Bushy Park, S.C. (Project Inquiry)
Project Inquiry (PI) is a joint project of the Berkeley County School District (BCSD) and Charleston County School District (CCSD). It is designed to improve science literacy and academic achievement in science among K-8 students through the implementation of a rigorous and relevant hands-on, inquiry-based science curriculum that aligns with the South Carolina Science Frameworks and the National Science Education Standards.
PI was established in 1994 in the BCSD after Bayer expressed its desire to start a science education reform program in the Lowcountry region of S.C. that was similar to reform programs it had spearheaded in other communities. It then sponsored a BCSD team to attend the National Science Resources Center’s Leadership Training Institute in Washington, D.C. Bayer also committed funds to help establish the district’s materials resource center, a critical component of reform that houses and systematically refurbishes curriculum materials.
In 1996, Bayer sponsored a second team from the CCSD to receive training and provided funding for its own materials resource center. In 2000, Bayer urged the two school districts to partner to become a strong National Science Foundation (NSF) grant candidate. This resulted in PI’s receiving a five-year, $5 million dollar NSF grant earmarked for ongoing professional development of teachers.
Since its inception, Bayer has awarded PI more than $140,000 in grants to further grow the program. In the fall of 2003, Bayer sponsored a PI team to attend the Next Step Institute, which helps provide local science education reform programs with strategies for continued sustainability and growth so that ultimately all students will excel in science. In addition, Bayer provided PI with scientists to work with students and teachers as they fully implement the program in all 96 K-8 schools in both districts, reaching more than 1,113 teachers and more than 70,000 students annually.
In fall 2003, PI’s “Fifth Grade Outcome Study,” the first of several student and teacher assessments mandated by the NSF, found that the standards-based, inquiry-oriented approach to science education improves student science achievement across the board – in life sciences, earth sciences and physical sciences. In addition, it significantly enhances teachers’ attitudes and aptitudes regarding science instruction.
More specifically, the student evaluation assessed the performance of 3,712 fifth-grade students in both districts using multiple-choice questions from both the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and Third (Trends in) International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) tests. Two assessments were administered - one at the beginning and one at the end of the 2001-2002 school year. Researchers found that at the end of one full year of PI science curriculum instruction, students in both districts increased their test scores an average of 4.8 percentage points.
Teacher evaluations also are promising. They show that more fifth-grade teachers are instructing students with PI’s standards-based, inquiry curriculum and that PI’s professional development for teachers is critical to the success of the program. For example, teachers report that the more professional development they receive, the more likely it is that they are teaching more science units and science lessons during the school year and that those lessons tend to be longer.
For more information about Project Inquiry, please visit the Web site at www.berkeley.k12.sc.us/curriculum/science/inquiry/inquiry.
Last updated: March 2011
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