On a late September, San Antonio morning, science directors for Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, and a science consultant for New Mexico gathered around a conference table with coffee, pens, and notepads. REL Southwest convened the forum to flesh out the region's needs for research addressing science education and to invite the experts' input to the lab's scientifically based research projects.
Peers discuss their needs
REL Southwest staff discussed the new REL and the research that they planned to perform. After the short introduction, the science educators responded-offering thoughts on how the REL can improve the study plans and make its work as useful as possible. Then the group discussed their needs.
There are several questions needing quality research: how much does professional development improve teaching, how many hours in each science discipline are required for effective teachers, what are the comparisons between conceptual and traditional science curricula?
"The discussion was very comfortable and cordial," said Ann Wilson. Wilson attended the forum and is the Program Coordinator for Science, Health, and P.E. at the Louisiana Department of Education. She noted that the group brainstormed and thought openly about what questions should be addressed with quality research.
For the REL, the forum added context to prior needs assessments and presented a few surprises. Eric Rolfhus is a senior researcher at REL Southwest. "One thing we had not seen yet," he noted, "was the need for studies on virtual science labs . . . but everyone mentioned it." Wilson discussed how difficult it is to get certified high-level teachers out to poor, rural areas: "We need research comparing the effectiveness of virtual education versus face-to-face, or the combination of both." In light of the ascent of the issue's importance, the lab is planning a study addressing virtual science labs.
Fostering a new relationship
"They fostered an atmosphere of collaboration . . . it left an impression that they value the opinion of someone out there in the middle of it and dealing with the issues," noted Wilson. She sees her relationship with the REL allowing her to convey her emerging needs in today's shifting landscape of education.
"It's not a one way street," said Rolfus, noting the importance of practitioners' input in the lab's work. For example, after the forum, Wilson pointed out a particular aspect of the Louisiana standards that would affect the REL's research on the alignment of state and NAEP science standards. With Wilson's input, the REL can make the research relevant to Louisiana and can meet her needs.
