Stipend
Participants receive a stipend of up to $3,400 for professinal development and data collection, plus an additional $50 for classroom observations and interviews. Course credit may also be offered for a fee through Northern Arizona University (NAU).
Teacher and Student Gains
The study is intentionally designed to provide maximum benefit to you, while contributing to general knowledge about effective professional development in science. Over the years, a series of increasingly rigorous quasi-experimental and randomized control studies have been conducted on MSS courses. These earlier studies tested the efficacy of both elementary and middle school courses, and the findings offer compelling evidence that this series of professional development:
- Significantly strengthen teachers’ content knowledge and this knowledge is maintained over time
- Improve teachers’ confidence and transform classroom practices
- Boost student achievement and reduce the achievement gap
This research study is designed to add to our collective knowledge about teacher professional development and student achievement in science, thus informing core decisions about professional development design. The ultimate long-term contribution: widely available and effective professional development that introduces science content in ways that are connected to students, teaching and learning.