Abstract

A collaborative of seven institutes of higher education and two non-profits developed and implemented five earth science courses, totaling 18 credits, that enabled secondary teachers to acquire an Add-on Earth Science Endorsement - Physical Geology (4), Geology of Virginia (4), Oceanography (4), Astronomy (3), and Meteorology (3). These courses were collaboratively developed and included rigorous academic content, research-based instructional strategies, and intensive field experiences. The 33 sections offered statewide served 499 participants.  Three courses offered to strengthen the skills of Earth Science teachers: Teaching Earth Science Topics to Special Education Students (3), Integrating New Technologies in the Earth Sciences (3), and GeoVirginia: Creating Virtual Field Trips (non-college credit).  In the 5 sections, 74 people participated.  Outcomes included an increased pool of endorsed earth science teachers and teachers with coursework in the earth sciences, a website with virtual field trips, and a statewide network.  Partners included the College of William & Mary and its Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, George Mason University, James Madison University, Longwood University, MathScience Innovation Center (formerly the Mathematics and Science Center), Radford University, Science Museum of Virginia, University of Virginia and its School of Continuing and Professional Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, and 83 school divisions.

Through a Math Science Partnership Grant, through the Virginia Department of Education, funding of $920,848 was awarded for the period of March 2005 to September 2006.  Based upon the success of the project, a second award of $351,649 was made between March 2006 and September 2007.  Finally, a special award of $35,017 enabled development and funding of a special issue of the Journal of Math & Science: Collaborative Explorations.  A total of $1,307,514 in MSP funding was matched by $237,000 from the VESC partners.