GK-12 PARTNERSHIP FOR EXPLORING THE ENVIRONMENT ON THE U.S. MEXICO BORDER: A FIRST LOOK

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD) are now in the first year of a partnership to transform the cognitive level of learning in middle school science classrooms, enhance the professional preparation of graduate fellows in science and engineering, and engage student interest in science and engineering careers. UTEP is the largest Mexican-American majority university in the United States and the population that EPISD serves is 70% Hispanic. A cohort of middle school students attends environmental science classes led by teacher-fellow teams dedicated to raising the conceptual understanding and scientific reasoning skills of class members. Fellows also serve as mentors and career role models for students. Cohort scores on the state science exam, will be compared to a control group as one measure of success of the project. The project draws on a number of established environmental science curricula as a basis for teaching science modules that are aligned with the EPISD middle school curriculum guides, the Texas (TEKS) and National Science Standards (NSES) for grades 6-8. As part of their training, fellows are creating new learning modules designed to elucidate environmental problems and scientific solutions relevant to the border region that will be available on the worldwide web. Teachers and fellows are being trained in inquiry-based environmental curricula and in pedagogical skills for raising cognitive demand on students through a summer institute and follow up workshops.