ORGANIZING A STATE EARTH SCIENCE EDUCATION ORGANIZATION USING THE TENNESSEE MODEL

In the 1980's earth science education in Tennessee was limited to a vocabulary type text in elementary school, a middle school science course, and very few special permission courses in high school. The Tennessee Earth Science Teachers (TEST) was created in the late 1980's with the goal of creating a k-12 science curriculum that put the earth sciences on the same curriculum plane as Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. This presentation will briefly will explain the history and organization of TEST and then go in depth to the state and local impacts made in the teaching of the earth sciences by the members. The presentation will then illustrate how the Tennessee model can be implemented in all other states with similar outcomes. Finally, a question and answer session will provide needed specifics and procedures to Geosicence educators for their local districts and state curriculums.