Greater Johnstown School District to Enhance Student Achievement Through Science Program: Elementary Students to Benefit this Year through "Science: It's Elementary"

Students at East Side Elementary School in the Greater Johnstown School District will soon benefit under a program that will transform their science education. The "Science: It's Elementary" program will help elementary students to not only observe the practical aspects of science, but also to experiment, interpret, propose solutions and test their own scientific theories.

GJSD was selected as one of the 57 schools across Pennsylvania that will implement "Science: It's Elementary" in order to increase student achievement and success by providing science kits and enhanced teacher development.

"We are constantly seeking ways to best prepare our students for success, certainly in the classroom, but for life beyond their school days," Superintendent Barbara Parkins said. "That's why we are extremely excited to bring 'Science: It's Elementary' to East Side Elementary. Our students will be able to engage in science education hands on and the teachers will be able to develop and execute exciting lesson plans more effectively."

"Science: It's Elementary" goes beyond traditional textbook instruction, allowing elementary students to learn by doing. Classrooms are provided with science kits enabling children to experiment and see the "big picture" of how science impacts our lives, studying topics such as weather, water, balance and motion, electricity, and rocks and minerals.

Governor Rendell proposed the "Science: It's Elementary" program as one of several efforts to better prepare Pennsylvania's students for the competitive environment of the emerging global economy. Intensive math and science training is increasingly in demand in many workplaces, the governor noted, and high-skill careers often require employees with strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

"'Science: It's Elementary' brings science to life in the classroom," Governor Rendell said. "It allows children to learn by doing - one of the most effective and engaging ways to teach and foster a love of learning. Thousands of elementary school children benefited from this innovative teaching tool last year. Now, thousands more will enjoy this hands-on learning experience."

The expansion of this proven teaching tool, made possible by funding in the recently enacted state budget, will mean that innovative science teaching will soon be offered to nearly 57,000 students in more than 120 school districts across the state in the coming school year.

The Greater Johnstown School District has been awarded a grant in order to transform its elementary science classrooms through this project. In the 2007-08 school year, numerous students will benefit through this initiative.

"The world has changed so much since Superintendent Parkins and I were in school," Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said. "Pennsylvania students aren't just competing with peers in other states, they are competing with students around the world. It is our responsibility to ensure our children receive a cutting-edge education that will prepare them to succeed in a high-skilled workforce."

Such efforts already have reaped rewards in Pennsylvania. Forty-eight school districts in southwestern Pennsylvania, in partnership with the Bayer Foundation-funded ASSET Inc., outperformed their peers on science tests using efforts replicated by "Science: It's Elementary."

ASSET (Achieving Student Success through Excellence in Teaching) Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to continuously improve teaching and student learning, with an initial focus on K-8 science education. Established in 1994 by Bayer Corporation and several community partners, ASSET also received substantial funding from the National Science Foundation. Today, ASSET has achieved sustainability as a fee-for-service organization with ongoing support from several local and national foundations and corporate partners.

The recently enacted 2007-08 budget allocated $13.5 million to expand "Science: It's Elementary" to an additional 25,800 students in the coming school year. Last year, "Science: It's Elementary" benefited almost 31,000 K-8 students in 65 school districts.

"Science: It's Elementary" is among several innovative educational initiatives funded in the fiscal 2007-08 budget recently signed into law by Governor Rendell. Other programs include the "Pre-K Counts" early childhood development effort, the "Project 720" high school reform initiative, and "Classrooms for the Future," which provides professional development for educators and puts laptop computers and other high-tech tools in Pennsylvania's high school classrooms.