Welcome to Scientists in Schools!


Scientists in Schools is an online guide intended to provide resources to scientists who would like to foster connections between the scientific community and K-12 educational community. Research has shown that role models play an important part in determining the career paths of young people. Thus, visits to a local school by a scientist may inspire students to someday become a scientist themselves, or at least recognize the importance of science in society.

Specifically, this Scientists in Schools guide is intended to provide resources to scientists who are interested in visiting local schools.

A well-planned school visit can:

  • Be the highlight of the day, week, or year for many students, and yourself ;
  • Encourage an interest in and enthusiasm for science, technology, and mathematics;
  • Demonstrate the variety of work opportunities in exciting research fields;
  • Breakdown stereotypes and barriers that make science and research appear out of reach for many industrious students.

As with any group, there will be a variety of interest among the group of students that you visit. Not every member of the class will be on the edge of their seat as tell stories of the exciting world of science. And you will likely never know which students lives are most greatly impacted by your visit. However, outreach by the scientific community is a great service to schools and society.

Teachers and students face very different needs and challenges than those posed one or two decades ago. In order to serve these evolving needs and challenges, excellent progress has been made to identify what students know, how students learn, and the best instructional practices. Scientists in Schools aims to provide you with tools and background knowledge for successful, effective, and enjoyable classroom visits. Peruse the links below for information about schools, what students are learning at various levels, a checklist to facilitate the logistics of a school visit, and how to construct an interesting program for the students.

Resources:

Last modified September 30, 2005 by Lisa Gardiner.

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Windows to the Universe, a project of the National Earth Science Teachers Association, is sponsored in part is sponsored in part through grants from federal agencies (NASA and NOAA), and partnerships with affiliated organizations, including the American Geophysical Union, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Earth System Information Partnership, the American Meteorological Society, the National Center for Science Education, and TERC. The American Geophysical Union and the American Geosciences Institute are Windows to the Universe Founding Partners. NESTA welcomes new Institutional Affiliates in support of our ongoing programs, as well as collaborations on new projects. Contact NESTA for more information. NASA ESIP NCSE HHMI AGU AGI AMS NOAA