Program Name: Partnership with the Merck Institute for Science Education
Nominator's Name: Joseph Martino
Title: Superintendent of Schools
Address: 2 East Gibbons Street
City/State/Zip: Linden NJ 07036
Nominator's Telephone Number: 908-486-2800
Organization: Linden Public Schools
Address: 2 East Gibbons Street
City/State/Zip: Linden NJ 07036
List of Community Partners: Merck & Co., Inc.
The nominated program focuses on the following grade level or area: Elementary/Middle/Jr. High School
District:  Linden
County: Union
Address: 2 East Gibbons Street
City/State/Zip: Linden NJ 07036
District Superintendent: Joseph Martino
District Telephone Number: 908-486-2800
Date of Program Initiation: September 1993

Background.

In 1993, the Linden Public Schools entered into a formal school-business partnership with the Merck Institute for Science Education (MISE), a nonprofit organization funded by Merck & Co., Inc. This partnership is now beginning its ninth year and has involved approximately 200 teachers and administrators from our district.

Area 1: Goals.

The partnership's goal is to improve science and mathematics education in the district, beginning with the elementary grades. Our main strategy has been to work with teachers across the district, to help them deepen their knowledge of science and mathematics and to improve their teaching skills. The partnership's professional development programs, planned jointly by teachers and administrators from Linden and staff from MISE, focus on inquiry-centered learning and are based on the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and the National Science Education Standards. The Merck Institute, by providing expert consultants, has also enabled Linden to construct new kindergarten through grade eight science and math curricula aligned with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.

Area 2: Activities.

The two primary professional development programs of the partnership are the Leader Teacher Institute (LTI) and the Peer Teacher Workshops (PTWs). The Leader Teacher Institute (1995-1998) provided a unique, three-year program for K-8 teachers that was designed to increase teachers' science knowledge, strengthen their teaching methods, and develop their leadership skills. This program helped teachers develop the skills, necessary for coaching their colleagues and for building support among parents and the community for these reforms. The PTWs (1996-present) complement the LTI by focusing specifically on the district's science curriculum.

These one-week workshops target specific grade levels and immerse teachers in science investigations directly related to the classroom. They are led by instructional teams composed of Leader Teachers and science content experts. Other activities organized and supported by the partnership include science fairs, the Family Science program, and field trips to museums and other science centers, such as the Liberty Science Center and the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium (Sandy Hook). For instance, all district second graders (380) visit the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium as a follow-up to one of their science units: all fourth grade students (450) visit the Liberty Science Center as an enhancement to their classroom work.

Area 3: Outside Resources.

In addition to the professional development programs that form the core of the partnership's activities, Linden's teachers and administrators use many outside resources to support their work. They have access to the MISE Resource Center in neighboring Rahway, which houses a library of exemplary K-8 science and mathematics materials, including curriculum modules, books, periodicals, and videotapes. A MISE staff member assists teachers in selecting and reviewing materials, and district staff can preview science kits before adopting a new curriculum. MISE staff and a Merck employee volunteer corps also provide technical support in the classroom, help organize science nights at school, and serve as science fair judges.

Within the partnership, MISE has also helped Linden identify additional science facilities (museums, informal science centers, nature preserves) where teachers can help their students meet the learning goals of the New Jersey Standards in other ways. Another important outside resource is the National Science Foundation. In 1996, NSF awarded the partnership a major five-year grant to extend its professional development programs to a greater number of teachers within the district and to include more offerings in mathematics.

Area 4: Evaluation.

When the partnership was established in 1993, MISE contracted with the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) to conduct a long-term evaluation of partnership programs. CPRE, a research organization based at the University of Pennsylvania assesses the progress of the partnership yearly using a range of criteria: student performance and course selection; quality of professional development; and changes in classroom teaching, school culture, and district policy. Also each year, CPRE publishes its findings and makes written recommendations that help us make mid-course corrections in our work. The latest CPRE report lists the following findings about the partnership:

• Science has become a priority
• There is a scientifically sound, age-appropriate curriculum in place
• District leaders actively support its implementation
• Students who have received science instruction over several years from teachers who have participated in partnership professional development outperform students who have been taught by non-participants
• In the long run, as more and more teachers participate in the PTWs, there will be a positive and significant impact on student performance in science
  

Area 5: Stability.

From the beginning, a priority of the partnership has been to increase the district's capacity to institutionalize the reforms. Many of the professional development programs take place within our district at the Linden Academy of Science and Technology, and district staff have begun to play an increasingly active role in the planning and implementation of these programs. The summer workshops are entering their seventh consecutive year, and although both Linden and MISE have experienced some leadership and staff changes, the partnership has remained stable.

The Institute's executive director, Dr. Carlo Parravano, has led the initiative since its inception, and several key Linden staff members (such as the Director of Science and the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent) have been involved since the beginning. When Merck created MISE in 1993, it was with a ten-year commitment of funding, which has since been extended until at least the year 2006. Long-range planning contributes to the Stability of this partnership, and on a regular basis, MISE and Linden produce a partnership action plan that includes the following elements:

• Curriculum based on national and state standards
• Professional development for teachers and administrators
• Assessment of student performance
• Materials support for classroom teaching
• Community involvement to support reforms
• Policy change in support of high standards
• Incentives for improvement
• Evaluation that creates measurable objectives and provides continuous feedback
  

Area 6: Endorsements.

Because Merck stands for quality, members of the Board of Education expected that the Merck Institute for Science Education would also provide quality in terms of advice about science education and high-quality professional development. Everything has been first class: instructors, workshops and top-rated materials.

Alvin Coplan
President, Board of Education

The Merck Institute and the district of Linden share a mutual goal - to effectively involve entire faculties in a comprehensive science program specifically focusing on inquiry-based instruction. The teachers in each of our eight elementary and two middle schools share a common pride about teaching science - a contagious feeling that has permeated throughout the district. In the eight years of working with the Institute, teachers have taken ownership of the changes - due mostly because they sense Merck's long-term commitment to the district.

Joseph Martino
Superintendent of Schools

The impact of the Linden/MISE partnership has been evidenced by not only high-level professional development but also by the high levels of enthusiasm and comfort found in teachers, parents and most importantly the students. A genuine receptiveness to Science has evolved because Science has been fostered continually resulting in well-trained teachers. Ask students their favorite subject - it's always Science!

Vera Kresge
Grade One Teacher