About LASER
- View LASER video: Preparing All Students for Their Future
- Washington State LASER Summary
- Six Elements of Reform
- Washington State LASER Steering Committee
- National Science Resources Center (NSRC) The LASER Center
- NSRC's Model of Science Education Reform
Washington State Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) is a public/private partnership launched in 1999 using a science education reform model developed by the National Science Resources Center (NSRC). The Washington State LASER partnership is led by the Strategic Programs Division of Pacific Science Center in Seattle and the Office of Science & Engineering Education at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Pacific Science Center serves as the fiscal agent for the partnership and manages LASER's statewide technical assistance efforts.
Other key members of the Washington State LASER partnership are the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Washington's Educational Service Districts and lead school districts from around the state. Funding for Washington State LASER is provided through OSPI and the Washington State Legislature, Battelle, the Boeing Company, and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.
Washington State LASER helps school districts:
- Build their knowledge of current research and best practices
- Develop a shared vision and set of common goals
- Design and implement a school district infrastructure for support
- Emphasize improving instructional practice
- Focus on increasing student learning and achievement.
To enhance its efforts, LASER has connected with National Science Foundation (NSF) Implementation and Dissemination Center efforts (e.g., Biological Sciences Curriculum Studies (BSCS) Center for Professional Development – National Academy for Curriculum Leadership), NSF and Department of Education Math and Science Partnership projects, NSF Local Systemic Change initiatives and support from federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Aeronautical and Space Administration to help improve science education in Washington State.
1. Strategies for building and sustaining administrative and community support for science education reform:
Planning and implementing a research-based science program requires the support of a broad range of stakeholders who share a vision of what is needed to create an effective science program for students in their school district. It is likewise important to establish an infrastructure that will support this shared vision.
Key players in science education reform at the district level include both individuals and organizations. The endorsement of school district leaders is essential. Equally important is the involvement of community organizations, including museums, universities, and local corporations and businesses. Scientists and engineers, as well as parents, can help leverage support for science education reform.
An applied scientist, for example, may team with a teacher to lead a professional development program; parents may volunteer to help replenish science kits in the district's materials center; a corporate leader may serve as a spokesperson for science education reform with the business community.
Working together, these individuals can form partnerships that will ensure a sustained commitment to science education reform.
2. Assessment methods consistent with the goals of a research-based science program:
Research-based science calls for new assessment strategies. Student assessments that are interwoven, or embedded, into science learning experiences are particularly useful. Because such assessments aim at assessing what students know and are able to do as a result of their inquiry, they are sometimes called "authentic" assessment.
In addition to student assessments, program assessments are required to determine whether the science program is meeting its goals and to guide curriculum selection, professional development, and other activities.
3. Research-Based science instructional materials produced through a review process:
Comprehensive, research-based instructional materials lies at the heart of an effective science education program. The instructional materials must be research-based. Materials should be developed collaboratively by educators and scientists, field-tested, and evaluated before being published. Each unit must provide developmentally appropriate opportunities for children to expand their understanding of science concepts, to acquire skills, and to develop positive attitudes toward science. Lessons must address the variety of learning styles that students bring to their learning, must challenge all students, and must give students opportunities to apply what they have learned to real life situations. The lessons must offer opportunities for teachers to integrate science learning with other areas of the curriculum. Finally, the instructional materials must be consistent with the National Science Education Standards of the National Research Council and with state learning frameworks.
4. Cost effective materials support systems for supplying materials and apparatus to classrooms:
Students who engage in inquiry-centered science require a variety of science materials from hand lenses, to magnets, to plastic droppers. A materials support system is needed to ensure that science kits are ready for classroom use. Materials support staff take charge of ordering new supplies, refurbishing science kits, and ensuring that kits are delivered to teachers when needed. Centralizing the materials support function makes materials support activities more efficient and cost-effective. Centralization is most commonly done at the district level; small school districts may consolidate the materials support function by forming consortia.
5. Professional development programs that prepare teachers to support students in research-based, inquiry-centered science:
Professional development is the process through which a school district prepares its teachers to teach research-based science. Professional development programs focus initially on helping teachers learn how to use science materials and on classroom management techniques. Later, attention turns to helping teachers learn how to facilitate an inquiry-centered approach to learning, how to develop appropriate methods for student assessment, and how to integrate science with other subject areas.
6. Teaching strategies that link science with literacy - reading, writing, and speaking:
Research has shown that inquiry-centered learning increases student performance in language arts. Inquiry provides students with regular practice in linking metacognition to language arts skills of reading, writing, and speaking. Teaching strategies such as note-booking do much more than document steps of an investigation. These strategies also provide a channel for students to describe their thought process and the evidence that supports their reasoning.
Washington State LASER Steering Committee
Jonelle Adams |
Mack Armstrong |
Amy Barber |
Phil Bell |
Dana Riley Black |
James Dorsey |
Ellen Ebert |
Jeff Estes |
Amber Farthing |
Ed Geary |
JoAnne Henderson |
John Henry |
Tamara Holmlund Nelson |
Gary Kipp |
Mark Lewis |
Karen Madsen |
Eric Magi |
Rick Meeder |
Dennis Milliken |
Kelly Munn |
Lynn Nixon |
Kristin Osborne |
Jeff Ryan |
Dennis Schatz |
Sonia Siegel Vexler |
Bob Sotak |
Wendy Whitmer |
Peggy Willcuts |
Midge Yergen |
National Science Resources Center
The National Science Resources Center (NSRC) is operated by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies, comprising the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. The NSRC's goal is to improve the teaching of science in the nation's schools. The NSRC collects and disseminates information about exemplary science teaching resources, develops innovative science instructional materials, and offers an outreach program of leadership enhancement and technical assistance to help school districts implement and sustain research-based science programs.
Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform
In 1998 the NSRC launched a nationwide initiative Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) as a part of its outreach program. Building on the NSRC's national leadership development program, the LASER Center's goal is to improve science education for approximately 1 million students in 370 school districts nationwide. To accomplish this goal, the NSRC formed partnerships with eight regional sites, publishers of National Science Foundation (NSF)-supported middle and elementary school instructional materials, and several major corporations and private foundations.
The NSRC and LASER partners offer school districts a comprehensive menu of programs, products, and services for initiating and implementing research-based K8 science education programs. LASER partners provide regional programs that build community support for science education, develop school district leadership and strategic planning capabilities, identify and support a cadre of teacher leaders, provide quality instructional materials, and broker resources and technical assistance.