Math and Science

Past Work

SEDL has long worked to help improve teachers’ content knowledge. Much of our work involved providing professional development to teachers to address both what they teach and how they teach it. We addressed the “what” not only through our early curriculum development work but also through numerous initiatives that help teachers access, evaluate the quality of, and learn to implement research-based instructional materials. Providing professional development and related resources to address the “how” of teaching is a cornerstone of our work, from the early Follow Through trainings to our recent collaborations with the National Staff Development Council.

From 1992 through 2005, SEDL operated the Southwest Consortium for the Improvement of Mathematics and Science Teaching (SCIMAST). SCIMAST was one of 10 regional science and mathematics consortia funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education to support mathematics and science education in schools throughout the United States and its territories. During the years it was in operation, SCIMAST worked to improve mathematics and science learning in its region by focusing efforts on increasing the use of research-based knowledge and high-quality resources by teachers, especially in economically disadvantaged schools, and increasing networking and collaboration among institutions at various levels of the education system, from schools to state departments to universities.