San Antonio College has received a three-year, $299,867 grant from the National Science Foundation to enhance the quality of secondary and community college science teaching in order to increase the number of South Texans who earn associate's and bachelor's degrees in science.
The project is entitled "Technology-based Inquiry and Curriculum Alignment: Improving Science Education in Secondary and Post-Secondary Schools" (TICA).
SAC will initially partner with the San Antonio Independent School District and the Project BRIDGE education/industry partnership for week-long Summer Professional Development Institutes that will provide training for science teachers from grade 6 through sophomore year in college. Secondary teachers, alternative certification candidates, and SAC science faculty will be trained in technology-supported, inquiry-based learning, using discipline-specific content aligned with state and national science standards. Secondary and college-level science courses will be revised based on what teachers learn at the Institutes.
By integrating the latest research in science instruction - including technology, laboratory, and inquiry-based strategies - into coursework, TICA aims to 1) increase the number of science teachers and qualified minority applicants for science teaching positions, 2) improve science literacy for up to 12,000 predominantly minority students each year (reflected in improved TAKS scores and college grades), and 3) increase the number of South Texans earning associate's or bachelor's degrees in science.
For more information, contact Dr. Robin McGilloway, SAC biology instructor, at 733-2197 and mcgillo@accd.edu, or Bill Vinal, SAISD science director, at 354-4391.
