Transformational equity-centered science education requires the fields of science education and school leadership to critically consider the limited preparation elementary principals are offered to lead for science education. Thus far, little effort has been made to foster a transdisciplinary curricula beyond traditional organizational theories…

The purposes of this study are to see the vision and community needs of the excellency-curriculum of the primary Islamic schools, the curriculum integration between sciences and religious values for the primary Islamic schools, and to see continuous development maintained in the primary Islamic curriculum in East Kalimantan. This research uses a…

This study investigates the implementation of science instruction in a low SES/high minority district, and the experiences of individuals in an elementary principal network who inform science standards and curriculum implementation. This study specifically examines how principals make sense of science policies. Given the intra-school and…

Recent reforms in science education advocate for a vision of learning where students "figure out" science ideas through engagement in science practices. Consequently, there have been significant efforts to engage K-12 students in the science practices. However, less research attention has been given to understand how this…

The Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) Model is a systemic approach to science learning and teaching based on five infrastructure pillars: research-based curriculum, differentiated professional development, administrative and community support, materials support, and assessment. This model uses the Science and…

This case study explores Costa Rica's National Executive Decree No. 31.900, requiring all public schools in the country participate in the National Program of Science and Technology Fairs (Programa Nacional de Ferias de Ciencia y Tecnología [PRONAFECYT]). The purpose of the decree is to promote innovation and to prepare students with the skills to…

The current qualitative descriptive-interpretive study was adopted to explore the impact of organizational and personnel changes carried out during two years of college-school partnership on the partnership vision, as well as on the attainment of professional development improvement in science teaching and pre-service teacher education. The data…

The study is based on an implementation of the basic steps of the Change Laboratory methodology (Engeström, Virkkunen, Helle, Pihlaja & Poikela, 1996) at the University of Ioannina. It was derived by a discussion with master's students during a course about science education curricula in pre-school and primary education and their effectiveness…

This case focuses on the complexity of change and improvement within schools with a particular emphasis on the role of the principal and a science teacher leader. Although current rhetoric suggests that school improvement should happen quickly and consistently, research indicates that it is difficult, context specific, and incremental. In fact,…

Even though school administrators and their leadership practices are rarely explored within science education research, our recent efforts to understand organizational influences on achievement disparities induced an elevated regard for elementary school principals. In this paper, we report on policy buffering by principals at schools whose…

NGSS Early Implementers is a six-year initiative created to help eight California school districts and two charter management organizations, supported by WestEd's K-12 Alliance, implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Administrators need learning opportunities if they are to adequately understand the substantial shifts of the Next…

This research was designed to study the effect of a professional development program in place-based science education on teacher and student learning in rural elementary schools in Thailand's northern Lampang province. Based on the results of a pilot study conducted in 2008 at one school, which was then followed by a needs assessment conducted…

This study investigated how contextual factors influenced the sustainability of outcomes from a 3-year, state-funded professional development program that provided science assistance for K-2 teachers in small, rural school districts. The research used a case-study approach with a purposive sample of five elementary schools that varied in…

This report addresses how well California is doing to prepare its young people for the evolving economy and societal challenges. Specifically, it describes the status of science teaching and learning in California public elementary schools. This study was conducted in support of "Strengthening Science Education in California," a…

This report summarizes research findings on science education in California's elementary schools from multiple sources of data collected during 2010-11, specifically, surveys of district administrators, elementary school principals, and elementary school teachers; case studies of elementary schools; analysis of statewide secondary data sets; and…