The Hartford Connecticut Public Schools and the Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science (PIMMS)
This partnership seeks to learn how to integrate authentic assessment practices and improve pedagogical approaches to science kits in elementary science. During the summer of 2003, seventy-five Hartford elementary teachers participated in a five-day institute designed to enrich the science content and pedagogy involved in teaching Science and Technology for Children(STC) kits. PIMSS provides follow-up support during the school year. Regional Alliance staff are helping to evaluate the program.

The Northern New England Co-Mentoring Network (NNECN) at the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA)
NNECN is a content-focused mentoring program for middle and secondary science and mathematics teachers. The program is a collaboration between Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont that addresses the critical need to support and retain well-qualified teachers while building strong teacher leadership in northern New England. Through a combination of formal mentoring, training, content-focused summer institutes, state conferences, site visits, and electronic networking, mentor teachers are provided with three years of professional development as they support, nurture, and guide new teachers. Regional Alliance staff are serving as program advisors and facilitators. www.mmsa.org

Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES in New York
Science 21 is an integrated K-6 science curriculum developed at the Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES in New York. Designed by teachers for teachers, Science 21's emphasis is on investigations that are student-directed and relevant to students' everyday lives. The program's main focus is on hands-on, inquiry-based science with integration of mathematics, language arts, and technology. Science 21 seeks a balance between process and content, with support by kits and staff development. The BOCES has developed a Resource Guide for Connecting Literature and Science which is available from their web site. The Regional Alliance supported the creation of the guide. www.pnwboces.org/cesar/sci21/

The Rhode Island Science and Literacy Integration Project (SLIP)
Slip is dedicated to improving science, English language arts, and reading for all Rhode Island students. SLIP provides ongoing support to teams of K-8 teachers and administrators focused on planning standards-based integrated curriculum. Teachers examine the use of science notebooks in inquiry science programs through the lesson study process. Regional Alliance staff have helped introduce the lesson study process and provided feedback to teams as they develop their research lessons. www.ric.edu/slip/

St Croix, Virgin Islands
Elementary teachers in St Croix are working together to align science and mathematics lessons with the Virgin Islands Curriculum Guide. Twenty teachers (grades 4-6) are meeting every Saturday for six weeks to develop a set of lesson plans that will be shared with colleagues throughout the district. Videotaped classroom lessons will be aired on the Island Public Access channel, giving the community a glimpse of what's happening in science and mathematics education. The Regional Alliance is providing financial support for this initiative.

Science Cases for Teacher Learning
Educators from Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont are field testing science case discussion materials being developed by Kirsten Daehler and Mayumi Shinohara at WestEd. The case-based curriculum combines teaching electrical circuits with facilitated science investigations, discussion, and reflection. As faciliators pilot the program, they learn about a type of professional development designed to help teachers focus conversations on hard-to-teach and hard-to-learn science concepts, examine how children make sense of those concepts, and analyze and improve their teaching practice. The Regional Alliance hosted facilitator institutes and staff are providing follow-up support. www.wested.org/cs/wew/view/pj/89