The Redwood Science Project (RSP) of Humboldt State University and regional K-12 partners have received a four-year, $550,000 federal grant to support secondary science teachers. The project helps alleviate the statewide shortage of science teachers with support for individual faculty and their middle school and high school science departments.
Called the Northern California Science Teaching Initiative (NCSTI), the project brings together teams of science teachers to collaborate on issues related to science and science teaching. According to Jeffrey White, HSU Biology Professor and Project Director, NCSTI is aimed ultimately at strengthening studentsÂ’ academic achievements in middle school and high school science.
The NCSTI is funded through a master grant awarded to the California Science Project by the California Post-Secondary Education Commission (CPEC) as part of the Improving Teacher Quality State Grant Program. Funds for this program are provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Co-directing the NCSTI project with Professor White are Julie Van Sickle, Co-Director of the RSP; Andreana Ososki, Research Associate of the RSP; and Shannon Morago, Science Teacher with the Northern Humboldt Unified School District.
Konocti Unified School District is the lead K-12 partner. The NCSTI hosts the statewide Science Literacy Program led by Dr. Rick McCallum, Academic Literacy Specialist, University of California, Berkeley.
The NCSTI will offer professional mentoring, innovative collaborations, and science training. Results of the program will be part of a statewide research effort to mesh program execution better with teachers' needs. The NCSTI is one of many diverse endeavors of the Redwood Science Project at HSU, including the Northcoast Mathematics and Science Initiative (NMSI) and the Redwood Area Academic Literacy Initiative (RAALI), designed to enhance California's science education and academic literacy.
For details, dial the RSP office at 707-826-5552 or click on www.humboldt.edu/~rsp. More information about CPEC is at http://www.cpec.ca.gov/.