Offered through the Honors College at the University of New Mexico, Conexiones-Ecuador is an explicitly interdisciplinary study abroad program around the theme of "Food, Sovereignty, and Development." In an immersive language and cultural studies experience, students live with host families, take Spanish language classes at the…

Bermuda's fragile environment is under threat. Rising sea levels due to global warming, ocean acidification, invasive lionfish, plastic debris and locally generated water pollution are just a few of the issues that should concern all of Bermuda's residents. Now, more than ever, "environmental education" should be a critical part of every…

Over the last twenty-five years, the Minnesota Historical Society, the University of Minnesota Libraries, and Minitex have developed a partnership centered on creating pathways to higher education by engaging local middle school and high school students in immersive programs at academic libraries. These activities vary in scope and content, but…

The importance of STEM education to societal developments provides justification for assuring K-12 teachers are prepared to teach the related content. Inservice teacher professional development is critical to achieving the goal of enhanced student knowledge of STEM. Combining the need for increased capacity to teach STEM and the extant literature…

In the early twentieth century, a curriculum known as nature study flourished in major city school systems, streetcar suburbs, small towns, and even rural one-room schools. This object-based approach to learning about the natural world marked the first systematic attempt to introduce science into elementary education, and it came at a time when…

Each semester, hundreds of children find themselves on the campus of a tribal college or university. While their parents are busy working toward that associate's or bachelor's degree, the children are getting their own dose of college life. From Ilisagvik College in Barrow, Alaska--the "northernmost accredited community college"--to…

This report summarizes AISD 2008-2009 program evaluation results for a state grant to improve students' grades in science courses, to increase students' chances of graduating, and to increase 10th and 11th-grade students' scores on the state science test.

The Exploratorium is home to XTech, a science education program which began in 2006 and was primarily funded by a three-year National Science Foundation grant (Award # 05-25217) through its ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) initiative. XTech provided project-based afterschool activities in science, engineering,…

A summer academy is held for grade 9-12 high school students at the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, every year. The academy, dubbed the Da Vinci Engineering Enrichment Program (DEEP), is a diverse program that aims to attract domestic and international high school students to engineering and sciences (and possibly recruit them). DEEP…

This issue brief looks at evaluations of 34 academically focused summer programs in order to distill challenges and compile promising strategies for creating quality summer programs. While many summer programs face similar implementation challenges, each program has different components and needs, and not every strategy is feasible or even…

Zoo Day was one of the culminating activities of Art Extravaganza, a pilot summer art program for high ability first-and second-graders. Field trips, art history lessons, box sculpture, and a study of cavemen were included. (SJL)

Workshop examines school-age summer programs. Papers are (1) "No More Homework" (Linda Sisson), presenting National School-Age Child Care Alliance standards relevant to planning and evaluating summer programs; (2) "Staffing for Summer Programs" (Richard T. Scofield); (3) "Opportunities and Challenges" (Karen…

Describes a night-time field trip conducted in Buffalo, New York for nine emotionally handicapped students from a rural area as part of a summer program of Project WOODS (We're Only Outdoors Developing Skills). (AN)

Reports on two science field trips which inservice teachers completed through the Earthwatch organization. Participants learned about microbial mats and evolutionary theory on a coastal expedition and about archeology on a dig in the Mediterranean. Teachers returned with firsthand experience of scientific investigation and renewed enthusiasm for…

GeoScape is a landscape design consisting of colored gravel, strategically placed flagstone and boulders, and two vertical features that simulate the geology of fictitious regions. Employs "hands-on", inquiry-based, and cooperative learning techniques to help students develop problem solving and critical thinking skills. Explains the construction,…