A recensus was undertaken of the Middlesex Fells (West), a 400‐ha woodland park in Metropolitan Boston, to determine how species composition changed between 1894 (the time of first census) and 1993. This park is isolated by an 0.5‐km‐wide barrier of roads and development from the eastern half of the Fells preserve, is at least 5 km from other protected areas, and is strongly affected by human activity. Out of 422 original plant species, 155 species were no longer present in 1993. Sixty‐four new species were recorded on the site in 1993, the majority of them exotic species. The proportion of native species in the flora went from 83% in 1894 to 74% in 1993. Overall, the number of native species is declining at a rate of O.36% per year, whereas the exotic species are increasing at a rate of 0.18% per year. Many of the native species lost were attractive and well‐known components of the native flora, such as orchids and lobeliads. Many remaining native plant species have been reduced to one or a few small populations. Species of moist woods were disproportionately lost from the Fells. The loss of species has coincided with an increase in human activity, including ground fires, a greater number of trails and roads, thinning of the forest, and trampling of the vegetation, all of which may have contributed to species loss. A policy to stop and reverse this progressive loss of species might include preventing new trails from being developed, closing off some existing trails, excluding people from sensitive areas, and reintroducing some of the lost species.

The creation of new populations of rare and endangered plant species has become well-established as a standard technique in conservation and restoration ecology. However, much remains unknown about the actual rates of success or failure of such reintroductions. Recent research suggests that in part this reflects under-reporting of failures. In 2000, the authors published a paper reporting rates of success in reintroducing eight perennial plant species into two reserves near Boston, MA, in 1994-1995. In 2010, the authors conducted a recensus of the experimental sites 15 years after reintroduction; almost all the populations reported in 2000 had disappeared. The implications for reintroduction methodology, with respect to establishing and reporting both successful and unsuccessful experiments are discussed.

Partnerships of teachers with scientists are thought to be important for many aspects of science education reform, but it is not always clear how to make such partnerships productive. Between 1994 and 1997, high school teachers were partnered with scientists, to design yearlong ecological research projects in which the teachers were learning for their own sake, rather than to create new curriculum. In these partnerships the relationships with the scientists took many forms. We found that negotiations around five dimensions seemed particularly important: (1) Whose question was being investigated? (2) Was the focus primarily on data collection or data analysis? (3) Was the research based on the ecologist's area of expertise, or the teachers' interest? (4) Was the focus primarily on the teachers' learning on their students' classroom learning? (5) Was the research intended for an external audience, or primarily for the teachers' own benefit? Three case studies are presented, showing how these dimensions shaped the negotiations of more successful and less successful collaborations. Implications for inquiry-based pedagogy, and cultural issues arising in scientist-teacher collaborations, are discussed.

Abstract-With greater online access and greater use of computers and tablets, educational materials are increasingly available digitally, and are soon predicted to become the standard for science classrooms. However, researchers have found that institutionalized structures and cultural factors in schools affect teacher uptake and integration of technology. Findings are sparse that detail the complexities of how teachers actually incorporate technology in their teaching as they negotiate the introduction of a new and potentially disruptive innovation. With respect to a digital curriculum in particular, teachers can be unclear about their role vis-avis the curriculum, as the "computer" potentially becomes an alternative source of authority in the classroom, and this can mean that the teacher is no longer in control. This paper reports on the implementation of two units of an innovative environmental science program, Biocomplexity and the Habitable Planet, as a digital curriculum. We discuss some of the lessons learned about the mix of challenges, anticipated and unanticipated, that confronted four high school teachers as they implemented the curriculum in their classrooms. We suggest that developers and users of digital curricula pay particular attention to how they envision where the authority for teaching and learning in the classroom should reside.

The rapid expansion of knowledge in all science domains, and the provisional nature of much new knowledge, present the science curriculum with several important challenges. The inquiry-based classroom approach is designed to struggle with the difficulties of the subject in a way that reflects best current understanding about teaching and learning. This article describes the features that characterize student and teacher roles and tasks in a classroom that is representative of a culture of inquiry. Suggestions for principals are included.