment strategies. Membership in the science assessment team.

Esther Sanders esander@roosevelteld.k12.az.us I am currently employed as a CPT (Collaborative Peer Teacher). I assist a team of 7 other CPTs in servicing 18 schools, grades K-8. I work with two K-8 schools. I model or support instructional strategies that develop science process skills to help students acquire a better understanding of the content taught at specific grades. During the summer I also teach science academies for K-8 teachers using hands on activities. These teachers work in urban districts and classes are designed to support and unify the science curriculum as part of an Urban Systemic Initiative which focuses on math, science and technology. These academies help teachers feel less intimidated with science content and shows how exciting and important science is for teachers, parents and principals. I have worked in this position for 4 years. I have taught 17 years in public schools, kindergarten to seventh. The greater part of my teaching has been in kindergarten, fifth and sixth grades.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Awnie Turrell I am a newly hired Science Resource Teacher. I was previously teaching grades 4 & 5 in an urban public school. As a Science Resource Teacher I am a part of a Science Support Team. The Science Support Teams will serve as powerful catalysts for significant change in site-based science instruction. Science Support Teams are intended to provide a cognitive coaching model for teachers and school staffs so that they will consider their own programs, practices, and procedures in a manner that results in high quality decision-making to modify or redirect their efforts for more effective science instruction. Science support teams are not intended to provide all of the solutions or answers. They are expected to help schools grapple with difficult questions so that their capacity for solving school-wide challenges is increased.

Juanita Washington I have been working for Seattle Public Schools since 1973, as an Elementary Classroom Teacher, but for about 8 years I substituted when my children were small. I am currently a First Grade classroom teacher, in the third year of training in our district's science reform program. I will be receiving extra training in Cognitive Coaching, Physics by Inquiry, Science Assessment, and Integrating Data in Science Curriculum this year, and will be assisting one of our District's Science Resource Teachers as a Lead Teacher.

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

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Jo Marie Kutscher jmk2pr@perry.stark.k12.oh.us As SEEDS Lead Teacher, it is my responsibility to design, develop and implement staff development activities related to our science reform program and excellent teaching practices in the Perry Local District for approximately one hundred elementary science teachers and their principals. It is my responsibility to communicate with the twenty teacher members of our district efforts with the Stark County SEEDS program which has a goal to impact 1,000 teachers. Additional responsibilities include science curriculum development and providing the materials for the student hands-on activities.

UXBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

UXBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

Bruce Dean brd@world.std.com Internet: http://world.std.com/~brd/ Bruce teaches art at Uxbridge High School and serves as the K-12 curriculum coordinator of the arts. In 1992 as a U.S. Christa McAuliffe Fellow, Bruce began collaborating with The Discovery Museums as students and teachers created exhibits for younger classrooms. He is the project leader and webmaster for this system-wide and community based initiative entitled Explore and Discover: A Museum School Partnership http://world.std.com/~brd.

Denise LeBlanc discover@ultranet.com I am the Education Director of the Science Discovery Museum and the chief liaison in our partnership with the Uxbridge Schools. As Education Director, I am responsible for the science and educational content of the Museum's exhibits, classes and Professional Development Programs. The Museum works with a large network of educators that includes our Education Advisory Board members and participants in our inservice workshops. As schools implement new guidelines and state mandates for teaching science, the Museum is increasingly called upon to provide professional development. My participation in this workshop will benefit not only the Uxbridge School District but also the many other school systems we work with.

WEST WINDSOR-PLAINSBORO REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

PLAINSBORO, NEW JERSEY

Local Systemic Change, NSF

Joseph Bookholdt Joan Abdallah is the Program Director for Seattle Public School System's Partnership for Inquiry-Based Science. The program director oversees all aspects of the grant which includes the following five frames: I currently teach sixth grade at Fisher Middle School in Ewing Township, New Jersey. I teach sixth grade science, and have been actively involved in the implementing of an inquiry-based science curriculum for our district. (I serve on the science curriculum writing committee for this purpose.) I am also the sixth grade science mentor teacher and building coordinator for science at Fisher. (These two positions have me assisting other staff members with the implementation of this new program.)

Sheila Pandiscio sheila_pandiscio@wwpvillage.k12.nj.us I am a first grade teacher at Village School in West Windsor-Plainsboro School District, New Jersey. I have various roles in the science reform effort in my school district. My responsibilities at Village School are as a building science coordinator and mentor/trainer. Within these titles, I support and guide teachers in the inquiry approach. This support may be through informal discussions, classroom observations or science support breakfasts. I am also a member of our district science curriculum writing committee and pilot science kits for adoption. Our district has joined with two neighboring districts, Ewing and Lawrence, in our Local Systemic Change efforts. I serve as a lead teacher in the professional development of inquiry based science. Over the next three years, we will provide staff development in the inquiry approach through summer institutes in each of the three districts.