"I now view effective science education partnerships between scientists and precollege science teachers in a completely different light--as the only hope for lasting systemic change in precollege science education and therefore, as an important national priority for the United States."
Bruce Alberts, President of the National Academy of Sciences, 1993
OSS will implement its education and public outreach strategy through the formal incorporation of educational and public outreach components as an integral part of ground based and space flight research programs and projects conducted by NASA-supported scientists throughout the country.
OSS recognizes that there are many excellent ongoing education and public outreach efforts that involve the research and development community. Some are supported by NASA, some by other agencies and organizations, by industry, and some at an informal grass roots level. This Strategy stresses the need to identify, build on, and extend these activities and to examine the potential for collaborations that expand on work now underway and lessons already learned. The Strategy includes mechanisms to evaluate and disseminate existing ideas, as well as add creative new ideas that take advantage of the special talents of the space science community.
The OSS Education and Public Outreach Strategy is centered on actions to be taken in six specific areas:
NASA's Education and Evaluation Framework. This framework serves
to bring organization, focus, and accountability to the Agency's
efforts in education. The Office of Space Science's integrated
approach to the implementation and evaluation of it its strategy
will be based on this framework.
1) Focus on what educators need.
In all our educational activities we must match our efforts to what educators need, not what we think they need. For many years, NASA has provided a variety of educational materials from the results of its scientific missions. It has been clear that teachers and students have been fascinated by the results of the space science program. However, the information provided was not always readily understandable or immediately useful in the curriculum or the classroom. It is critical that space scientists understand what educators can use. Achieving this objective requires, in turn, that scientists have a general understanding of education techniques and current reform efforts. A representative list of educator needs, identified from extensive discussions with teachers and other education professionals, follows.
o Information and educational materials on space science, including new discoveries, presented in a form that is accurate and current, understandable to both teachers and students, and tied to local or state curriculum frameworks. Examples of such materials include curriculum units; hands-on activities; datasets with instructions; and photographs, slides, and posters accompanied by appropriate explanatory text. Access to such information and materials must be easy and coordinated with existing distribution channels.
o Ideas and illustrations of how space science connects with everyday life.
o Assistance in implementing science and technology education standards and policies at local, state, and national levels.
o Access to space scientists as speakers, mentors, and consultants on a long-term, continuing basis.
o Opportunities for teachers and students to experience directly the conduct of space science through mechanisms such as internships, workshops, and tours at NASA and university research laboratories and facilities.
o Opportunities for teacher training involving grade- appropriate activities with adequate time to assimilate new content through extensive hands-on practice and interaction with scientists.
o Technology-based educational information and training on how to use new electronic information technologies and services such as Spacelink, Internet, and CD-ROMs. Achieving a comprehensive understanding of what educators can actually use will be one of the key elements in the implementation of this Strategy.
2) Focus on the unique contributions OSS can make to education and to enhancing scientific and technological literacy.
There are many different types of institutions involved in efforts to upgrade science, technology, and mathematics education and to enhance the level of scientific and technological literacy in the United States. A careful consideration of the skills and strengths of the various participating institutions clearly indicates the most effective role for OSS and for the space science community.
Using a magnifier, these students closely examine lunar rock
samples during a field trip to Johnson Space Center. The
students learned about lunar and Earth rocks. Photo: Marilyn
Lindstrom, Johnson Space Center.
The role of OSS management is to encourage, support, coordinate, and facilitate the entire range of education and outreach activities to be carried out by the space science research community. OSS will serve as the primary point of contact for space science with the NASA Education Division, the NASA Minority University Research and Education Division, and regional and national groups involved in education reform and in all aspects of informing and educating the public about science and technology. Working with the Education Division at NASA Headquarters and education offices at the NASA Centers, OSS will coordinate space science-related education and outreach activities both within NASA and with outside organizations to assist in arranging appropriate partnerships and to avoid duplication of effort.
