Indiana University The Grid in Pre-College Science Education Reform: Bringing 21 st Century Science into the High School Classroom William J. Frascella Director Center for Mathematics Education Indiana University Bloomington, IN

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL2 US Education Reform: Critical Priority Since Early 1980s  Top Agenda Item for State and Federal Policymakers  Call for Ed. Reform has been focused and consistent since publication of “A Nation at Risk”  Thrust of Criticism: Pre-college Education is Undermining Economic and Social Goals of US Society and IS not Preparing Our Students to Lead Meaningful and Successful Lives in the 21 st Century Workplace

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL3 Recent Indictment of US High Schools: Irrelevant to Needs of Society and to the Lives of Students “America’s high schools are obsolete. … By obsolete, I mean that our high schools—even when they’re working exactly as designed—cannot teach our kids what they need to know. …” Bill Gates National Governors Assoc. Education Summit February 26, 2005

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL4 Gates Continues …  “Our high schools were designed fifty years ago to meet the needs of another age.  “Until we design them to meet the needs of the 21 st century, we will keep limiting— even ruining—the lives of millions of Americans every year.”

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL5 Major Themes in Gates’ Criticism of US High Schools  Not Meeting Needs of Their Students Only half of all students that enter high school ever enter a post secondary institution and get a job that allows them to support a family  Not Meeting Needs of the Economy and Workplace US has dropped from 1 st to 5 th in percentage of young adults with college degrees We can’t rely on importing talent. In today’s global environment people can innovate without having to emigrate.

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL6 Major Themes in Gates’ Criticism of US High Schools (cont.)  Undermining Political and Social Goals of Equity and Access in the US “The idea behind the new design [should be] that all students can do rigorous work, and—for their sakes and ours—they have to.” “Declare all students can and should graduate from high school ready for college, work, and citizenship.” Dropout rates for low-income and minorities are much worse than the general high school population

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL7 Current Report Card: Massive Effort, Little Success  Consensus on Broad Reform Goals  Math and Science Education Communities Respond Individually  Period of Rich and Focused Education Research to Develop Innovative Curricula and Designs for Teacher Professional Development  Awareness by Science Research Community: Ed. Reform is Critical to Their Pipeline Problem

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL8 Collaboration: The Missing Ingredient  Addressing This Problem Requires Comprehensive Collaboration of Science, Education, and Business Communities  Requires Understanding the Institutional Settings of These Communities, and  The Changes These Communities Are (or Will Be) Experiencing in the 21 st Century

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL9 Challenges Facing Science – Education Collaboration : the Emotional Pre-Requisites  Robust Sense of Self-Interest Being Served  Mutual Respect  Trust

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL10 Institutional Changes in Science and Education: the Grid and an Opportunity for Collaboration  Powerful Institutional Transformations of The Learning Community and Science Research Workforce Are Underway  Stovepipe Structures are Breaking Down as New Networks Emerge  Grid Technology is Creating a Window of Opportunity for Collaboration

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL11 Grid-environed Science Workforce: Common Ground for Science – Education Collaboration  21 st Century Workplace: Locus of Converging Technologies  Requires Workers with non-Traditional Concatenations of Skills  Essential to the Effective Functioning of This Workplace is Solving New Kinds of Learning and Communication Problems  Nanoscale Science and Engineering Emblematic of This Interdisciplinary Workforce

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL12 The Science Workforce: More Radical Facelifts Ahead  Growth of Grid-environed Research Will Facilitate the Pursuit of “Big Science” Projects  Empower a Globally Distributed Workforce to Pursue Single “Big Science” Research Agendas  Pursuing Big Science Research Requires Workers With Wide Variety of Skills and Education

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL13 Solving Learning and Communication Problems: A Basis for Science – Education Collaboration and Conversation  Science Will Be Confronted With Solving Learning and Communication Problems  Creates a “Window of Opportunity” for Dialogue Between Science and Education  21 st Century Science Workplace is Impacting Education Right Now

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL14 Workforce Impact on Elementary Classrooms  Emergence of K-12 Academic Standards in “New” Areas, including Engineering and Technology  Not Enough Minutes in the Instructional Day for Coverage by Single Teacher  Interdisciplinary Standards and Instruction Viewed as Necessity at Elementary Level

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL15 Workforce Impact on Graduate Schools and PhD Programs  Carnegie Foundation Initiative Encourages Graduate Schools to Reflect on Programs and Practices  In Particular, How Well Programs are Aligned with the Workplace their Ph.D. Graduates will Enter  Increasing Percentage of PhDs Entering non- Academic Workplaces

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL16 Learning Communities of the 21 st Century: Signs of Change in Education  Experimentation with New “Academy” Models for High School  New Networks Forming with New Learning Possibilities and Capacities

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL17 21St Century Learning Communities: Emerging Networks  Home Schooling 1,100,000 students (Spring, 2003)  Charter Schools (in 37 states and the DC) 3,000 schools **** 685,000 students  Before/After School Program 6,500,000 students enrolled 14,300,000 take care of themselves after the school day ends!

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL18 Expanded Role for Informal Education Museums (all types)16,000  History 25%  Art 23%  Historic Home/Site12%  Natural History/Anthro4%  Science Centers 4% Children’s/Youth3%  Zoos and Aquaria 3%  Source: Museum Financial Information 2003, American Association of Museums

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL19 Educational Impact of Science-rich Informal Institutions Roughly 2000 institutions: Science Centers, Planetariums, Zoos, Aquaria, Natural History Museums, Children Museums, Nature Centers, Arboretums and Botanical Gardens 25.8 million schoolchildren served annually About 40% of all U.S. Children

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL20 New Challenges for Education  General Recognition Traditional Ed. Institutions Are Not Meeting Our Needs  Forming New Networks and Reaching Out to Informal Institutions Will Increase  How to Link These Diverse Resources to Address Education Goals Will Become Major Challenge

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL21 The Grid: Catalyst for Science and Education Collaboration and Alignment  Grid Has Potential to Serve Both Communities’ Similar Needs  Each Side Will Have as a Professional Priority to Solve Learning and Communication Problems  Self Interest of Scientists and Science Educators Can Drive an Effective Collaboration

Indiana University 28 June 2005Global Grid Forum, Chicago, IL22 An E-High School Science Laboratory: Another Step in This Direction  Use a Grid Environment to Connect a 21 st Century Science Workplace with a High School Science Classroom  Develop e-High School Science Laboratory Based on this Connection  Identify an Instrumentation-rich Interdisciplinary Cutting-Edge Content Area  QuarkNet Prototype Model of Teacher Development— Connecting Scientists and High School Teachers Pursuing Contemporary Research Ideas