Superintendent
New Model Science Lab to Train HISD Elementary School Teachers
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| Rice's Director of K-12 Outreach Wallace Dominey and HISD Director of the Elementary Model Science Lab Cheryl Stephens answer questions at a press conference for the new lab. |
To address the urgent need for elementary-school teachers to be better trained in science, HISD and Rice University have partnered to create a Model Science Lab. Located at Sánchez Elementary School, the lab allows elementary-school science teachers throughout the district to explore alternative methods of conveying science concepts that are more effective than the traditional lecture and directed activity approach.
At the new elementary lab, teacher interns will spend one day a week in intensive training throughout the year. Working with other teacher interns and facilitators, teachers will learn what works-and what doesn't-as they strive to grow and improve as science teachers. The lab will train about 90 HISD teacher interns per year.
HISD Superintendent of Schools Abelardo Saavedra said the combined efforts of Rice and HISD to improve science education will help both teachers and children.
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| HISD Superintendent of Schools Abelardo Saavedra and Sánchez Elementary School Principal Jesse Herrera discuss the new Model Science Lab for elementary school teachers. |
"It is critically important that we train our science teachers to be successful with children. A good, well-rounded education means a good grounding in science. For our children to learn science well, we must teach it well. This great partnership with Rice University will help us to do that," said Dr. Saavedra.
HISD has made strong progress in science scores on the state TAKS test, but much more work remains to be done. In 2006, the science passing rate at fifth grade on the English-language test soared 14 points to 65 percent, and the passing rate at tenth grade was up eight points to 45 percent. The eleventh-grade passing rate in science fell slightly, from 65 percent to 63 percent.
Wallace Dominey, director of the K-12 outreach for Rice's Center for Education, noted that the ultimate goal of the lab is to stimulate active student thinking in science.
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| Science teachers from all over HISD came to the Sánchez Elementary School lab to learn more about effective instruction techniques. Pictured are Dávila Elementary School science teacher Francisco Martínez and Lantrip Elementary School science teacher Maria Sorensen. |
"Many elementary teachers shy away from teaching science because they themselves were never exposed to science discovery learning in school, and thus they lack the science content knowledge and confidence to allow their students to discover the joys of learning about the natural world in the elementary classroom," Dominey said.
The elementary school lab is modeled after the successful HISD/Rice middle- and high-school lab programs. Model Science Lab teachers have already inspired more than 65,000 HISD students in their classrooms. Over the past 14 years, 95 percent of Model Science Lab resident teachers have remained in education, and 74 percent have remained in HISD classrooms.
Funding for the Model Science Labs has been provided by the Brown Foundation, Rice University, the National Science Foundation, HISD, the Cain Foundation, the Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science Teaching, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Teacher Quality Grants Program, and the greater Houston community.
