Improving science education takes time, but the short duration of most federal and private grants, usually 3 years, inhibits institutionalization of change. Unlike conventional research grants, education grants require collaboration between people with different back grounds, goals, and interests. In addition, the chief goal of an effective education programbetter learning for studentsis a long-term goal and cannot be effec tively measured by testing students' knowledge immediately after the interven tion. An average duration of 5-10 years would be more conducive to promoting effective education partnerships. This extended duration requires a well-devel oped, rigorous plan for continuing and overall program evaluation.
Many effective programs disappear because they fail to receive funding renewals.
Programs that have shown evidence of success should receive long -term funding. An efficient and cost-effective way to have an immediate impact on science education would be for granting agencies to allow an education components as parts of research grants. They would also lead university scientists to become involved in edu cation endeavors. An effective research laboratory where students, faculty, tech nicians, postdoctoral fellows, and others participate in a common scientific research effort is a model of an ideal intellectual community of learnersa community suggested in much of the education-reform literature. Fund professional, third-party evaluation to determine the effectiveness of major programs.