Teacher workshops, like this one sponsored by the Science On-Line
Project (SOL), offer an unique opportunity for teachers to
experience space science first hand. This workshop was sponsored
and developed through the partnership of University of California
at Berkeley's Center for EUV Astrophysics. The Lawrence Hall of
Science and NASA. Photo: Isabel Hawkins, Center for EUV
Astrophysics, University of California, Berkeley.
OSS will work with the space science community to increase the participation of underrepresented groups in OSS programs. OSS will provide support to its researchers through validation of education and public outreach efforts; provision of incentives such as education and public outreach supplements to research funding and grants for education and public outreach activities; arranging training sessions on education reform and partnerships; and facilitating access to educational and public outreach materials in space science. OSS will also arrange for appropriate review of NASA-generated materials and activities for scientific accuracy and work with the Education Division to have them evaluated for educational effectiveness.
The OSS research community is a source of continuing new knowledge and new discoveries that can inform teachers at all levels, and excite both students and the public about science. While there are many possible ways to participate, we believe that the primary role of the space science community in education and outreach will be to provide information, ideas, and materials in formats useful to educators and understandable to the public. There are many well-proven communication techniques that can be developed and applied to strengthen general public understanding and appreciation of science. These include preparation of articles for the science sections of newspapers, tradebooks written for public consumption, articles in focused, popular magazines, and introductory textbooks at both the high school and college level.
With respect to education, researchers may choose to provide information and materials directly to students through personal contacts, teachers through workshops, indirectly through development of educational materials and technology, or by consulting on the development and implementation of science and technology standards and policies. The effectiveness of such activities will depend on how well scientists understand the knowledge, skills, and needs of both teachers and students. Long-term partnerships with educators will be the key to success.
3) Forge long-term partnerships with education institutions and professionals.
The central element of our broad educational strategy must be the development of lasting partnerships between the space science and education communities. OSS-supported managers and scientists at centers, institutes, and universities are not generally knowledgeable concerning the needs and goals of K-13 education. Interaction with education professionals will be essential to understanding the goals and needs of the education community and producing educationally appropriate and effective materials.
Education professionals provide the basis for what we know and need concerning education reform; the emerging science, technology, and mathematics standards; curriculum development; multi-cultural approaches; age-appropriate instruction; and the effect of social problems in the schools. Schools of Education faculty are responsible for the training of new teachers. They carry out research on how students learn, and on the basis of this research, develop new approaches to teaching. Classroom teachers know the abilities and interests of their students, and understand what does and does not work in the classroom. Teachers also play a significant role in the ongoing development and training of other teachers. The professional educators are the ones who must tell scientists what they need and work with them to ensure that scientific ideas and results are presented in an understandable way and that appropriate and effective materials are developed.
Informal education professionals at museums and planetariums can play a particularly valuable role translating the results obtained by research scientists into formats useful to educators and accessible to the public. Such individuals have been trained in science and in methods for its presentation. They are especially skilled in the development of hands-on exhibits for the general public. They play a significant role in the presentation of workshops and the development of educational materials for teachers and students. They also offer a means for the broad dissemination of information on new scientific results and the fundamental role of science and technology in contemporary society.
Professional societies also play an important role in education and public outreach. Many scientific societies are involved in education, offer workshops and resources for teachers, and sponsor lectures and other public activities. Professional education associations provide opportunities for scientists to learn about education reform, become familiar with new educational techniques, disseminate new educational materials and present teacher workshops.
It is by becoming a "partner" in education that activities undertaken by space science researchers can be highly leveraged and significantly affect national efforts directed towards education reform and scientific and technological literacy. It is through working with education partners that the results from the space science program can be incorporated into museum displays, planetarium shows, science textbooks, and curriculum units used throughout the country. It is through working with education partners that the results from our publicly supported science programs can be taught to teachers, displayed on the walls of classrooms, placed in the hands of students and appreciated by their parents. It is through working with our education partners that we can best share what we have learned with the people who have supported our work and, in so doing, contribute to increasing the public understanding and appreciation of science.
