Services

Information and Communication
One-stop shopping for information about K-12 science opportunities at Penn State: distinguished speakers, workshops, and courses for teachers; teacher research experiences; and other opportunities. CSATS will communicate regularly with schools, Intermediate Units, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and teacher professional organizations. An actively managed CSATS website will provide links to programs throughout the Penn State system.

Professional Development
For experienced teachers, the Center will provide support for programs that are science-related and science-driven. For example, the Center can assist teachers in registering for Act 48 credit, finding a summer course, or shaping master's degree studies.

For preservice teachers, the Center will assist faculty who teach science and science teaching methods to prospective teachers. For example, CSATS can provide exemplary instructional materials for use in methods courses.

For scientists, the Center will provide assistance in all aspects of science inservice programming, ranging from informal advising to comprehensive inservice program development and delivery. CSATS has excellent facilities for short or long courses, and can assist with details such as teacher recruitment, parking, content alignment, workshop instruction, housing, meals, and so on.


Curriculum Alignment and Development
Curriculum alignment helps ensure that university-based science outreach efforts are consistent with Pennsylvania Science and Technology Standards, the National Science Education Standards, and similar initiatives. These standards are based on a growing research literature that shows that many topics are most effectively taught to students at a developmentally appropriate age. CSATS can help science outreach deliverers ensure that their programs are aimed at the right grades; support active inquiry; and help schools prepare students for success with standards-based tests, further science study, access to higher education, and other outcomes.

Curriculum development in science rarely reflects the most recent and exciting scientific discoveries, and addressing this problem is a role for which research-intensive universities are well suited. CSATS staff and collaborators include experienced science curriculum developers, and the Center will support the development of both conventional print materials and technology-delivered programs of study. The Center will also cosponsor a graduate science curriculum course each spring, open to students from around the campus who are involved in program development.

Curriculum enhancement recognizes that many scientific projects are specialized and advanced beyond the obvious needs of K-12 education. In situations like this, the most effective contribution to K-12 education might be to enhance existing curricula with supplementary materials. Pennsylvania has a number of regional resource centers such as CAIMS, which offer a potential distribution network for such enhancements. The Center can assist projects in identifying opportunities for curricular enhancement.


Other Services
Program evaluation. The Center has experienced program evaluators who can develop and conduct project evaluations for K-12 STEM outreach and professional development offerings. We can also help projects identify external program evaluators who are not affiliated with the University.

Research opportunities for teachers. Development of science research opportunities for teachers is a programmatic priority for the Center, and planning and fund-raising is currently underway to support research sabbaticals and RETs (Research Experiences for Teachers).

Opportunities for youth are numerous within the Penn State system, and CSATS will serve as an information clearinghouse for these initiatives.

Grant-writing support. Many science research proposals are now expected to describe education outreach activities as broader impacts beyond the science content itself. Assisting scientists and engineers in the development of these plans is a primary function of the Center.

Sustainability is an important consideration for K-12 programs, but is often difficult to attain for grant-supported initiatives. CSATS will provide leadership for efforts to sustain successful interventions beyond the lives of fixed-term grants.

Educational research plans (including evaluation research) can strengthen many proposals by, for example, helping shed light on what works and what doesn't in an educational intervention. In addition to several Science Education faculty researchers, CSATS can suggest potential research collaborators in Instructional Systems, Higher Education, the Social Science Research Institute, and other academic and administrative units.