We describe the content and organization of a series of daylong field trips to a university for high school students that connect chemistry content to issues of sustainability. The seven laboratory activities are in the areas of environmental degradation, energy production, and green chemistry. The laboratory procedures have been modified from published procedures so that the length and scope would be appropriate for our format and audience (AP and college preparatory chemistry and environmental science students). While students spend the majority of their time at the university in the laboratory, connections between the chemistry content and sustainability are highlighted in the previsit reading assignments, prelab discussion, and postlab small group discussion. Results of formative assessment are presented, as are considerations for other institutions that may be interested in developing and maintaining a similar program.
This case study explored chemistry
teacher isolation through the
compilation and analysis of contextual characteristics and student
performance data of 895 public schools and 2321 chemistry teachers
in New York State in 2011–12. Data on the teachers’
qualifications along with school characteristics were collected from
several independent, publicly available data sources. Chemistry teacher
characteristics included professional age, certification type (primary
or secondary), and whether the teachers were isolated, that is, the
only teachers of chemistry in their schools. School-level data included
socioeconomic status, chemistry course-taking rates, and passing rates
on the statewide high-stakes chemistry exam. Analysis revealed that
more than half of public secondary schools in New York State had isolated
chemistry teachers, and they were concentrated in urban schools and
had less professional teaching experience. When examining the chemistry
performance of students of isolated teachers in a multivariable model,
it was determined that school-level socioeconomic status, chemistry-taking
ratio, certification type, and professional age were predictors, accounting
for 27% of the variance in scores. Results were consistent with mediation
analyses indicating both teacher professional age and school test-taking
ratio mediated the relationship between socioeconomic status and chemistry
passing rate, suggesting that teaching experience and chemistry course-taking
rates mitigated the effects of poverty on student chemistry performance.
These findings have implications for education policy makers indicating
that teacher preparation and induction programs should be re-examined
to address: (1) teaching chemistry in isolation and (2) the relationships
among school conditions, chemistry teacher retention, and high school
chemistry students’ achievement.
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