MCPER has been awarded a $2.5 million, 4-year federal grant to launch the Scientific Explorers project, which will design and test a science program for the full range of second-grade learners, including those with or at risk for learning disabilities in mathematics, reading, and science.
The goal of the Scientific Explorers program, funded by the National Science Foundation Discovery Research PreK–12 program, is to lay an early foundation for science learning, drawing upon the disciplinary core ideas and cross-cutting concepts related to Earth’s Systems in the Next Generation Science Standards. The project also will develop and test an accompanying science assessment. In year 4, the project will conduct a pilot study of the program and assessment in 40 second-grade classrooms in Texas and Virginia.
MCPER’s Christian Doabler is the project’s principal investigator. Sarah Powell of MCPER, Victor Sampson of the UT Austin College of Education, and Bill Therrien of the University of Virginia are the co-principal investigators. MCPER’s Greg Roberts and Anna-Mari Fall are the project’s methodologists.
“A robust understanding of disciplinary core ideas and practices in science is necessary for obtaining jobs in the STEM fields,” Doabler said. “Yet, few effective instructional tools exist for the science classroom.”
For more information, visit the Scientific Explorers project webpage.