Reports of Education, Museum, and Scholarly Services 



National Science Resources Center 



Douglas M. Lapp 



The National Science Resources Center (NSRC), established 

 in 1985 and operated jointly by the Smithsonian Institution 

 and the National Academies (including the National Acad- 

 emy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the 

 Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council), 

 works to improve science education in the nation's elementary 

 and secondary schools. In addition to developing science ma- 

 terials for classroom use, the NSRC collects and disseminates 

 information about exemplary science teaching resources and 

 sponsors outreach activities to help school districts develop, 

 implement, and sustain inquiry-centered science programs. 



The NSRC's reform strategy begins with the assumption 

 that informed leadership at all levels is critical in developing 

 and implementing a new vision for science education reform. 

 The NSRC conducts leadership development institutes to 

 help identify and develop effective leaders within school dis- 

 tricts and their local communities. It also provides ongoing 

 technical assistance to catalyze and maintain science educa- 

 tion reform efforts. 



The NSRC's mission is to — 



• Develop effective teaching materials for precollege science 

 education. 



• Collect and disseminate information on science teaching 

 resources. 



• Develop informed leaders to spearhead local, regional, and 

 state science education reform efforts. 



• Provide technical assistance to help school systems im- 

 prove their science programs. 



• Create networks of individuals and organizations that will 

 promote the exchange of knowledge and experience useful 

 to the improvement of science education. 



During fiscal year 1999 the NSRC focused mainly on 

 science curriculum development and outreach efforts. In the 

 area of curriculum development, work on the first four mod- 

 ules in the Science and Technology Concepts for Middle 

 Schools (STC/MS) curriculum reached completion. These 

 modules are unique in they have undergone an extensive, 

 two-year research and development process. Nineteen sites 

 were involved in the national field testing of these modules 

 during the past year. The feedback from the teachers, stu- 

 dents, parents, and technical reviewers provided direction for 

 the curriculum developers to refine these materials and ready 

 them for commercial use. 



Also in the area of curriculum development, the NSRC 

 published the final STC Discovery Decks. These are illus- 

 trated sets of resource cards that expand on the Science and 

 Technology for Children (STC) elementary units for fourth 

 through sixth grade. Their completion brought to a close the 

 STC elementary curriculum project. 



Second, the NSRC's Leadership and Assistance for Science 

 Education Reform (LASER) initiative made significant con- 

 tributions to helping school districts reform their K-8 science 

 programs. As one of the National Science Foundation's three 

 Science Education Implementation and Dissemination Cen- 

 ters, LASER is a huge outreach initiative. During the past 

 year, 375 school districts participated in 18 LASER events in 

 the eight LASER regions across the country. 



Third, the NSRC's Information Dissemination division 

 provided unique electronic tools to help these projects 

 meet their goals. For instance, staff set up a password- 

 protected, Internet-based bulletin board to provide a forum 

 for the exchange of ideas by the STC/MS field-test teachers. 

 Information Dissemination staff also began work on a LASER 

 Implementation Guide, following a national survey of school 

 districts participating in NSRC science education reform ef- 

 forts, to provide LASER participants with information on how 

 to implement an effective science education program. 



