Physicists and the elementary schools—seven years later

Abstract

Seven years ago, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, with the support of the National Science Foundation, attempted to provide training and curriculum assistance to school systems in the Long Island region seeking to improve their elementary school science programs. A retrospective examination of the impact of that program has revealed that, although initial program objectives were achieved, pilot projects did not lead to school-wide adoptions in those school systems that participated. An analysis of the reasons for the failure of pilot projects to expand leads to some speculative conclusions with implications for institutions and individuals seeking to become involved in school curriculum development.