Code of ConductEast Side School Spotlight
East Side elementary will soon benefit from a new Science program targeted at elementary students. The program is titled "Science: It's Elementary!
"'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.
"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.
This approach allows children to not only observe the practical aspects of science, but also to experiment, interpret, propose solutions and test their own scientific theories.
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.
"Pennsylvania students aren't just competing with peers in other states, they are competing with students around the world," Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said. "It is our responsibility to ensure our children receive a cutting-edge education that will prepare them to succeed in a high-tech 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.
For more information on these efforts or the governor's 2007-08 education budget, visit the Department of Education Web site at www.pde.state.pa.us
