Changing the culture of the classroom: A study of the Elementary Science Education Partners (ESEP) program's science partners

The concept for this study was born from the current demand for programs that effectively teach science to students. As education continues to undergo reform, a conscious effort must be made to make changes in the classroom as comfortable as possible. The purpose of this study is to better understand the role of the Elementary Science Education Partner (ESEP) college science partner in changing the culture of the classroom. In the Atlanta Public Schools (APS), approximately 1,700 teachers and 35,000 students in seventy elementary schools are involved in ESEP, a local systemic change initiative that seeks to increase science teaching and learning. In September of 1995, the ESEP project was established under the leadership of Dr. Robert L. DeHaan, the William P. Timmie Professor of Anatomy in the Department of Cell Biology at Emory University. The goal of the project is "to improve scientific literacy and instruction of science among students and teachers of the Atlanta Public School System" (Kozaitis 1997:102--103). (Abstract shortened by UMI.).