States' efforts to incorporate technology and engineering into K-12 science instruction appear to be bearing fruit: More than five years after states began adopting K-12 science standards that feature technology and engineering, eighth graders have notched higher scores on a national assessment of those subjects. This Policy Brief presents…

Earthquakes "have" been in the news of late--from the disastrous 2010 Haitian temblor that killed more than 300,000 people to the March 2011 earthquake and devastating tsunami in Honshu, Japan, to the unexpected August 2011 earthquake in Mineral, Virginia, felt from Alabama to Maine and as far west as Illinois. As expected, these events…

Upon regaining the right to direct education at the local level, the North Slope Borough (NSB) of Alaska incorporated Inupiat educational philosophies into the educational system. The NSB in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks established Ilisagvik College, the only tribal college in Alaska. Ilisagvik College seeks to broaden…

A representative sample of 122,000 eighth-graders participated in the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment, which is designed to measure students' knowledge and abilities in the areas of physical science, life science, and Earth and space sciences. This report covers the overall results, achievement level…

This mixed-methods study explores changes over time in assessment strategies and identifies variables that facilitate that change by examining assessment practices of 11 teacher candidates enrolled in a one-year postbaccalaureate teacher education program that prepares for teaching in rural and urban settings of Alaska. Analyzing multiple data…

This curriculum guide lists science topics and concepts, learning outcomes, and sample learning objectives (in three columns) for these secondary school science courses in Alaska: (1) general science (grades 7-12); (2) life science (grades 7-12); (3) physical science (grades 7-12); (4) earth science (grades 8-10); (5) biology (grades 10-12); (6)…

Inverness Research studied the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Seminars on Science program for eight years, from its inception in 1998 to 2006. In 2008, Inverness Research conducted additional studies of the AMNH's new online course, "Evolution". This paper presents teacher survey ratings for "Evolution", along with…

This curriculum guide lists science topics and concepts, learning outcomes, and sample learning objectives (in three columns), separately for grades 1-3 and for grades 4-6. Topics/concepts, in the first column, describe the major parts of the subject under consideration. They define broadly the content to be included in the study of each subject…

Inverness Research studied the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Seminars on Science program for eight years, from its inception in 1998 to 2006. This paper presents teacher survey ratings for "The Diversity of Fishes", along with profiles of two teachers who took the course. Course takers report on the annual follow-up surveys…

Students conducted an experiment to study the plant growth of three Amaryllis plants. Students examined the speed and amount of growth, cross-pollinated the plants to produce seeds, and compared the growth of amaryllis seeds to the growth of onion seeds, a plant in the same family, Amaryllidaceae. (MDH)

Alaska is one of the most ideal settings for teaching science. In most of the rural areas, science materials are in abundance starting almost at the school's door steps to a distance as far as a person would like to go. Therefore, it is quite possible to develop science projects for all grades. Some of the projects can be done in the simplest ways…

For five years running, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has tracked states' teacher policies, preparing a detailed and thorough compendium of teacher policy in the United States on topics related to teacher preparation, licensure, evaluation, career advancement, tenure, compensation, pensions and dismissal. The "2011 State…

The ecological theme of "We all need each other--the web of life" serves as the focus of Alaska's fourth annual wildlife week and as the emphasis for the activities in this guide for primary teachers. The packet of materials contains: (l) an introduction (explaining the theme); (2) table of contents (indicating each lesson's objective…

The ecological theme of "We all need each other--the web of life" serves as the focus of Alaska's fourth annual wildlife week and as the emphasis for the activities in this guide for junior/senior high school teachers. The packet of materials contains: (1) an introduction (explaining the theme); (2) table of contents (indicating each…

Biodiversity is the extraordinary variety of life in this planet. In order to be fully appreciated, biodiversity needs to be experienced firsthand, or "experientially." Thus, the standard classroom lecture format is not the ideal situation for teaching biodiversity and evolutionary concepts, in that student interest and understanding are…