4) Encourage a wide range of educational and public outreach activities.
The OSS Education and Public Outreach Strategy has placed a new emphasis on K-13 education and public outreach activities which may be carried out, in part, by making presentations to elementary school classes or teacher workshops; by developing educational materials such as curricula, textbooks, and educational software; or by presenting public lectures or writing popular articles by those who have the talent and interest to effectively carry out such important activities. However, individuals with other talents should consider contributing in other ways such as aiding the efforts of their colleagues who engage in K-13 educational outreach, supporting a science undergraduate or graduate student who is interested in outreach or a career in education, or collaborating with museums or planetariums to translate space science data and information for use in both K-13 education and the preparation of exhibits for the public.
The solar system exploration Edelhostel course at William and
Mary University offered students an opportunity for hands-on
experiments in impact crater formation. NASA space scientists
serve as speakers for such non-traditional education courses.
Photo: Sue Brand.
A wide range of educational and public outreach approaches are possible, and an extensive list of representative ideas for participation is contained in Appendix B. This list (which is not meant to be exhaustive) is intended to stimulate the members of the space science community into thinking about the myriad of ways they might best contribute to education and the public understanding of science and technology. It also must be realized that not all activities that are undertaken have to be new. Developing mechanisms for the ready exchange of existing, proven ideas and materials will be an important element of the implementation of this Strategy. The research community must appreciate the fact that effective contributions to education and scientific and technological literacy can take many forms.
5) Foster full participation of groups currently underrepresented in the space sciences.
OSS commits to increasing the awareness and participation of minority students, students with disabilities, and women in the space science program.
Students at the Naval Research Laboratory at a teacher training
workshop learn to operate a sounding rocket ultraviolet
spectrograph. Such workshops provide the opportunity to increase
awareness and participation of groups under represented in the
space science program. Photo: George Carruthers, Naval Research
Laboratory, Washington DC.
The target populations which NASA currently identifies as underrepresented in the fields of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology--African Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Native Alaskans, Native Pacific Islanders, and individuals with disabilities--are significantly more underrepresented in space science than they are in science and technology as a whole. To make a noticeable difference, highly proactive and goal-oriented measures are required. Special emphasis must be placed on inclusive, multi-cultural K-13 level activities which involve parents, teachers, and community leaders along with the students themselves. Universities with undergraduate and/or graduate degree programs in space science fields should undertake significant outreach efforts to identify and recruit underrepresented minority students and should build partnerships with minority universities (Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges) to establish new pathways through which minority students can enter the field.
Training in the use of electronic information technologies and
services can be provided by workshops like this one at University
of California at Berkeley's Center for EUV Astrophysics. Photo:
Isabel Hawkins, Center for EUV Astrophysics, University of
California, Berkeley.
Recent years have seen an increase in the number of women in space science graduate programs and in entry level jobs. However, this increase has not yet manifested itself in significant numbers of permanent or leadership positions for women in the field. Continuing efforts are needed to foster interest in the physical sciences among girls and young women and to encourage them to enter careers in space science. OSS education and outreach programs should make use of female role models wherever possible and space science graduate programs should ensure that faculty mentors are being highly proactive in promoting the professional advancement of their female proteges.
6) Incorporate the latest information dissemination and display technologies into education and public outreach programs.
The OSS community of researchers and project developers have access to advanced communications tools and technologies that can be used to enhance the dissemination of education materials, foster the joy of learning, and reach an increasingly large segment of the public. The OSS community should take full advantage of the variety of ways possible to use these technologies in education and public outreach. Possibilities include providing Internet access to information, photographs, databases, and on-line answers to questions; development of software for classroom activities and interactive museum displays; and development and utilization of virtual reality tools and techniques for educational and display purposes. Again, a variety of activities are possible and will be encouraged. These efforts will be coordinated through the OSS Information Systems Office and the Technology and Evaluation Branch of the NASA Education Division.