Archived Information

American Association for the Advancement of Science

**[Developing a Research Base]{.smallcaps}**

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) offers
numerous programs designed to increase the body of knowledge surrounding
issues in mathematics and science education. Some of these programs have
focused specifically on evaluating and developing curriculum materials
and producing tools to help materials developers---and they; these
programs are listed under their own subheading below. These The programs
listed here have been developed primarily though AAAS's Project 2061
directorate.

***Center for Curriculum Materials in Science.*** Project 2061 has and
its partners are developed developing an ambitious research agenda
through the Center for Curriculum Materials in Science, a National
Science Foundation Center for Learning and Teaching. The Center teams
Project 2061 with three research universities to develop conduct
research, and develop coursework,graduate and teacher education programs
following Project 2061's core principles. Each of the partner
universities is expanding its graduate and postdoctoral programs in
science education to include coursework and research opportunities in
the analysis, design, and use of science curriculum materials. The
Center has also created a Knowledge Sharing Institute that will allow
researchers, faculty, and doctoral students from the partner
institutions---and from the larger education community---to exchange
information, resources, and expertise. In its first year of operation,
tThe Center is currently recruiting graduate students and postdoctoral
fellows and developing new courses based on Project 2061's curriculum
materials analysis procedure. For more information, visit
HREF=\"http://www.sciencematerialscenter.org/\".

***Factors that Improve Student Learning in Mathematics: An Interagency
Education Research Initiative Study.*** In partnership with the
University of Delaware and Texas A&M University, Project 2061 is
examining how curriculum materials, teaching practices, and professional
development can best be coordinated to improve student learning of key
mathematics ideas and skills. The study examine these interactions in
the context of middle grades mathematics and also considers how
technology can help to provide ongoing teacher support and professional
development on a large scale.

***Standards-Based Assessment** **Study. ***Project 2061 is developing
new strategies and tools to help educators understand and design
assessments that are well aligned with national, state, and district
standards and benchmarks for K-12 science and mathematics. In 2004 this
valuable resource will become operational and ready for use by
commercial developers and publishers of assessment materials.

***Curriculum Materials Evaluation**.* One of Project 2061' s most
extensive and innovative research projects has been an investigation
into the quality of science and mathematics textbooks. The goal was to
develop a rigorous standards- and research-based analysis procedure and
then to use it to provide teachers and administrators with information
about the quality of available textbooks. The evaluations looked for
content aligned to specific learning goals and for research-based
instructional strategies that support those goals. Project 2061CA series
of evaluations examined middle grades science, high school biology,
middle grades mathematics, and high school algebra textbooks. The
results rated all popular middle-school science books as
"unsatisfactory," finding them "full of disconnected facts that neither
educate nor motivate" students. In a later analysis, not one of the 10
widely used high-school biology texts received a high rating. While
mathematics textbooks fared better in general, reviewers of high school
algebra programs and middle grades mathematics materials still found
some serious shortcomings. The findings are available online at
HREF=\"http://. \[we should indicate how people can a**Conferences**.
Project 2061 hosted a series of landmark textbook conferences bringing
together scientists, teachers, researchers, curriculum developers, state
officials who set statewide standards, and textbook authors, editors,
and publishers. The first conference focused on the critical features of
highly rated materials. The second addressed how the research
communities could contribute more productively to improving K-12 science
teaching and learning on a large scale. At the third conference,
policymakers and educators discussed the role of state and district
decision-making in supporting the development and use of high quality
materials. Conference papers are available online at
HREF=\"http://www.project2061.org/\". \[we should indicate what is
available--- papers on website\]**Publications and Online Resources**. A
forthcoming book about selecting and developing high quality curriculum
materials is scheduled for publication in 2004 and will help educators,
developers, and others to select, design, and use science and
mathematics textbooks based on principles derived from years of research
about how students learn.