Setting the Standard for Science-Teaching Success
	The water testing equipment had been gathering dust for several years on a shelf in Jim Gill’s science classroom at Pennfield Middle School in Hatfield, Pa., near Merck’s West Point plant. That changed in 1999 when he began studying stream ecology with his seventh grade class. With the water testing kit in hand, Mr. Gill hustled his science students off one day to a local stream for some firsthand observation and analysis. “We chemically tested the water, then talked about the kinds of phenomena that must be occurring upstream to contribute to those kinds of results,” he recalled. “It was a chance for the kids to ask some challenging questions, come up with the answers and develop their understanding. They really loved it.” Mr. Gill’s decision to take the learning experience outdoors was grounded in a vastly different approach to science education that had been planted in his school district by the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE). Turning students on to science In the 10 years since it was created, MISE has indeed had a profound impact on the way science is taught in the four public school districts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania it has taken under its wing, each in communities where Merck has major sites. By all accounts, MISE has significantly strengthened the skills and knowledge of science teachers, prompted dramatic changes in science curricula and instructional practice inside the classroom, and assisted partner schools with identifying and obtaining top-quality learning materials. The real bottom line, though, has been the success of MISE in turning students on to science by appealing to their intellectual curiosity. “Even before MISE, Merck had established partnerships with local schools, but they pretty much involved sprinkling money around,” remarked Carlo Parravano, Ph.D., executive director, MISE. "Instead, we wanted to build our partners’ capacity to significantly improve and sustain changes to their science education programs.” MISE as a model The unqualified success of that effort is underscored by findings of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. CPRE has evaluated MISE for each of the last six years and found the program to be exemplary. “One of the institute’s biggest advantages is that it has a clear vision of what good science instruction should be and how to work with its partner school districts to turn that into a strong, shared vision,” said Tom Corcoran, co-director, CPRE. “When talking to other groups,” he added, “CPRE often holds up MISE as a model.” Dr. Parravano emphasizes MISE’s accomplishments in the areas of curriculum reform and education policy at the school district level. “We’ve worked very closely with the school districts to develop strong curricula that reflect national and state standards,” he said. Not surprisingly, MISE’s influence and reputation have grown well beyond the borders of its four target communities. At the national level, MISE partners with leading educational organizations, like the National Scientific Resources Center and the Educational Testing Service, to develop scientific education resources and assessment tools. In addition, the National Science Foundation awarded MISE and its partner school districts a five-year, $2.5 million grant to grow its program. Ripple effect: girls and minority students now want to be scientists “In our school system, very few teachers, especially at the elementary level, did any investigations in the classroom because they seldom had backgrounds in math or science,” noted Christine Salcito, principal at the Madison School in Rahway, N.J. “They felt intimidated.” MISE has met that problem head-on through a comprehensive professional development program for science teachers at public school districts (kindergarten through eighth grade) in Linden, Rahway and Readington Township in New Jersey and North Penn in Pennsylvania. That program includes the development of leader teachers, who undergo a rigorous training program for three straight summers to deepen their scientific knowledge and strengthen their teaching and leadership skills. Other one-week workshops complement the leader teacher initiative. As an outgrowth of this intense training, Rose Goldstein, an elementary science specialist in the Linden Public Schools, sees a “ripple effect” taking place. “By educating teachers and making them feel more comfortable with inquiry-based science, you open the door for students to develop a love for science,” she said. The results can be tremendously gratifying, she added. “We now have girls and minority students, who never before had any interest in science, suddenly wanting to become scientists.”
	Back to top Back to Breakthroughs >

Copyright © 1995-2002 Merck & Co., Inc., Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA. All rights reserved.