Strengthening High School Chemistry Education Through Teacher Outreach Programs. A Workshop Summary to the Chemical Sciences Roundtable

摘要

This day-and-a-half workshop began with an introduction by the workshop organizers Mark Cardillo, Dreyfus Foundation; William (Bill) Carroll, Occidental Chemical Corporation; and Alex Harris, Brookhaven National Laboratory. They emphasized the challenge of addressing such a broad and sweeping topic as high school chemistry education. This led them to focus on in-service teacher outreach programs for high school education, because high school is where chemistry becomes a discrete discipline and outreach programs are a potential conduit by which the greater chemical community can make a contribution. Particular emphasis was placed on evaluations of the effectiveness of these programs. Finally, Harris outlined the workshop organization. Day 1 consisted of two sessions and a poster session, and day 2 included a third session. Session 1 addressed the question What are the major and general issues in high school chemistry education. It included remarks on the current state of science and the importance of teachers. Sessions 2 and 3 addressed the question Who is doing what with respect to high school chemistry education (and how is effectiveness measured). Session 2 focused on publicly funded government agency and university programs. Session 3 addressed privately funded for-profit and nonprofit programs.