With schools being asked to accomplish more and more, it is increasingly important to, whenever possible, address multiple goals in teaching. Educating the whole child dictates that we find ways to ensure our graduates are well-rounded, independent thinkers capable of becoming well-adjusted, contributing adults. Thus community service has become a key component of the high school curriculum. To meet these many objectives, the project described here, in which students conducted radon testing in area homes, was comprised of four components—content knowledge; public awareness; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; and presentation of data. Community connections were made not only directly through testing, but also through informational brochures and newspaper articles prepared and distributed by students.
[hide full abstract]

The experts address the following question in this month’s column: What color is the blood in a person’s veins? I’ve heard it described as “blue,” but it looks to me to be dark red, as it appears when blood is drawn during a lab test.
[hide full abstract]

In the ever-expanding realm of science, educators struggle to share new discoveries and techniques with their students. Keeping abreast of recent advances can be daunting, even for the most motivated teacher. Fortunately, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program helps educators keep up with the fast-moving research community. The RET program enables K–12 science teachers to perform research projects in NSF-supported laboratories and brings the excitement of cutting edge science into the classroom. In this article, the author describes his RET-supported experiences working in a laboratory that studies the ecology and evolutionary biology of fungi, and provides advice on how teachers may find RET opportunities in their own communities.
[hide full abstract]

The National Science Education Standards offer the first assurance that community collaborations can be meaningful as they describe science instruction that educates students to “engage intelligently in public discourse and debate about matters of scientific and technological concern” (NRC 1996, p. 13). Community collaborations, if facilitated in a manner consistent with the Standards, can allow students to learn from and along with the community. The coeditor for this Community Collaborations issue of The Science Teacher (TST) hopes that as teachers read this issue of TST they will see the potential for engaging their own students in such collaborations in the coming year and look to share those experiences in next year’s issue.
[hide full abstract]

It makes good sense that community service learning can engage students. For students at risk of dropping out, it may provide the vital connection with adults and peers—and the opportunity for interesting, authentic learning—that could make all the difference in whether or not they decide to stay in school. For all students, service learning can make what is learned in classes more relevant to their lives, and create a path to a lifetime of active citizenship. In this month's column, the field editor offers his perspective on making education interesting and relevant through community service learning.
[hide full abstract]

The Gulf of Maine Institute (GOMI) is striving to empower youth to take on stewardship roles in their communities. Through its Community Based Initiative (CBI) program, GOMI addresses environmental degradation by working with teams of students, teachers, and community members from around the Gulf of Maine to inspire youth to be stewards of the gulf and its watershed. In preparing young enthusiastic leaders who will take on these stewardship roles in their communities, GOMI provides solid training in environmental sciences and civic engagement. As a result, students become more environmentally aware and actively contribute to environmental initiatives in their hometowns. This bioregional approach helps participants from urban, suburban, and rural communities in Canada and the United States relate to one another as they learn about the interconnectedness of their watershed and their dependence on its continued health.
[hide full abstract]

The new paradigm for student research should be articulations and collaborations with local governmental, academic, and civic entities. This will enable students to make lasting contributions to bettering their communities through scientific research, and to better understand the practical relevance of science. This article presents two such programs—Chemistry in Action Research (CiA) and the South Shore Estuary Watch (SSEW)—which allow students from Long Island, New York, to participate in a variety of projects of importance to and in partnership with the community. Examples of projects include reduction of storm water runoff contaminants, bioremediation, wetland restoration, elimination or minimization of eutrophic conditions, and invasive species studies.
[hide full abstract]

For physics teachers, it seems irresponsible to teach energy without asking students hard, relevant questions such as, “What will we do when oil becomes prohibitively expensive?” Therefore, in the fall of 2005, the author asked senior-level physics students to identify some energy-related problems within the community to solve as a class. Even though they came up with excellent ideas, the suggestions were a bit too complicated and expensive. Eventually, with help from other faculty, they came up with a suitable project: Students would research options for a renewable onsite power source for the new water pump they would soon buy for their school’s greenhouse. Through a collaborative effort with local members of the community and school personnel, students’ utilized science process skills to embark upon this exciting project.
[hide full abstract]

While studying gas laws, high school chemistry students at Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, created children’s books about the properties of gases, geared toward ages 8-12, to display their understanding of the science content. Because the high school students were eager to share their books and their science knowledge with elementary students, a partnership was formed between the high school and a local elementary school. Using their science stories as the central focus, the high school students and their teacher created a half-day science program for fourth- and fifth-grade elementary students. In addition to highlighting the high school students’ own books, the program also included a series of laboratory activities, demonstrations, discussion, and writing activities.
[hide full abstract]

A Quest is a treasure hunt-style poem in which the writers lead the visitor to special places on the property. The poems have movement clues to take the visitor from place to place and educational clues that teach about aspects of each property. The writing experience allows students to research unique features of a local property, demonstrate their knowledge in a poem, and share information with people in the community. This article discusses how this approach was implemented through the collaborative efforts of eight conservation properties on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, and the local high school. Student’s researched the eight properties and produced a collective guidebook based on what they had learned.
[hide full abstract]

The Invention Factory is a nontraditional youth-based, after-school program in Honolulu that teaches information technology and mechanics to teenagers through interactive, hands-on projects that improve human computer interaction for individuals with disabilities. One objective of the program is to stimulate interest in science and engineering careers among students currently underrepresented in those fields: women, native Hawaiians, students with disabilities, and at-risk students. Another objective is for students to learn enough electronics, mechanics, mathematics, and computer programming to conduct needs analysis, design, fabrication, and evaluation of devices that meet the needs of people who are disabled. The program intends to demonstrate that students who create technology-based solutions that impact people have increased motivation to pursue careers in engineering and science.
[hide full abstract]