NU Leadership Academy for Primary Grades Science Improvement

We propose to provide teacher leadership professional development around the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to middle school science teachers, who in turn will provide school level leadership in improving science instruction for primary grade teachers. We will target the 33 elementary schools in Network 11 on the southwest side of Chicago. Middle school teachers are certified as content experts and can serve as a valuable resource for primary grade teachers, who are certified as generalists and frequently have low content expertise in science. Through the workshops, middle school teachers will have the opportunity to explore the cross cutting concept of energy within the context of NU scientific research areas. Science and engineering graduate student researchers from those areas will create research experiences for workshop participants to improve their understanding of specific core disciplinary ideas in the NGSS. As part of each workshop, Dr. McGee will scaffold teachers in translating the NU research into specific middle school and elementary learning goals and assessments related to the cross cutting concept of energy that can be embedded within upcoming units. The middle school teachers will use the collaboration protocols to lead primary grade teams in planning and reflecting on science instruction. On a quarterly basis, the primary grade teams led by the middle school teachers will participate in virtual grade team meetings with other schools around specific common assessment and instructional activities. This combination of professional development and grade level team collaboration has proven effective at sustaining growth in student learning