Building an Evaluation Framework for Inquiry-based Science Education

On May 11, 2004 the National Research Council, through its Board on Science Education, held an invitational meeting focused on the evaluation of inquiry-based science. The meeting was held at the request of and with the support of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. The meeting was designed to bring together members of the corporate community interested in science education and members of the evaluation community whose work has focused on the effects and/or outcomes of inquiry-based science education for a day of facilitated conversation on this topic. The invited corporate representatives are leaders in supporting science education with several years of thoughtful, deliberate and strategic contributions to effect lasting improvement in science teaching and learning, locally, regionally, and nationally. Their efforts are touching nearly 20% of the nation’s K-8 students. What has been missing is a corpus of compelling evidence on the difference inquiry-based teaching is making on student achievement and teachers’ content and pedagogical stance. Bringing together these corporate sponsors of science education and experts in science education evaluation created a much needed forum for an exchange of questions on a variety of issues that are of critical importance in shaping future research and evaluation efforts.

**A follow up meeting will be held in the future to continue the work in this area.

Agenda for Meeting on Evaluation of Inquiry-based Science National Research Council Board on Science Education The Keck Center, Rm. 109 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 Tuesday, May 11, 2004
DISCLAIMER: Please note that the presentation below may be subject to copyright restrictions of the individual presenters. Opinions and statements included in the presentations are solely those of the individual persons or participants at the conference, and are not necessarily adopted or endorsed or verified as accurate by The National Academies.
8:30 a.m.	Welcome Martin Orland, Director, Center for Education Jean Moon, Director, Board on Science Education
8:40 a.m.	Science education and the corporate community Anders Hedberg, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
8:50 a.m.	Overview of the day Tom Corcoran (Meeting facilitator), University of Pennsylvania
9:00 a.m.	Opening discussion of key issues and questions Discussion among all attendees
9:30 a.m.	“Evaluating Inquiry-based Science Developments” Wynne Harlen, University of Cambridge and University of Bristol		Commissioned Paper
9:45 a.m.	Response to the commissioned paper and open discussion Respondent: Carlo Parravano, Merck Institute for Science Education
10:30 a.m.	Break
10:45 a.m.	Inquiry Synthesis Project Jeanne Century, EDC Daphne Minner, EDC Abigail Levy, EDC		Presentation
11:15 a.m.	Discussion of inquiry synthesis project
11:45 a.m.	Lunch
12:45 p.m.	Summary and discussion of themes from morning Tom Corcoran
1:15 p.m.	Panel discussion with evaluators Iris Weiss, Horizon Research Steve Schneider, WestEd Frances Lawrenz, University of Minnesota Steve Klein, RAND
2:15 p.m.	Discussion with corporate attendees: What evidence would be compelling for the corporate community?
3:15 p.m.	Wrap up and next steps Tom Corcoran Jean Moon
3:45 p.m.	Meeting Adjourns

Staff: